Rare Book School invites the public to its summer lecture series, which brings together leading voices in book history, bibliography, and print culture.
Unless otherwise noted, these free talks will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET at the locations listed below. Each lecture will be followed by a reception in UVA’s Edgar Shannon Library, Room 230 (RBS Suite). RSVPs to attend in person are not required.
RBS also offers an option to attend a livestream of the in-person lectures via Zoom. Please register for the livestreams at the links below.
Monday, 1 June
The 2026 Kress Foundation Art of the Book in Europe Lecture
Aquatint Travel Books and the Haptic Picturesque
Douglas Fordham, Professor of Art History and Chair, Department of Art, University of Virginia
Room 330, UVA Edgar Shannon Library, or register for the livestream
Wednesday, 3 June
The 2026 Sue Allen Lecture for Women in Book History
“They Can’t Buy It and They Can’t Take It:” Bookish Solidarity in a Time of Institutional Crisis
Heather O’Donnell, Honey & Wax Booksellers
Auditorium, UVA Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, or register for the livestream
Wednesday, 10 June
The 2026 Kenneth W. Rendell Endowed Lecture
Women’s Libraries & Their Afterlives
Elizabeth Canning, Book Collector and Board Member of the Book Club of Washington
Auditorium, UVA Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, or register for the livestream
Monday, 6 July
The 2026 Sol M. and Mary Ann O’Brian Malkin Lecture
From text to .txt: Making Material Messes in a Sloppy World
Matthew Kirschenbaum, Commonwealth Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Professor of English, University of Virginia
Room 330, UVA Edgar Shannon Library, or register for the livestream
Wednesday, 8 July
The 2026 Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Lecture on the History of the Book Trades
Landscapes, Labor, and the Infrastructures of Printed Newspapers
Michael Stamm, Professor of History, Michigan State University
Auditorium, UVA Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, or register for the livestream
Wednesday, 22 July
The 2026 NEH-SHARP Living American History in Primary Documents Lecture
Indigenous Agency and Intervention in the Bibliographical Record
Mike Kelly, Head, Archives & Special Collections, Amherst College
Auditorium, UVA Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, or register for the livestream
For questions, please call 434-924-8851 or email contactRBS@virginia.edu. Past lecture recordings are available via SoundCloud and YouTube.