Over several centuries, very few human creations have shaped and reflected the course of history and culture as powerfully as has “the book” in its many and varied forms.
What began more than a year ago as an idea for a three-day symposium on “the future of the book” has blossomed into “The Year of the Book,” a campus-wide series of lectures, workshops, exhibits, and performances based on the book, past, present, and future. Organized by the Oregon Humanities Center in conjunction with the Knight Library, this year-long celebration of the book will involve many individual scholars and departments on campus including the UO Bookstore, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Theatre Arts, History, Creative Writing, English, and others.
“The plan is to reach as deep and broad a slice of campus as we can manage, and to appeal to the larger community, as well,” said OHC Director Barbara Altmann. “We have designed a logo that will go on all events tied to the theme, and there will be several events per term.”
The Oregon Humanities Center hopes to encourage participation in the “Year of the Book” by providing financial co-sponsorships to departments who wish to host related events, and by helping to publicize all “Year of the Book” events.
The OHC has planned many of its 2009-10 lectures to coincide with the “Year of the Book” theme. Kritikos Professor Robert Darnton will kick off the fall term with his Nov. 12 lecture entitled “Digitize, Democratize: Google, Libraries, and the Future of Books” at 7:30 p.m. in 175 Knight Law Center. The lecture will also be given at UO in Portland on Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m.
Other fall term events include the “Understanding Superheroes” symposium on Oct. 23 and 24, and the related JSMA exhibits. The theater department is devoting their entire 2009-10 season to plays based on book adaptations. Their fall production, “Big River,” which runs Nov. 6-21, is a musical based on “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Creative writing is hosting readings by authors and poets throughout the year, and the UO Bookstore is organizing a film series based on book adaptations. Look for events in the coming months from the Knight Library, JSMA, Clark Honors College and community partners.
Visit http://ohc.uoregon.edu for a complete and ever-growing list of “Year of the Book” events.
