Descriptive Bibliography as Research Methodology: A Case Study of Samson Occom

Join Michael Kelly, Head of Archives and Special Collections at the Frost Library at Amherst College, and Laura Braunstein, Digital Humanities Librarian at Dartmouth College, for a hands-on workshop as part of the Watts Program in the History and Culture of the Book. Descriptive Bibliography is a highly specialized branch of book history with a technical vocabulary that can often feel daunting, even to experienced scholars. This workshop will introduce students to the fundamentals of bibliography as a method for approaching a wide range of research topics. Using Samson Occom’s A Sermon, Preached at the Execution of Moses Paul, An Indian (New Haven, 1772) as a case study, participants will learn how to combine hands-on work with rare books and library database searches to develop a rich picture of a moment in history.

This program is co-sponsored by Native American and Indigenous Studies at Brown.