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9am - 5pm | Library Hours
Vitale II Media Lab for Book History + Digital Humanities
The Vitale II Media Lab is the Book History and Digital Humanities (Book+Digital) lab in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts, located on the sixth floor of Van Pelt Library. Vitale II welcomes scholars of all levels who are working on projects at the intersection of BH+DH, providing space for collaboration and learning, for experimentation and creation. We host two sets of open hours every week, and many workshops that are available to everyone.
What can I do in Vitale II?
Book+Digital: The Long History of Text Technologies
Visit Us!
We have open hours two times a week:
9:30am-11:30am Tuesdays
2pm-4pm Wednesdays
The door is open and you are welcome to come and find out more about the work of Vitale II.
Look at things
Because Vitale II is in the Special Collections department, we have direct access to the collections. If you are interested in working with materials from Special Collections, you can display objects in the room, on the large screen with the document camera, on the two side monitors with the ceiling camera, and to virtual audiences via video conferencing.
Courtesy of Professor Whitney Trettien, we have a Text Technologies Petting Zoo, which includes historical equipment for making text (e.g., typewriters, computers). You are welcome to come to Vitale II on Tuesday mornings, 9:30am-11:30am, to meet with Emily Brooks from the Price Lab for Digital Humanities and find out more about the Petting Zoo.
Image things
We have a document camera, so you can take you own videos and photos of special collections objects. Of course, cell phone cameras are also welcome.
Make things
We make things – facsimiles, zines, other creative objects – inspired by Penn's collections, and you can too!
We experiment with practices over the long history of the book, from writing in clay and on parchment, to paper circuitry
We collaborate with the Common Press, the Price Lab for Digital Humanities, and the Education Commons in our making
Accordion List
Water is allowed in spill-resistant containers, if there are no special collections in the room. Food and other drinks are not allowed.
- 4' x 6' movable whiteboard
- 60" display screens & integrated computer system suitable for in-room and virtual events
- Document cameras for displaying rare materials on the screens
- Digital projector
- Six reconfigurable tables
- History of text technologies "petting zoo", including model books and typewriters
- A variety of materials for scribal exercises (including quills, ink, parchment, paint)
Questions? Contact the lab manager at dorp@upenn.edu
Location
623 Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 6th floor
Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Location and Accessibility
Accessibility
For Wheelchairs
- Sufficient doorway & hallway clearance
- Clearance to approach table
Orthopedic Accessibility
- Chairs have adjustable height
Nearby Bathrooms
The women's and men's bathrooms have one accessible bathroom stall each. The bathrooms are located off the curator's corridor, north of the Kislak elevators. The nearest gender-neutral bathroom is on the 5th floor, west of the Kislak elevators. (see floor plan)
