Mission Statement

The West Chester Center for Book History is dedicated to providing a multidimensional, interdisciplinary forum for the history and study of the written word. The Center aims to promote literacy, create an appreciation for books as material objects and aesthetic artifacts, and cultivate an understanding of the current transformations affecting the written word. Its innovative combination of academic courses, workshops in the traditional craft of book making, professional seminars, and public talks brings current scholarship and thinking into the public arena and the public arena into the university in lively and diverse ways. The Center is committed to fostering strong partnerships between WCU and area businesses and industries (through its Graduate Certificate in Publishing) 1, collaborating with Chester County and other Philadelphia area cultural organizations, and promoting sponsored research opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. Through its affiliation with the Pennsylvania Center for the Book and the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, the WCCBH participates in book communities at the state, national, and international levels.

Back to top of page.