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MILLENNIUM CELEBRATION BEGINS WITH SYMPOSIUM ON FUTURE OF THE BOOK As the 21st century approaches, what impact will information technology have on the future of the book? A panel of distinguished speakers representing major American cultural and educational institutions will explore that topic on Thursday, September 30, 1999, during "The Future of the Book," a symposium to be held at William Paterson University in Wayne. The event, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. in the Askew Library Auditorium on campus, is the first in the University's year-long campus initiative, Twilight and Dawn, which commemorates the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the new millennium. A variety of lectures, symposia, films, exhibits, concerts, and performances covering a broad range of issues will be held on campus throughout the 1999-2000 academic year. The panel includes Paul LeClerc, president of the New York Public Library; Stanley Katz, past president of the American Council of Learned Societies and professor of legal and constitutional history, Princeton University; Patricia Willis, curator of American literature at Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library; Jerome McGann, John Stewart Bryan University Professor at the University of Virginia; and Leslie Mitchener, editor-in-chief of Rutgers University Press. Topics they are expected to address include the impact of electronic technology on printed books, brick and mortar libraries, bookstores and traditional publishers; the value of books as a material object; the effect of electronic technology on reading and writing; and the consequences of a traditional linear narrative yielding its functions to hypertext or hypermedia. In conjunction with the symposium, the Ben Shahn Galleries hosts an exhibit, "Shape and Content: Artists' Books Since 1950," which showcases the University's important new collection of nearly 300 artists' books. Curated by Amy Baker Sandback, one of the country's foremost experts on artists' books, this collection of highly personalized, one-of-a-kind art objects reflect the influence of the book as a venue for self-expression and are illustrative of the artists' view of the book not only as craft but as concept. A special opening reception for the exhibit will be held in the Galleries from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public, but space is limited. For reservations, contact Carol Gruber, professor of history, William Paterson University, at 973-720-3047. ###
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