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Perusing the History of Reading from Ancient Greece to the Digital Age Apr. 6
Story posted March 31, 2009
James O'Donnell, a pioneer in the application of new technologies to humanities research, will present the Harold and Iris Chandler Lecture at 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 6, 2009, in Lancaster Lounge, Moulton Union.
O'Donnell's talk, titled "Scrolling Through the Classics," will offer a sketch of the history of reading ancient literature from the days of the first Alexandrian library through today ... and tomorrow.
The lecture is open to the public and admission is free. For more information call 798-4186.
James J. O'Donnell has been provost of Georgetown University since 2002. He is a distinguished scholar and recognized innovator in the application of networked information technology in higher education.
In 1990, O'Donnell co-founded the Bryn Mawr Classical Review, the second online scholarly journal ever created in the humanities. In 1994, he taught an Internet-based seminar on the work of Augustine of Hippo that reached 500 students. In 2000, he chaired a National Academy of Science expert study group reviewing the role of information technology in the services and strategies of the Library of Congress; this report was published as LC21: A Digital Strategy for the Library of Congress. He also worked on the Perseus Project, an online digital library housed at Tufts University, and developed in 1987 to "help make the full record for humanity as intellectually accessible as possible to every human being, providing information adapted to as many linguistic and cultural backgrounds as possible."
In addition to his duties as provost, O'Donnell is a member of the faculty of Georgetown's Department of Classics. He has published widely and lectured extensively on the cultural history of the late antique Mediterranean world. He is the author of seven books, including a three-volume edition of Augustine's Confessions. His latest book, The Ruin of the Roman Empire, was published by HarperCollins in 2008.
He has served as president of the American Philological Association, the primary professional association for classicists in the United States and Canada, and has been elected a fellow of the Medieval Academy of America. He is a trustee of the National Humanities Center.
O'Donnell came to Georgetown University from the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as vice provost for information systems and computing and as a professor of classical studies. He earned a bachelor's degree Phi Beta Kappa and was elected Latin salutatorian at Princeton University in 1972. He earned his doctorate at Yale University in 1975.
The Harold and Iris Chandler Lectureship was established in 2001 by family and friends in memory of Dr. Harold L. Chandler of the Class of 1934, and in recognition of the generosity of the Chandler family, whose gifts over the years have supported scholarships, the College library, and the advancement of technology at Bowdoin.