Please join us in marking the 20th anniversary of WESS with a special session on the past, present, and future of librarianship and scholarship related to Western Europe. Our speakers will be James J. O'Donnell, Professor of Classical Studies and Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing at the University of Pennsylvania, and Barbara Walden, European History Librarian at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The program and discussion will be moderated by Roger Brisson, Digital Access Librarian and Selector for German Language & Literature at Pennsylvania State University and Coordinator of the AAU/ARL German Resources Project.

Professor O'Donnell has published widely on the cultural history of the late antique Mediterranean world, including a 3 volume commentary on Augustine's CONFESSIONS (Oxford University Press, 1992). He is also a recognized innovator in the application of networked information technology in higher education. His recent book, Avatars of the Word (Harvard University Press, 1998), raises important questions about scholarly communication through various media and the role of academic institutions -- including libraries -- as providers of ideas and resources. More about his work and ideas can be found on his homepage.

Barbara Walden has extensive experience selecting and acquiring research materials from Western Europe. A major study she co-authored in 1994 pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of Western European Political Science collecting nationwide, and the need for improved access to the materials acquired by North American research libraries.

In addition to celebrating WESS' 20th anniversary, this year's program inaugurates the generous annual program grant from Jean TOUZOT Libraire-Editeur. A breakfast buffet will be provided by Belser Wissenschaftlicher Dienst -- so come early!

The program will be followed by the WESS General Membership Meeting.
 

1999 WESS Program Planning Committee

Marianna McKim, Chair, Yale University
Gordon Anderson, University of Kansas
Heidi L. Hutchinson, University of California -- Riverside
Ming Jian, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
AnnMarie D. Mitchell, University of California -- Berkeley
Elisabeth Remak-Honnef, University of California -- Santa Cruz