Fine and Rare V: New Acquisitions in Libraries Special Collections

The Libraries’ Special collections is envisioned as an interdisciplinary workshop where humanistic modes of inquiry combine with innovative tools to study historical technologies, books, and artifacts. The diverse and valuable collections fuel transformative exhibitions, groundbreaking research, and other programs that bring students, scholars, and members of the public into Special Collections and CMU’s Libraries.

In this special event, Curator of Special Collections Sam Lemley shares new and unique highlights from the Libraries' collection of rare books, artifacts, early scientific instruments, and calculating machines. Learn about areas of collection strength, ongoing research, and instructional programs in CMU's Special Collections — and get a sneak peek into the collection's exciting future.

About the Speaker:

SAM LEMLEY is Curator of Special Collections at Carnegie Mellon University Libraries (CMU), an Affiliate in the Center for Early Modern Print, Networks, and Performance (CMU Department of English), and a member of the Print & Probability project. He holds a PhD in English from the University of Virginia and an MLIS with a certificate of concentration in rare books and special collections librarianship from the Palmer School (NYC). At CMU he administers acquisitions, exhibitions, research and instruction in the Libraries’ collection of rare books, manuscripts and early calculating devices and cryptographic machines. He is a (re)founding member of The Pittsburgh Bibliophiles, a gardener, a book collector and papa to a three-year-old son.

Lemley has held research fellowships at Princeton University Libraries, the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, Harvard University’s Houghton Library, Rare Book School and Oak Spring Garden Foundation. His work has appeared in Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, The Library, Studies in Bibliography, Shakespeare Quarterly, Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Hyperallergic and other journals. He recently edited a book on the four Folios of Shakespeare’s plays (Penn State University Press). The volume accompanied a pair of exhibitions mounted at CMU and the Frick Pittsburgh.

Questions? Contact ul-libraries-events@andrew.cmu.edu.