Dr. Jason Silverman Named New Executive Director of Manuscript Society

Jason H. Silverman, PhD, has been named the new Executive Director of the Manuscript Society according to a Jan. 15th announcement by the Board of Trustees. Dr. Silverman, an award-winning teacher and prolific scholar, comes to the Society after a forty-year teaching career including Yale University and Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Silverman has authored or co-edited fifteen books and scores of articles, including co-editing the first two volumes of the Frederick Douglass Papers and writing the award winning, Lincoln and the Immigrant.

He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia and his graduate degrees at Colorado State University and the University of Kentucky. Dr. Silverman has won numerous awards for his teaching and three of his books have been nominated for national book awards. The appointment caps a four month national search.

Commenting on his new post Silverman said, “In joining the Manuscript Society I feel like I am coming home, because one of my very first scholarly articles was published in Manuscripts back in 1977. In many ways it set me on the path to becoming the published scholar that I became. I am very excited about serving the Society in my new role.”

Retiring Executive Director, Shirley Sands, is continuing to work on the transition through March 31, 2025. Speaking to Rare Book Hub by phone Sands said she has held the job for 15 years. She was formerly a history professor with Louisiana State University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She called her “interaction with the membership” the highlight of her work with the Society saying, “It gave me the opportunity to meet members from all backgrounds, dealers, collectors, the exchange between the organization and members.” She also mentioned that the group’s annual meeting, a four day conference in various cities, “is always exciting.” Going forward she hopes to do some traveling and have a less demanding calendar.

The Manuscript Society is currently based in Overland Park, Kansas where Sands lives. It will move its home base to South Carolina on April 1st when Dr. Silverman takes over.

The Manuscript Society has roughly 500 members devoted to the collection, preservation, use and enjoyment of autographs and manuscripts. It is the oldest society of autograph and manuscript collectors in the United States today, with members in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Founded in 1948 as the National Society of Autograph Collectors, it changed its name to the Manuscript Society in 1953. While collectors originally formed the heart of the organization, today membership includes archivists, manuscript curators, librarians, and prominent manuscript dealers and auction houses.

In other Manuscript Society news the organization continues to host the lively Manuscript Mondays series, now in its third year. These are informative online presentations on a variety of interesting topics. Last month the featured speaker was Joel Silver, director of the Lilly Library at Indiana University discussing the collecting interests and taste of JK Lilly Jr.

Upcoming events for the Society include its annual meeting to be held in New York City April 23 - 26 with the opportunity for members to visit a variety of distinguished New York collections. Also on the horizon is a September trip to the UK to enjoy the hidden treasures of Cambridge and Oxford with an optional London segment.

Regular membership beginning at $85/year is open to any individual or institution interested in the appreciation, preservation, study and collection of manuscripts and autographs.

Details of other Society programs, blogs, resources and publications can be found at its website.