Cornell University professor Steven Jackson has been selected as the Library of Congress' fall 2026 Kluge Chair in Technology and Society. Jackson, Cornell's vice provost for academic innovation, plans to use the appointment to study the history of computing and the role of technology in education.
The Cornell announcement says Jackson will work with the library's collections on science, technology and industry. The Kluge Center brings scholars to Washington to conduct research using those collections and to interact with members of Congress and their staffs.
One of Jackson's projects will examine the history and practice of continuing education and cooperative extension, including the ideas about science, technology and democracy behind them. A second project will explore how land and landscape shaped American computing infrastructure.
Jackson is a professor of information science and science and technology studies at Cornell. He said he looked forward to learning from the library's collections, fellows and staff as he pursued the research.
The Kluge Center was established in 2000. Its Technology and Society chair is one of five chairs included in the center's founding documents, according to Cornell. The university did not specify a public lecture date or other event connected to Jackson's appointment.
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