November 18, 1994

Press Contact: Jeanne Smith (202) 707-4337
Public Contact: Rare Book and Special Collections Division (202) 707-5434

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President of American Academy in Rome To Lectures at Library of Congress

Adele Chatfield-Taylor, president of the American Academy in Rome, will give the first lecture in a series on "The Italian Influence on American Life" at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 30, in the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the Library of Congress's Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue S.E.

Her topic will be "Rome as a Generating Force" as she opens the series cosponsored by the Library's Rare Book and Special Collections Division, the Embassy of Italy, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the National Italian American Foundation. According to Larry E. Sullivan, chief of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, the series is intended "to foster consideration and assess the contribution of Italy to American culture and customs, economic and social issues, international relations, and government and public policy."

The lecture is also the first in a series of programs initiated by the new Associates of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, formed this year to acquaint individuals with the resources and needs of the division and to raise money through contributions to support its programs.

The division holds the most comprehensive and universal rare book collection in the United States. Numbering more than 750,000 items, its holdings include numerous books printed in Italy during the earliest period of printing, as well as large collections on Italian history and culture, 5,700 books printed before 1501, Thomas Jefferson's library, the largest collection of early American imprints in the country, the magnificent Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection of Illustrated Books, the libraries of czars of Russia, and countless other rare and unique collections.

Ms. Chatfield-Taylor since 1988 has been president of the American Academy in Rome, a center for independent study and advanced research in the fine arts and humanities. Each year, through a competition open to all U.S. citizens, the academy awards up to 28 Rome Prize Fellowships. It is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Ms. Chatfield-Taylor, a professional historic preservationist, was a recipient of a Rome Prize Fellowship in 1983-84.

The Italian Cultural Institute, Washington, D.C., organizes and supports programs highlighting the intellectual, artistic, and scientific achievements of the Italian people.

The National Italian American Foundation, Washington, D.C., is an advocate for the nation's estimated 25 million Italian Americans.

The November 30 lecture is free and open to the public, with no tickets required.

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PR 94-180
11/18/94
ISSN 0731-3527