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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Pre-Symposium
Thursday October 15
Thursday 3:00-4:30:
Kim-Park Program for the Study of the Book event at University of Chicago Library: Printing on Textiles with Suzanne Karr Schmidt, Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Newberry Library. This program has been organized by the Kim-Park program and is free and open to the public; it has been scheduled right before the symposium so MRCG/CACG symposium attendees can come.
Thursday 5:00-8:00:
Happy Hour at Woodlawn Tap at 1172 East 55th Street (warning - cash-only!) - if you're in Chicago on Thursday night, please join us for an informal happy hour near the symposium venue. There are multiple restaurants nearby Woodlawn Tap for those who want to get dinner after the happy hour, and Woodlawn Tap also serves food.
Symposium
Friday October 16
Friday 9:00-12:00:
Symposium at University of Chicago's Regenstein Library, 1100 East 57th St.
Friday 12:00-1:00:
Tours of University of Chicago Library Conservation Lab in Mansueto Library
Friday Reception (TBD)
Saturday October 17
Saturday 9:00-12:00:
Symposium and MRCG business meeting at University of Chicago's Regenstein Library, 1100 East 57th St.
Saturday 2:00-4:00:
Tour of the Obama Presidential Center with Third Coast Conservation, who contracted with the Obama Foundation to care for and help install the collections. There are only 20 tickets available to our group, and the museum is otherwise sold out, so the first 20 registrants will be able to join the tour of the outdoor campus and museum. Additional registrants are welcome to join us for the public areas, which includes the entire OPC campus except the ticketed museum area. The OPC is only a mile from the symposium venue. There are many restaurants between the symposium venue and the OPC.
Open House Chicago, one of the largest architecture and urban exploration festivals in the world, will be going on all weekend after the symposium ends. This free public festival offers behind-the-scenes access to 200+ sites, including many not normally open to the public. We encourage attendees to take advantage of this opportunity, and will provide a list of sites that we particularly recommend.
Regenstein Library and Symposium Room
2-Day Workshop: Polarized Light Microscopy on Fibers
Wednesday October 14, 2026 to Thursday October 15, 2026
This year’s MRCG CACG workshop is offered by the McCrone Research Institute on Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) for fibers. The workshop caps at 15 students. The world-renowned McCrone Research Institute is a not-for-profit educational and scientific organization that is dedicated to teaching and research in applied microscopy.
Additional Information and registration for this workshop will be released in near future.
If you’re interested, please apply through the Google Form
Workshop Agenda
Day 1: PLM training on operation, optimization, and characterization techniques.
Day 2: Second day focused on fiber identification in cultural heritage.
Thank you to our sponsors below and be sure to check them out!
The Kim-Park Program for the Study of the Book brings together scholars, students, and all who are interested in the history of the book and the materiality of information. From scribal culture to letter-press printing and modern practices of reading, there is no better place to dive into book history than at the University of Chicago, which offers opportunities for research and practice on texts and material objects dating from antiquity to the present, from cuneiform tablets to online games. Made possible by a gift from the parents of an alumnus, the Kim-Park Program supports cross-disciplinary research and teaching related to all aspects of the materiality and transmission of texts and the history of the book through student and faculty fellowships, teaching stipends, material practice workshops, lectures, and regular colloquia.
Learn More: https://tinyurl.com/K-P-Program
Accommodations
****MRCG & CACG have been unable to secure hotel blocks for booking nearby the University of Chicago Library of Hyde Park. We encourage attendees to find early lodging and accommodations — with reasons that the city is a popular destination and simultaneous events that are happening during the symposium****
Symposium will take place at Joseph Regenstein Library (1100 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/oMgHYvWi6aUBwoE29
We recommend
Hyatt Place Chicago South: https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-place/en-US/chizu-hyatt-place-chicago-south-university-medical-center