Many of our older SHARPists will have fond memories of the Society's second conference, held in 1994 in Washington, D.C., and hosted by the Center for the Book. (The program, from a Library of Congress bulletin, is featured on SHARP Web:
https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/94/9417/cfb.html ). That was the first time I met the genial and energetic John Cole, who had been Director of the Center since its founding in 1977 and who would go on to be an early and staunch supporter of SHARP and promoter of book history. Having worked at the Library of Congress since 1966 (how amazing is that?), John is retiring this month from his post as Historian of the Library, and I know that those of us who have known him wish him and his wife Nancy Gwinn--also a very distinguished librarian--all the very best as they begin a new era. The LOC blog ran a short interview in honor of the occasion:
https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2021/09/library-legend-john-cole-retires/?loclr=ealocb
