Jason W. Dean
- Associate Librarian
- Rare Materials Cataloging Librarian
Contact Info
Personal Links
Biography —
Jason W. Dean is Associate Librarian and Rare Materials Cataloger at the Spencer Research Library. He is a member of the Grolier Club, and a past IMLS-RBS fellow. Jason is active in several professional organizations related to history, rare books, and archives. With Rhiannon Knol, he is also the co-author of the monthly newsletter, Half Sheets to the Wind.
Prior to coming to the University of Kansas, Jason was Vice President for Collections & Public Services at the Linda Hall Library. He has previously held positions at Southwestern University, the University of Arkansas, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Education —
Research —
Jason’s current research focuses on analytical and descriptive bibliographical investigations of the work of John Flamsteed, Isaac Newton, and Galileo Galilei - and using the data gathered by those investigations to better tell and understand narratives of book history, printing, and the history of science in the early modern period. Outside of these primary areas, he continues his research into the life and work of botanical artist S. Fred Prince.
Selected Publications —
Dean, J. W., Wilding, N. (2023). Assaying il Saggiatore, with a Delicate and Precise Bibliographical Balance. Galilæana: Studies in Renaissance and Early Modern Science, 20(2), 61-89. https://doi.org/10.57617/gal-16
Cumby, J., Dean, J. W. (2021). Principles of Principia: Some Notes on the Print Run for the First Edition. The Book Collector, 70(3), 418-435. https://doi.org/10.17613/wkdgp-09322
Cahalan, S. B., Dean, J. W. (2018). The Manuscript Works of S. Fred Prince. Archives of Natural History, 45(1), 122-133. https://doi.org/10.3366/anh.2018.0488
Cahalan, S. B., & Dean, J. W. (2018). S. Fred Prince (1857-1949): 'Artist-Scientist' of the Ozarks. Book Chapter. In Living Ozarks: the Ecology and Culture of a Natural Place. The Ozarks Studies Institute of Missouri State University.
Grover, E. Dean, J. W. (2017). Social Media as Entrée into Special Collections Reference Works. RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage, 18(1), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.5860/rbm.18.1.37
Gilbertson, M. A., Dean, J. W., & Middleton, C. (2015). A Process for Original Cataloging of Theses and Dissertations. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 53(2), 234-246. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2014.971997
Selected Presentations —
Dean, J. W. (2025, January 30). A Sacrifice to Truth: John Flamsteed, Isaac Newton and the Destruction of the 1712 Historia Coelestis. Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. https://youtu.be/E0ofUoEv4cc?si=qgr0AkxpfzPyz7Qn
Dean, J. W. (2023, October 23). Hertzog in the House of Grolier. Grolier Club, New York, New York. https://vimeo.com/877323957
Wilding, N., & Dean, J. W. (Authors and Presenters). (2023, September 06). Assaying University College London’s il Saggiatore. University College London Special Collections, London, United Kingdom. https://youtu.be/4tYiJ0ceEhM?si=nAGJ5FHqMOjcanDQ
Johns, A., & Dean, J. W. (Authors and Presenters). (2022, November 10). After Hours with Historia Coelestis. Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, Missouri. https://youtu.be/-RZ3YQqeUGs?si=eWdBNZmE3w7o-V-M
Wilding, N., & Dean, J. W. (Authors and Presenters). (2021, March 25). Conversing with the Starry Messenger. Linda Hall Library, Kansas City, Missouri. https://youtu.be/0pkJVR_C7XU?si=xuex9KjGilTKWyWb
Dean, J. W. (2018, April 07). The Work of Carl Hertzog: Interwoven and Albany. Old Jail Art Center, Albany, Texas.