WILSON, N.C. — March 28, 2018 — Barton College’s Willis N. Hackney Library is pleased to present the Sir Walter Scott Symposium as part of the K.D. Kennedy, Jr. Rare Book Room / Special Collections annual programming on Monday, April 9, at 5 p.m. The featured keynote speaker will be Dr. Patrick Scott, Distinguished Professor of English, Emeritus, at the University of South Carolina, and the former director of the University’s Irvin Department of Rare Books & Special Collections. The symposium will be held in the Willis N. Hackney Library and is open to the public free of charge. The community is invited to attend.
An afternoon reception at 5 p.m. will open the symposium, providing an opportunity for all attendees to meet the featured speakers and to participate in a free Rare Book Drawing that will be ongoing throughout the symposium. At 5:30 p.m., the official program will begin with Barton trustee emeritus Dr. K.D. Kennedy, Jr., providing a brief overview of the Rare Book Room and Special Collections. Shawn McCauley, assistant professor of English in the School of Humanities, will lead a lively discussion about Sir Walter Scott’s poetry books. And, Dr. Scott will focus his keynote address on the novels of Sir Walter Scott.
This distinguished event will raise awareness of the importance of rare books in academic and personal collections as well as showcasing how they are used in teaching to support the development of undergraduates’ critical thinking skills and to inspire innovative student research.
“Barton College and the Willis N. Hackney Library are most appreciative of Dr. Kennedy’s ongoing generous support for the rare book room and its special collections,” shared Robert Cagna, dean of the Willis N. Hackney Library. “His genuine interest for research and special collections has ignited a similar passion for original inquiry and historical research within our current students. It’s truly inspiring to witness their enthusiasm as students are introduced to rare documents and books that they may otherwise have never had the opportunity to hold and read.”
About the Keynote Speaker:
In addition to his serving as a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Scott served for 15 years in his role as Director of the University’s directing the Irvin Department of Rare Books & Special Collections. During this period, the Irvin Department of Rare Books & Special Collections added more than 100 distinct collections, largely through gift, and, in 2010, it moved into a new building, the Hollings Special Collections Library. The department also developed the use of special collections in education and outreach, with an expanded exhibition program, special events and conferences, pioneer digital projects, and regular undergraduate courses in book history giving students hands-on experience with rare materials. Before moving to South Carolina in 1976, he taught at the secondary level in Nigeria and Britain, and at the college level in Leicester, Edinburgh, and at the College of William & Mary. While at South Carolina, Dr. Scott taught more than 35 different courses in British literature, writing, African literature, historical bibliography, and rare book librarianship. Since 2012, he has edited the journal “Studies in Scottish Literature”; he is an honorary research fellow in Scottish literature at the University of Glasgow, and he currently has NEH support for research relating to Robert Burns. Dr. Scott has Master of Arts degrees from the Universities of Oxford and Leicester and a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh.
For additional information about this event, please contact Robert Cagna, dean of the Willis N. Hackney Library, at 252-399-6501 or rcagna@barton.edu.
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