The American Antiquarian Society’s Adopt-a-Book 2013
WORCESTER, MA — On Friday, April 5, 2013, the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) will hold its sixth annual Adopt-A-Book event at which members of the general public will have the opportunity to “adopt” selected historic items from the AAS collections. This program will take place from 6 - 8 p.m. in Antiquarian Hall, 185 Salisbury Street in Worcester. Admission is $10 and drinks and hors d’oeuvres are included in the price of admission. Struck Catering is donating the food for the evening. For further information and to make reservations, contact Ann-Cathrine Rapp at (508) 471-2135, or consult the Society’s web site at www.americanantiquarian.org.
At this event, people will have the opportunity to view rare books, pamphlets, newspapers, prints and other historic items that have found a home at AAS. They can then adopt one or more of these materials in their name, a friend’s name or in memory of a special person. An AAS curator will use this gift to buy something equally interesting in the coming year. Sample items for adoption include: issues of historic newspapers priced from $10-75; a broadside at $35; a children’s book for $40; a popular novel at $75; a volume of poetry for $100; and a lithograph or engraving from $100-500.
An added feature of this year’s Adopt-A-Book is a raffle of historically-themed memorabilia. All donations to the 2013 Adopt-A-Book are tax deductible and will be permanently recorded on a special bookplate and in the AAS online library catalog. During the event, Society curators will also describe their collections and explain what they buy and why.
The AAS library aims to collect one copy of everything printed in America through the nation’s centennial in 1876. The annual Adopt-A-Book event is a way the public can help AAS fulfill its mission while learning more about historic printed materials and the inner workings of a major American research library.
People can also adopt online at: http://www.americanantiquarian.org/adoptabook.htm. However, additional items will only be available at the event itself. Over 100 items will be on view and described in detail. There is no limit on what attendees may contribute to adopt items. All proceeds will benefit AAS acquisitions program for purchases in the coming year.
American Antiquarian Society
The country’s first national historical organization, the American Antiquarian Society is both a learned society and a major independent research library. The AAS library today houses the largest and most accessible collection of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, sheet music, and graphic arts material printed through 1876 in what is now the United States, as well as manuscripts and a substantial collection of secondary works, bibliographies, and other reference works related to all aspects of American history and culture before the twentieth century.
The Society sponsors a broad range of programs-visiting research fellowships, research, education, publications, lectures, and concerts-for constituencies ranging from school children and their teachers through undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, creative and performing artists and writers, and the general public.
The AAS library is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. It is closed on all legal holidays. The library is open to serious researchers, free of charge. Complimentary public tours are held Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. The Society can be found on the worldwide web at www.americanantiquarian.org. The American Antiquarian Society is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency that supports public programs in the arts, humanities, and sciences.
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