Penn Libraries’ Dr. Will Noel Selected to Deliver Prestigious Lecture Series at Cambridge

The Penn Libraries is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Will Noel, Director of the Kislak Center for Special Collections and the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, as the Reader for the 2018-2019 series of Sandars Lectures in Bibliography at the University of Cambridge. Instituted 1895, these free public lectures feature experts in the field of bibliography, recently exploring topics in typography, codicology, historical printing methods, and book collecting.

Noel, known for his groundbreaking work in the application of digital technologies to manuscript studies, will give three lectures from March 11-13 exploring the relationship between the medieval manuscript and its digital image. The lectures argue that rather than attempting to recreate the medieval book in a virtual environment, institutions would better serve the field by presenting datasets that can be mined by users, taking advantage of the user’s skill, knowledge and imagination to embed institutional collections into twenty-first century cultural life.

Although he is honored to give these lectures, Noel notes that his expertise on this subject is a collective achievement. “These lectures reflect the pioneering work of so many at Penn Libraries in the field of digital cultural heritage, and I look forward to bringing their efforts to light,” he says.

The Penn Libraries congratulates Noel on this honor and relishes the opportunity to bring our commitment to open access to a broader audience.