Why Jefferson Matters in Our Information Age

The University of Virginia’s Digital Technology for Democracy Lab and UVA Libraries are pleased to host Melissa Adler for a talk titled Why Jefferson Matters in Our Information Age. Drawing on her two recent books, Peculiar Satisfaction: Thomas Jefferson and the Mastery of Subjects (Fordham University Press, 2025) and Surveillance in the Empire of Liberty: Why Thomas Jefferson Matters in Our Information Age (Bloomsbury, 2026), Adler examines Thomas Jefferson’s role in the development of libraries, archives, museums, and systems of information and labor management. Her work traces how these practices were shaped by the intertwined histories of racialization, capital, state power, and surveillance, and considers what Jefferson’s legacy can tell us about information technologies, data, and surveillance today.

Books will be available for sale at the event by the UVA Bookstore.

Co-sponsored by the UVA Library.

Parking Near Shannon Library:

• Central Grounds Garage (400 Emmet St. S.) — Closest paid garage. Pay via ParkMobile app or at pay stations (2nd/3rd levels).
• Street & Metered Parking — Limited 2-hour spots on Main Street; metered spaces on McCormick Rd.
• Accessible Parking — Designated spaces on McCormick Rd, directly in front of Shannon Library.

Bus Access:

• Free UTS buses stop directly in front of the building at the McCormick Rd @ Shannon Library stop.