Proprietors Of The Boston Athenaeum

Special collections - see schedule o.special collections - the special collections department is composed ofthe curators who oversee the acquisition, maintenance, and exhibitionof rare books, archival documents, manuscripts, maps, and works of art.department staff members include the curator of rare books andmanuscripts, the curator of paintings and sculpture, the associatecurator of paintings and sculpture, the archivist,and the curator of prints and photographs. The curators researchobjects in the collections and disseminate information about them tothe scholarly community at large and to the public through lectures,publications, and (in cooperation with libraries, archives, and museumsaround the country) an active loan program. Each year, on site, thecurators assist hundreds of athenaeum members and visiting scholars inresearching the athenaeum's collections. The curatorial staff mountstwo or three exhibitions per year covering a range of historical andcontemporary subjects. These exhibitions are accompanied by gallerytalks, lectures, and symposia, all of which are open to the public.

Lectures & concerts - see schedule olectures & concerts - the lectures and concerts program includesapproximately 100 events each year, such as author talks, lectures,concerts, children's events, exhibition receptions and movies. Eventstake place both in the evening and during the day and include eventsthat are open to the general public as well as events for athenaeummembers.

Conservation - since 1963, the conservation labratory has been dedicated to the long-term preservation of the athenaeum's holdings with inherent historic artistic or literary value. The conservation department includes the chief conservator and the associate conservator, and several interns and fellows. Athenaeum conservators perform conservation treatments on rare and circulating books, maps, manuscripts, prints, architectural drawings, broadsides, and pamphlets, and follow preventive conservation protocols. Digital programs - the digital programs department is dedicated to the enhancement of scholarly access to the collections through digitization. The head of digital programs and two interns scan collection materials in the imaging studio and create online records containing digital surrogates with their corresponding metadata. These efforts ensure that athenaeum collections are available freely online to scholars, researchers, students, and to anyone in the world with an internet connection.