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Original photo by Horia Varlan
A series of workshops on Thursday, October 28, 2010, will take speakers and preregistered participants on “site visits” to various local institutions, including a printing press, a conservation lab, a digital humanities center, and special collections of books and manuscripts.
Registration is required.
Post-conference Coverage
News
“The Book of Clouds” (Boston Phoenix)
As books turn into data and tweets are archived for posterity, how will readers and academics cope with the detritus of a digital age?
“Why Books?” (Harvard Gazette)
Harvard is field of battle for print’s fate in a digital age
“The Whither and Why of Books” (Harvard Gazette)
Conference examines the place of venerable, vulnerable print in a rapidly evolving digital future
"What Books Are For" (Harvard Magazine)
"Why Books?" conference emphasizes the functions of books—what books do and what is done to them
Blogs
Early Modern On-line Bibliography
PhiloBiblos
Harvard University Press
Summaries
“Why Books?” conference and site visits summaries
Site Visit Descriptions
Workshops will take place at one or both of the following session times:
Session A: 1:30–3 p.m.
Session B: 3:30–5 p.m.
“A Taste of History”
| Leaders: | Barbara Wheaton, Curator; Marylène Altieri, Curator of Books and Printed Materials |
| Location: | Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Yard |
| Sessions: | A and B |
| Times: | 1:30–3 p.m. 3:30–5 p.m. |
| Description: | A display of treasures from the Schlesinger Library’s renowned culinary collection featuring books, manuscripts, pamphlets, menus, and photographs drawn from a collection that has been developed over the past half-century and continues to grow. Among the items to be exhibited are Anna Wecker’s Neu, köstlich, und nutzliches Koch-buch, the first published cookbook by a woman (1679); Julia Child’s own copy of The Joy of Cooking, and one of the first cookbooks published by a former slave, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. Curators Barbara Wheaton and Marylène Atieri will discuss the collection. |
“Archiving from the Web”
| Leaders: | Marilyn Dunn, Executive Director of the Schlesinger Library and Radcliffe Librarian; Amy Benson, Librarian/Archivist for Digital Projects; Wendy Gogel, Manager of Digital Content and Projects |
| Location: | Radcliffe Gymnasium, Radcliffe Yard |
| Sessions: | A and B |
| Times: | 1:30–3 p.m. 3:30–5 p.m. |
| Description: | A demonstration of the Harvard University Library’s newly developed system, Web Archive Collection Service (WAX) including its two interfaces (one for public users and the other for curators) for the selection, harvesting, preservation, and research of Web content. The system is fully integrated with HOLLIS, the Library’s catalog and Harvard’s digital preservation repository. The Schlesinger Library created two collections in WAX that are available to researchers: “Capturing Women’s Voices,” a collection of blogs from African American, Asian American, and Latina women, as well as blogs documenting women’s thoughts on spirituality and conservativism. The other collection captures the Web presence of women and organizations that the Schlesinger currently collects. Marilyn Dunn, executive director of the Schlesinger Library, Amy Benson, librarian/archivist for digital projects, and Wendy Gogel, manager of digital content and projects in the Harvard University Library Office for Information Systems, will demonstrate and discuss the challenges of archiving from the Web. |
“Three Authors and their Books in Context: William James, Samuel Johnson, and Emily Dickinson”
| Leader: | William Stoneman, Florence Fearrington Librarian Of Houghton Library; Member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences |
| Location: | Houghton Library |
| Sessions: | A and B |
| Times: | 1:30–3 p.m. 3:30–5 p.m. |
| Description: | The process of writing and publishing books will be explored using three examples from the collection of Houghton Library. Original manuscripts and other primary sources will be used to describe the different creative methods and business environments in which William James, Samuel Johnson, and Emily Dickinson wrote. |
“‘I Have Often Regretted Not Buying a Book, but I Have Never Regretted Buying One’—Herbert Somerton Foxwell, economist and book collector”
| Leader: | Christine Riggle, Rare Book Cataloger; Laura Linard, Director, Baker Library Collections |
| Location: | Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School |
| Sessions: | A and B |
| Times: | 1:30–3 p.m. 3:30–5 p.m. |
| Description: | An introduction to Herbert Somerton Foxwell as a book collector, including an exploration of the influences on his collecting, his collecting methodology, and his contribution to the preservation of early economic literature by examining rare books and manuscripts in the Kress Collection of Business and Economics |
“Interesting Characteristics”
| Leaders: | David Warrington, Librarian for Special Collections; Mary Person, Rare Books Cataloger |
| Location: | Langdell Library, Harvard Law School Library, Historical and Special Collections |
| Sessions: | A and B |
| Times: | 1:30–3 p.m. 3:30–5 p.m. |
| Description: |
“The extent to which [a book] possesses interesting characteristics of its own, which are not replicated in whatever surrogate or alternate is proposed, is surely a vital consideration [for its preservation].” “Early Books and Traces of Former Owners.” Mary Person will present a selection of 16th and 17th century English law books and show how various former owners marked them and adapted them for personal use. Using the example of Christopher Columbus Langdell, the first Harvard Law School dean and the father of the "case method" of teaching, David Warrington will demonstrate how a professor's own lecture notes, the notes taken by his auditors, and the marginal annotations found in their textbooks can inform our knowledge of the professor's pedagogical methods. Harvard Special Collections staff will be on hand to discuss with participants exhibited items displaying the many features that Pearson termed “interesting characteristics” and what makes these “vital considerations” for those making preservation decisions. Participants will be provided with a hand list of items displayed which will range from early manuscript materials to modern ones, books to documents, and formal, informal, and completely accidental evidence. |
“Why (Design) Books?”
| Leader: | Timothy Jones, Art Director of the Harvard University Press |
| Location: | Harvard University Press |
| Session: | A |
| Time: | 1:30–3 p.m. |
| Description: | Have you ever bought a book because you fell in love with the jacket? Have you ever hated the jacket of a book so much that you took the dust cover off? Are you simply indifferent to book jackets? Do certain typefaces and layouts produce particular sensory, intellectual, or emotional effects on you? Do you wish your e-books were better designed? In this session, we will discuss many of the challenges facing modern-day designers—from editorial fidelity to design as a marketing tool. Using the design and production of the 10-book series The Image of the Black in Western Art as a case study, we will present examples of both the interior and jacket designs as well as review the processes used in acquiring, reviewing, and proofing artwork. Finally, we will discuss the opportunities and challenges of transitioning design toward a digital environment. |
“Why (Sell and Market) Books?”
| Leader: | Susan Donnelly, Assistant Director of the Harvard University Press and Director for Sales and Marketing |
| Location: | Harvard University Press |
| Session: | B |
| Time: | 3:30–5 p.m. |
| Description: | How do we market and sell books in a publishing world marked with technological change, market reorganization, and the realignment of traditional venues for publicity? How do we develop a detailed publishing plan and practical sales and marketing strategy in order to bring important scholarly books to the attention of a wide readership? This session will focus on these big questions by focusing on a particular case study: the monumental relaunch of the 10-book series The Image of the Black in Western Art. |
“Informal Tour of the Weissman Preservation Center, Special Collection Conservation”
| Leader: | Debora Mayer, Helen H. Glaser Conservator |
| Location: | Weissman Preservation Center |
| Sessions: | A and B |
| Times: | 1:30–3 p.m. 3:30–5 p.m. |
| Description: | At the Weissman Preservation Center, skilled conservators treat rare books, manuscripts, prints, drawings, maps, photographic materials, and other materials in special collections that have deteriorated over time, often from use and exposure to poor environmental conditions. Many of the objects conserved in the special collections laboratory are rare or unique and are of scholarly, historic, and artistic value. Tour participants will have an opportunity to observe and talk to the conservation staff about the objects currently being treated. |
“Challenges and Opportunities in the Emerging E-book Age”
| Leaders: | Alexander Parker, Director of Research Computing in the Humanities Liza Daly, President, Threepress Consulting Emily Arkin, Editor for Digital Publications Development, Harvard University Press |
| Location: | Thompson Room, Barker Center |
| Session: | A |
| Time: | 1:30–3 p.m. |
| Description: | After hesitant beginnings in the 1990s and 2000s, the e-book age may finally have arrived. Excitement and uncertainty accompany this new age, given that so many new reading experiences seem possible, yet so many of the established processes in writing and publishing are now under review—perhaps even under threat. How, in the future, will books be written, designed, manufactured, publicized, and sold? If conceptions of what a book is—even “where” a book is—are changing (together with the roles of author, editor, graphic designer, production manager, publicist, and book reseller), where do we begin? What questions should we be asking, what skills should we be acquiring, and what contingencies should we be planning for, before even the first digital letter is scribbled on electronic paper? This site visit will cover issues such as: file format of e-books; software for generating books in these formats; formats of different e-readers; fragmentation created by these file and device choices; lessons from the CD-ROM era; new book forms; rights acquisition and management; and use of advertisements. |
“Preserving Web-Based Digital Materials”
| Leader: | Andrea Goethals, Manager of Digital Preservation and Repository Services |
| Location: | Digital Preservation and Repository Services |
| Session: | B |
| Time: | 3:30–5 p.m. |
| Description: | Compared to traditional paper-based media, the Web as a publishing platform provides capabilities for greater access, more diverse formats, and higher degrees of user interactivity. However, because of the Web’s ephemeral, ever-evolving nature, it poses very large preservation challenges. Come to this site visit for an introduction to preserving Web content. You will learn about Web archiving concepts, tools, and services; watch a Web crawler capture a Web site; and see the tools and services available for Web archiving at Harvard. In addition, you'll learn how Harvard is collaborating with others internationally to address the challenges of Web archiving. |
“The Book as Art: The Future of Letters, Paper, and Ink”
| Leader: | Zachary Sifuentes, Preceptor, Harvard Writing Project; Visiting Lecturer, Visual and Environmental Studies; and Resident Tutor in Poetry and Arts, Adams House |
| Location: | Bow and Arrow Press |
| Session: | B |
| Time: | 3:30–5 p.m. |
| Description: | This site visit takes place in the Bow and Arrow Press, a vintage letterpress studio in the basement of a Harvard undergraduate house, and will expose visitors to a hands-on history of printmaking and bookmaking. The goal is to design, set, and print a limited-edition broadside for the "Why Books?" conference. |
“Visit to the Houghton Library Printing Room”
| Leader: | Hope Mayo, Philip Hofer Curator of Printing and Graphic Arts, Houghton Library Caroline Duroselle-Melish, Assistant Curator of Printing and Graphic Arts |
| Location: | Houghton Library Printing Room |
| Session: | A |
| Time: | 1:30–3 p.m. |
| Description: | This visit to the Houghton Library Printing Room (located in Lamont Library) will include a discussion of the materials and methods of printing before the age of the industrial revolution. Participants will view the historical printing equipment in the printing room and have the opportunity to set type and print using a 19th-century iron handpress. |
"How to Get Published"
| Leaders: | Lindy Hess, Director, Columbia Publishing Course Susan Ferber, Executive Editor, Oxford University Press Janet Silver, Literary Agent, former publisher at Houghton Mifflin Lindsay Waters, Executive Editor in the Humanities at Harvard University Press |
| Location: | Sheerr Room, Fay House, Radcliffe Yard |
| Session: | A |
| Time: | 1:30–3 p.m. |
| Description: | What are academic and trade publishers looking for in today’s market? How does one write a good proposal? Do you need an agent? How do you get one? What should the author’s role be in marketing the book? What are realistic goals for academic and trade authors? This panel of experts will answer these questions and others. |
Site Visits: Sessions
“Why Books?” main page
Conference Schedule and Speakers
Article: “Why Books? Why Not?”
