Association of Jewish Libraries 2024 Conference San Diego

A survey of the Hebrew Incunabula Holdings at the Library of Congress--Haim Gottschalk
Among the vast holdings of the Library of Congress is an important collection of Hebrew incunabula. Based on the Latin meaning “cradle”, incunabula refer to books, using moveable type, printed before December 31, 1500, the “cradle” period of printing. During this period, Hebrew books were printed by a range of renowned Hebrew printers, including Gershom Soncino. Beginning in October 2020, Haim Gottschalk was tasked with cataloging all 39 volumes of Hebrew incunabula; by March 2024. He successfully completed this project. This presentation will highlight several of the Hebrew Incunabula held at the Library of Congress and tell their stories.

Cool Items to Catalog--Daniel Stuhlman
Library items that are not commercially published and require original cataloging present both a challenge and opportunity for enriching the collection. Some of these items are locally produced and become part of the institutional archives. This presentation will discuss the collection and cataloging such materials as videos of classes, video clips from the local TV news, kippot, signs, posters, and handouts for special events.

Rabbinic Concepts of Memory in the Age of Google--Bella Hass Weinberg
In the age of Google, it is thought that memorization is unnecessary. Librarians have long felt this way because they know how to look up facts in reference books and indexes. Yet memorization is praised in Rabbinic sources, notably Pirkei Avot and the Talmud. Even more recently, memorization of 200 folios of the Talmud was required for admission to Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, and scholars viewed Biblical concordances as a crutch. Despite the principle of Girsa de-Yankusa--that one recalls what one learned in childhood--many Jewish schools no longer require memorization of poems from the Tanach.