ACH-ALLC 2001 Call for Papers and Information for Speakers

Digital Media and Humanities Research: ACH/ALLC Conference, New York University, New York City, June 13-17 2001

The joint conference of the Association for Computers and the Humanities and the Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing is the oldest established meeting of scholars working at the intersection of advanced information technologies and the humanities, annually attracting a distinguished international community at the forefront of their fields. The theme for the 2001 conference is "Digital Media and Humanities Research", and it will feature plenary addresses by two leading scholars: Johanna Drucker, Robertson Professor in Media Studies at the University of Virginia, and Alan Liu, Professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

ACH/ALLC 2001 invites submissions of between 750 and 1500 words on any aspect of humanities computing or new media, broadly defined to encompass the common ground between information technology and problems in humanities research and teaching. We especially encourage submissions from any field which address the impact of new media on research methods and intellectual practices. As always, we welcome submissions in any area of the humanities, especially interdisciplinary work. Other areas of interest include the creation and use of digital resources, theoretical or speculative treatments of new media, and the application to humanities data of techniques developed in such fields as information science and the physical sciences and engineering.

Successful proposals might focus on:

• new approaches to research in humanities disciplines using digital resources dependent on images, audio, or video;
• traditional applications of computing in the humanities, including (but not limited to) text encoding, hypertext, text corpora, computational lexicography, statistical models, and text analysis;
• applications in the digital arts, especially projects and installations that feature technical advances of potential interest to humanities scholars;
• information design in the humanities, including visualization, simulation, and modeling;
• pedagogical applications of new media within the humanities;
• thoughtful considerations of the cultural impact of computing and new media;
• the institutional role of humanities computing and new media within the contemporary academy, including curriculum development and collegial support for activities in these fields.

Financial assistance for some speakers will be available: see below for details. For the first time the conference will also feature a workshop session on academic and industry jobs in humanities computing and new media.

The deadline for submissions of paper/session proposals is 27 November 2000; the deadline for submissions of poster/demo proposals is 15 January 2001. See below for full details on submitting proposals; see the conference web site at http://www.nyu.edu/its/humanities/ach_allc2001/ for more on the conference in general.

Bursaries

ALLC Bursaries

As part of its commitment to promote the development and application of appropriate computing in humanities scholarship, the Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing will award up to five bursaries of up to 500 GB pounds each to students and young scholars who have papers accepted for presentation at the conference. Applicants must be members of ALLC. The ALLC will make the awards after the Program Committee have decided which proposals are to be accepted. Recipients will be notified as soon as possible thereafter. A participant in a multi-author paper is eligible for an award, but it must be clear that s/he is contributing substantially to the paper.

Applications must be made to the program committee chair. The deadline for receipt of applications is the same as for submission of papers, i.e. November 27, 2000. More details of the bursary scheme and an on-line application form may be found at <http://www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/allc/allcburs.htm>.

Other Bursaries

The conference organizers are working on arranging other bursaries; details will be published here.

Format of Proposals

Proposals may be of four types: papers, posters, software demonstrations, and sessions. The type of submission should be specified in the header of the proposal.

Papers may be given in English, French, and German, but to facilitate the reviewing process we ask that proposals for papers in a language other than English are submitted with an English translation.

Papers

Proposals for papers (750-1500 words) should describe completed research which has given rise to substantial results. Individual papers will be allocated 30 minutes for presentation, including questions.

Proposals should describe original work. Those that concentrate on the development of new computing methodologies should make clear how the methodologies are applied to research and/or teaching in the humanities, and should include some critical assessment of the application of those methodologies in the humanities. Those that concentrate on a particular application in the humanities should cite traditional as well as computer-based approaches to the problem and should include some critical assessment of the computing methodologies used. All proposals should include conclusions and references to important sources. Those describing the creation or use of digital resources should follow these guidelines as far as possible.

Posters and Demonstrations

Poster presentations and software and project demonstrations (either stand-alone or in conjunction with poster presentations) are designed to give researchers an opportunity to present late-breaking results, significant work in progress, well-defined problems, or research that is best communicated in conversational mode.

By definition, poster presentations are less formal and more interactive than a standard talk. Poster presenters have the opportunity to exchange ideas one-on-one with attendees and to discuss their work in detail with those most deeply interested in the same topic. Each presenter is provided with about 2 square meters of board space to display their work. They may also provide handouts with examples or more detailed information. Posters will remain on display throughout the conference, but a block of time separate from paper sessions will be assigned when presenters should be prepared to explain their work and answer questions. Specific times will also be assigned for software or project demonstrations.

The format for proposals for posters and software demonstrations are the same as those for regular papers.

Proposals for software or project demonstrations should indicate the type of hardware that would be required if the proposal is accepted.

Sessions

Sessions (90 minutes) take the form of either:

• Three papers. The session organizer should submit a 500-word statement describing the session topic, include abstracts of 750-1500 words for each paper, and indicate that each author is willing to participate in the session; or
• A panel of four to six speakers. The panel organizer should submit an abstract of 750-1500 words describing the panel topic, how it will be organized, the names of all the speakers, and an indication that each speaker is willing to participate in the session.

The deadline for session proposals is the same as for proposals for papers.

Format of Submissions

All submissions must be sent electronically. Please pay particular attention to the format given below. Submissions which do not conform to this format will be returned to the authors for reformatting, or may not be considered if they arrive very close to the deadline.

All submissions should begin with the following information:

• TYPE OF PROPOSAL: paper, poster, session or software demonstration.
• TITLE: title of paper or session
• KEYWORDS: three keywords (maximum) describing the main contents of the paper or session

If submitting a session proposal, give the following information for each paper:

• TITLE: title of paper
• KEYWORDS: three keywords (maximum) describing the main contents of the paper
• AUTHOR: name of first author
• AFFILIATION: of first author
• E-MAIL: of first author

If submitting a paper proposal, give the following information:

• AUTHOR: name of first author
• AFFILIATION: of first author
• E-MAIL: of first author
• AUTHOR: name of second author (repeat these three headings as necessary)
• AFFILIATION: of second author
• E-MAIL: of second author

All submissions must include:

• CONTACT ADDRESS: full postal address of first author or contact person for session proposals
• FAX NUMBER: of first author or contact person
• PHONE NUMBER: of first author or contact person

Submissions may be made in HTML or as flat ASCII files. These will be collected and published in the conference book, so distinctive formatting is not necessary or appropriate. Graphics may be included, but should be crafted in a manner appropriate for both online publication and printing in black-and-white in the conference book. Submissions should be e-mailed to ach-allc-program@nyu.edu with the subject line "<Author's surname> Submission for ACH/ALLC 2001".

Equipment Availability

Presenters will have available an overhead projector, a slide projector, a data projector which will display Macintosh, DOS/Windows, and video (but not simultaneously), an Internet connected computer which will run Macintosh OS programs or DOS/Windows programs, and a VHS (NTSC) videocassette recorder. PAL format may be available; if you anticipate needing PAL, please note this information in your proposal.

Requests for other presentation equipment will be considered by the local organizers; requests for special equipment should be directed to the local organizers no later than January 15, 2001.

Past conferences

Those interested in seeing examples from previous conferences can consult online abstracts and programs at:

• University of Glasgow, Scotland (2000)
• University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA (1999)
• Lajos Kossuth University, Debrecen, Hungary (1998)
• Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (1997)
• University of Bergen, Norway (1996)

Because of the fast evolution of the field, however, work of a kind not previously seen at the conference is also welcomed.

Deadlines

November 27, 2000: Submission of proposals for papers, sessions, and panels.
December 15, 2000: Conference registration opens.
January 15, 2001: Submission of proposals for posters and software demonstrations.
January 19, 2001: Notification of acceptance for papers, sessions, and panels.
February 15, 2001: Notification of acceptance for posters and software demonstrations.

Publication

A book of abstracts will be provided to all conference participants. In addition, abstracts will be published on the conference web page.

A volume of selected proceedings will be published after the conference; all papers submitted in publishable form before the end of the conference will be considered for this collection.

International Program Committee

Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers who will make recommendations to the Program Committee comprising:

• Jean Anderson, University of Glasgow (j.anderson@arts.gla.ac.uk)
• Elisabeth Burr, University of Duisburg (he229bu@unidui.uni-duisburg.de)
• John Dawson, University of Cambridge (JLD1@cam.ac.uk)
• Julia Flanders, Brown University (Julia_Flanders@Brown.edu)
• Neil Fraistat, University of Maryland (nf5@umail.umd.edu)
• Lorna Hughes, New York University (Lorna.Hughes@nyu.edu)
• László Hunyadi, Lajos Kossuth University, Debrecen (hunyadi@llab2.arts.klte.hu)
• Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, University of Kentucky (mgk@pop.uky.edu)
• John Lavagnino, King's College London (chair) (John.Lavagnino@kcl.ac.uk)

Local Organizers

The conference is hosted by the New York University Information Technology Services--Humanities Computing Group, the Studio for Digital Projects and Research, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The head of the local organizing committee is Lorna Hughes (Lorna.Hughes@nyu.edu).

Location

Information on New York City, New York University, travel, accommodation, and the social program can all be found linked to the main conference web page.

Further Information

It is expected that the conference fee will be on the order of $250, with a reduction for members of the ACH or ALLC. This will include the printed abstracts, morning and afternoon refreshment breaks, and receptions; it does not include lunches, dinners, or accommodations. Accommodations will be available at reduced rates in NYU student housing.

Queries concerning the goals of the conference, the format or content of papers, and other topics relating to the academic program should be addressed to:

Queries concerning conference registration, travel, local facilities, and other aspects of the local setting should be addressed to:

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