Unless otherwise specified, all tours will begin in the lobbies of the various institutions' buildings. Addresses and directions from Penn's campus are provided for your reference.
Where tours include two institutions, the tour leaders will follow the order specified on this page.
If a tour is the first conference event you will be attending, you may proceed directly to the venue; it is not necessary to visit the Conference Registration Desk beforehand. Tour hosts will check attendance against lists of pre-registered participants.
Please be sure to arrive in a timely fashion; tours will begin promptly at the scheduled hours. All Thursday tour timings allow at least an hour to return to Penn's campus. Please arrive at Cohen Hall by 3:00 pm, in time to register (if you have not done so already) and be seated for the opening remarks and keynote address by Roger Chartier which begin at 4:00 pm.
All Friday tour timings allow 45 minutes to walk to the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Please arrive at the CHF building (315 Chestnut Street) by 5:15 pm for the keynote address by Michael F. Suarez.
For information on local transportation in Philadelphia, please visit the website of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
I. Rare Book Department, Free Library of Philadelphia
215-686-5416
(about 40 minutes' walk or a 20 minute commute via SEPTA trolley; map)
- 10:00 am - 11:00 am
- 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
(limited to 15 participants each)
The Free Library of Philadelphia's Rare Book Department, among the largest in American public libraries, houses the Copinger-Widener Collection of Incunabula, and also has exceptional holdings of cuneiform tablets, European and Oriental manuscripts, children's books, as well as works by and about the authors Charles Dickens, Beatrix Potter, and Edgar Allan Poe.
II. The University of Pennsylvania Archives
3401 Market Street, Suite 210, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3358
215-898-7024
AND
Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania
Lower Level, Fisher Fine Arts Library, 220 S. 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-898-8323
(walking distance; map)
- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
- 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
(limited to 20 participants each)
The University Archives was founded in 1945 as a permanent repository for historically significant documents and other materials that reflect the University's origins and development, as well as the activities and achievements of its officers, staff, faculty, students, alumni, and benefactors. The Archives' holdings concern not only Penn and its prominent affiliates but also the history of institutions of higher learning in the United States, American intellectual life, and Philadelphia.
Penn's Architectural Archives preserves the works of more than 400 designers from the 18th century to the present. Its research collections support independent study, teaching, exhibitions, and loans to other institutions. The Archives facility houses the Kroiz exhibition gallery, a specialized library, and reading room as well as storage and processing facilities.
III. The Rosenbach Museum and Library
2008-2010 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-732-1600
(about 30 minutes' walk or a 20 minute commute via SEPTA bus; map)
- 10:30 am - 11:30 am
- 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
(limited to 10 participants each)
The Rosenbach was founded in 1954 through a gift by collector, scholar, and bookseller Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach and his brother, Philip. The brothers' personal collection, now the core of the Rosenbach, features treasures they were unable to part with, including the only surviving copy of Benjamin Franklin's first Poor Richard's Almanac and the manuscript of James Joyce's Ulysses. The collection has since grown to include works by and about Marianne Moore, Bram Stoker, and Maurice Sendak. The Rosenbach seeks to inspire curiosity, inquiry, and creativity by engaging broad audiences in its exhibitions, events, and research programs.
These special hour-long tours of the Rosenbach's rare books and manuscripts are led by the Museum's Director Derick Dreher and Director of Collections Judith M. Guston. The tours will highlight objects from Dr. Rosenbach's library of English Literature, Americana, and Incunabula.
IV. The Library Company of Philadelphia
1314 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-546-3181
(NOT within walking distance; map)
AND
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-732-6200
- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
- 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
(limited to 15 participants each)
The Library Company is an independent research library specializing in American history and culture from the 17th through the 19th centuries. It houses extensive collections of rare books, manuscripts, broadsides, ephemera, prints, photographs, and works of art. Founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, it is America's oldest cultural institution, serving as the Library of Congress from the Revolutionary War to 1800, and remaining the largest public library in America until the Civil War. The Library Company offers comprehensive reader services and an internationally renowned fellowship program.
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, founded in 1824, is one of the oldest historical societies in the United States, and is home to some 600,000 printed items and more than 21 million manuscript and graphic items. Its collections encompass more than 350 years of America's history - from its 17th-century origins to the contributions of its most recent immigrants - and include strengths in Pennsylvania and regional history. The society's addition of the holdings of The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies and of The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania now make it a vital center of historical documentation, study and education. The Society's building at 1300 Locust Street was designed by Addison Hutton and is on the city's Register of Historical Places.
V. The University of Pennsylvania Special Collections Center
6th floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-746-5825
(walking distance; map)
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
(limited to 20 participants)
Newly re-opened after a $15 million renovation and expansion, the collection, study, and curatorial facilities on the sixth floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center have metamorphosed into a new Special Collections Center. The redesigned Center will play to the strengths of the rare book library's teaching and digitization programs, and will support the use of special collections both in research and in the curriculum.
VI. Exhibition Tour: A Legacy Inscribed: The Schoenberg Collection of Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania Libraries
Goldstein Family Gallery, 6th floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-746-5825
(walking distance; map)
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
(limited to 12 participants)
The Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection of Manuscripts, donated to the University of Pennsylvania Libraries by Penn Libraries Board members Barbara Brizdle Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Schoenberg (C53, WG56), brings together many of the great scientific and philosophical traditions of the ancient and medieval worlds. Documenting the extraordinary achievements of scholars, philosophers, and scientists in Europe, Africa, and Asia, the collection illuminates the foundations of Penn's academic traditions. Often illustrated with complex diagrams and stunning imagery, these manuscripts bring to the present the intellectual legacy of the medieval past.
I. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
219 S. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3794
215-925-2688
(NOT within walking distance; 25 minute commute by SEPTA subway; map)
- 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
- 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
(limited to 20 participants each)
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia was founded in 1814 to collect materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts, and generally to disseminate useful knowledge" for public benefit. Today it remains an independent member-supported library and museum that engages members, scholars, and the public to participate in its historical, literary, cultural, and educational activities. The Athenaeum is a diligent steward of its Italianate Revival Style, brownstone National Historic Landmark building and its large collection of books, manuscripts, architectural drawings, photographs, and historic objects. In particular, it serves as a first-rate resource on matters of 19th- and 20th-century architecture and interior design.
II. The American Philosophical Society
104-105 S. 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3387
215-440-3400
(NOT within walking distance; 25 minute commute by SEPTA subway; map)
- 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
- 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
(limited to 15 participants each)
The American Philosophical Society seeks to promote useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and community outreach. This country's first learned society, the APS was founded in 1743. The location of its original headquarters, Philosophical Hall, adjacent to present-day Independence Square, demonstrates the connection of the new society to the new nation. Early members included scientists, artisans, tradesmen, and founders of the republic. Today, the Society's Publications Program maintains a journal, a monograph series, a book series, the Memoirs, and a Year Book. In addition to recognizing superior intellectual achievement by election to membership, the Society awards a number of prizes and medals to recognize scholarly accomplishment.
III. The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania
420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19106-3703
215-238-1290
(NOT within walking distance; 25 minute commute by SEPTA subway; map)
- 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
- 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
(limited to 15 participants each)
The Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies is devoted to post-doctoral research on Jewish civilization in all its historical and cultural manifestations, and is a model for institutions of its kind. The Center's distinguished scholars and strong library holdings, along with Penn's outstanding faculty in Judaic studies, have established it as one of the world's major loci for the study of Jewish civilization.
IV. The Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-925-2222
(NOT within walking distance; 25 minute commute by SEPTA subway; map)
- 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
- 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
(limited to 15 participants each)
The Chemical Heritage Foundation is a collections-based nonprofit organization that preserves the history and heritage of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related sciences and technologies. The collections are used to create a body of original scholarship that illuminates chemistry's role in shaping society. In bridging science with the humanities, arts, and social sciences, CHF is committed to building a vibrant, international community of scholars; creating a rich source of traditional and emerging media; expanding the reach of its museum; and engaging the broader society through inventive public events.
I. The University of Pennsylvania Special Collections Center
6th floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-746-5825
(walking distance; map)
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
(limited to 20 participants)
Newly re-opened after a $15 million renovation and expansion, the collection, study, and curatorial facilities on the sixth floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center have metamorphosed into a new Special Collections Center. The redesigned Center will play to the strengths of the rare book library's teaching and digitization programs, and will support the use of special collections both in research and in the curriculum.
II. Exhibition Tour: Prehistoric Wessex: Towards a Deep Map, University of Pennsylvania Libraries
Kamin Gallery, 1st floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-746-5825
(walking distance; map)
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
(limited to 12 participants)
When novelist and poet Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) fictionalized the region of England in which he lived, he revived the name of a long extinct Anglo-Saxon kingdom. The region's prehistoric monuments play a prominent role in his semi-imaginary geography, helping him to resuscitate in his own time the memory of a bygone agrarian England. Hardy, reworking an already reworked Wessex, is only the most famous to conceptualize this region. This exhibit brings together material from Penn's collections to represent a palimpsest of the ideas, images, and descriptions around the monuments that informed Hardy's worldview; it is the beginnings of a deep map of the region. It incorporates material from the pre-antiquarian chronicles to the present day, including the technical studies of the monuments made by antiquarians and early archaeologists, poetic interpretations of the landscape in literature and art, and the reimagination of prehistoric Wessex in popular culture. Prehistoric Wessex: Towards a Deep Map juxtaposes materials from the Penn Libraries' diverse collections that both reveal and contribute to the ongoing construction of Wessex in the cultural imaginary.