Celebrating Dictionary Day at Beinecke Library

Celebrate Dictionary Day at the Beinecke Library in honor of Noah Webster, the pioneer of American education and language standardization.

This special event offers visitors the chance to browse original manuscripts and publications related to Webster’s groundbreaking contributions, including his American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) and his famous Blue-Backed Speller.

Learn more about the life and legacy of Noah Webster, his family, and the times they lived in through an extensive display of historical documents and lexicographical works.

In collaboration with the New Haven Museum and the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, this drop-in display will feature rare items from their Webster collections.

Visitors will have the opportunity to explore materials that highlight Webster’s impact on American English, his prolific writings on various topics, and the history of dictionary-making.

The event will be held in the Beinecke Library’s reading room on the courtyard level.

Please be sure to store any bags and coats in the provided lockers and remember that no ink pens are allowed in the reading room. Non-flash photography is welcome.