By Jeremy Dibbell

Note: the reading room will close at 3:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, 20 May) for setup purposes.

It’s going to be a busy day at the Historical Society!

Please join us at 12 noon for a brown-bag lunch with Alan Rogers, professor of history at Boston College and a 2009-10 New England Regional Fellowship Consortium fellow. Rogers will speak on “Smallpox and Skeptics: The Battle Over Compulsory Vaccination in Massachusetts.” This event will be held in the Dowse Library and is free and open to the public.

The MHS will hold its annual meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m., in Ellis Hall (the reading room). After Society business has been completed, attendees will enjoy the unveiling of the Massachusetts Historical Society’s newest publication, “Collecting History,” which details its vast collections. Peter Drummey, the Stephen T. Riley Librarian will conclude the meeting by talking about collection highlights.