News Server Article 36: Conference cfp: The International Conference on Humanities Computing and Digital Scholarship (ACH/ALLC 2005)

17th Joint International Conference of the Association for Computers and the Humanities (ACH) and the Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing (ALLC)

University of Victoria, (British Columbia), Canada June 15-19, 2005.

Extended deadline: November 22nd, 2004

IMPORTANT DATES:

• November 22nd, 2004: Deadline for the submission of proposals for papers, poster presentations, sessions and software demos.
• February 7th, 2005: Notification of acceptance for papers, poster presentations, sessions and software demos.

Conference Web Site:

http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/achallc2005/

The ACH/ALLC Conference

The joint conference of the Association for Computers and the Humanities (ACH) and the Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing (ALLC) 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.

Recent years have seen enormous advances in information technologies, and a corresponding growth in the use of information technology resources for research and teaching in the humanities. How exactly are these developments changing the ways in which humanities scholars work? What are the fields of humanities scholarship that are most affected by the use of computers and computation? What new and distinct methodologies is information technology bringing to the humanities, and how are these methodologies being introduced and applied? How do we expect methodologies, and the role of the humanities scholar, to change in the future as a result of the impact of information technology? How are information technology-related developments in one discipline affecting or likely to affect those in others?

What are the implications of multilingualism and multiculturalism to humanities computing? What is the role of information technology technologies in establishing multilingualism? What are the meanings and implications of these developments for languages, communities, genders and cultures, and humanities research? What is the role of individual scientific and educational tasks, joint projects, or educational and electronic library resources? How can humanities computing help in the challenge to preserve individual cultures in a multicultural environment? What is the role of humanities computing in the preservation and creation of a multilingual, multicultural heritage?

We believe that responding to these new challenges will also have a fertilizing effect on humanities computing as a whole by opening up new ways and methodologies to enhance the use of computers and computation in a wide range of humanities disciplines. Now is the time to survey and assess the impact humanities computing has had and is likely to have on humanities scholarship in a multilingual, multicultural world.

Associated Organizations

ACH and ALLC are continuing to develop the associated organizations initiative, which enables professional organizations with a remit similar to that of ALLC and ACH to present their own panel sessions within the conference.

We welcome proposals from such organizations for the 2005 conference, especially in areas of computing in the humanities which have not been represented, or have been poorly represented, at previous ACH/ALLC conferences (e.g., linguistics, libraries, museums, history and archival fields, to mention a few).

We encourage representatives from professional organizations to consider submitting a proposal under this initiative on topics they think might be relevant to the ACH/ALLC conference audience.

Such proposals will undergo a review process and should be submitted directly to the conference programme chair, Alejandro Bia, no later than the date stated as the deadline for all types of proposals (see important dates on top of this document).

For more information please contact the conference programme chair, Alejandro Bia, alex.bia@ua.es.

Submission topics

ACH/ALLC 2005 invites submissions of abstracts of between 750 and 1500 words on any aspect of humanities computing, broadly defined to encompass the common ground between information technology and problems in humanities research and teaching.

As always, we welcome submissions in any area of the humanities, particularly interdisciplinary work. We especially encourage submissions on the current state of the art in humanities computing, and on recent new developments and expected future developments in the field.

Suitable subjects for proposals might focus on:

• traditional applications of computing in the humanities, including (but not limited to)text encoding, hypertext, text corpora, computational lexicography, natural language processing, linguistics, translation studies, literary studies, text analysis, edition philology and statistical models;
• computational models and applications related to multilingualism and multicultural issues
• the application of information technology to issues related to minority, indigenous and rare languages
• emerging digitization efforts: new best practices, experiences, recommendations, training
• humanities teaching
• the application of information technology to cultural and historical studies (including archaeology and musicology)
• new approaches to research in humanities disciplines using digital resources dependent on images, audio, or video
• the application to humanities data of techniques developed in such fields as information science and the physical sciences and engineering
• pedagogical applications of new media within the humanities
• applications of technology in second language acquisition
• commercial applications of humanities computing, e.g. web technology, natural language interfaces, archival organization and accessibility
• 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 modelling
• thoughtful considerations of the cultural impact of computing and new media
• theoretical or speculative treatments of new media
• the institutional role of new media within the contemporary academy, including curriculum development and collegial support for activities in these fields
• the broader social role of humanities computing and the resources it develops
• the institutional role of humanities computing and new media within the contemporary academy, including curriculum development and collegial support for activities in these fields.

The range of topics covered by humanities computing can also be consulted in the journal of the associations: Literary and Linguistic Computing (LLC), Oxford University Press.

See the important dates at the top of this document for the deadline for submitting paper, session and poster proposals to the Programme Committee. All submissions will be refereed.

Proposals for (non-refereed, or vendor) demos and for pre-conference tutorials and workshops should be discussed directly with the local conference organizer as soon as possible. See below for full details on submitting proposals.

For more information on the conference in general please visit the conference web site.

Types of Proposals

Proposals to the Programme Committee may be of three types:

1. papers
2. poster presentations and/or software demonstrations, and
3. sessions (either three-paper or panel sessions)

The type of submission must be specified in the proposal.

Papers and posters may be given in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish or Swedish.

Papers

Proposals for papers (750-1500 words) should describe original work: either completed research which has given rise to substantial results, or the development of significant new methodologies, or rigorous theoretical, speculative or critical discussions. Individual papers will be allocated 30 minutes for presentation, including questions.

Proposals 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.

Poster Presentations and/or Software Demonstrations

Poster presentations may include computer technology and project demonstrations,which we encourage. Hence the term poster/demo to refer to the different possible combinations of printed and computer based presentations. There should be no difference in quality between poster/demo presentations and papers, and the format for proposals is the same for both. The same academic standards should apply in both cases, but posters/demos may be a more suitable way of presenting late-breaking results, or significant work in progress, including pedagogical applications. Both will be submitted to the same refereeing process. The choice between the two modes of presentation (poster/demo or paper) should depend on the most effective and informative way of communicating the scientific content of the proposal.

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. Presenters will be provided with about two 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 there will also be a separate conference session dedicated to them, when presenters should be prepared to explain their work and answer questions. Additional times may also be assigned for software or project demonstrations.

The poster sessions will build on the recent trend of showcasing some of the most important and innovative work being done in humanities computing.

Poster Prize

As an acknowledgement of the special contribution of the posters to the conference, the Programme Committee will award a prize for the best poster.

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 the Proposals

All proposals must be submitted electronically using the on-line submission form found at the conference website.

Please pay particular attention to the information that is required regarding each proposal. Submissions that do not contain the required information will be returned to the authors, and may not be considered at all if they are received close to the deadline.

The information required for all submissions includes:

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

If submitting a session proposal, the following information will be required 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

Please note the following additional information:

• The order of participants provided on the form will be the order used in the final programme.
• If submitting a session proposal, please enter one abstract for the whole session in the "session/paper abstract" box, noting clearly the title and author of each paper in the session.

In addition to requesting the above information, the form provides a way for proposers to upload their proposal, which must be in XML-TEI (teixlite.dtd) or plain text (ASCII/ISO 8859-1) format, plus up to 5 image files. These graphics, if uploaded, should be prepared in a manner appropriate for both on-line publication and printing in black-and-white in the conference book of abstracts. Unfortunately, it is still true, even in this day of XML and Unicode, that publishing systems and web browsers often limit access to extended character sets. Thus, although XML-TEI format and therefore Unicode can be used for submission, please try if possible to avoid character sets that might not be viewable on reviewer's web browsers or printable by the program's printer.

Examples from past conferences

Those interested in seeing examples from previous conferences can consult online abstracts and programmes at: http://www.ach.org/ACH_Archive.shtml

The conference has previously been held at:

• Göteborg University (2004)
• University of Georgia (2003)
• University of Tübingen (2002)
• New York University (2001)
• 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 rapid developments in the field, work of a kind not previously presented at the conference is especially welcomed.

Publication

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

A special volume of the journal Literature and Linguistic Computing with selected proceedings is planned for publication after the conference; all papers submitted in publishable form before the end of the conference will be considered for this collection. The final version for publication in LLC must be in English.

Bursaries

As part of its commitment to promote the development and application of appropriate computing in humanities scholarship, the organization will award five bursaries of 500 GB pounds each to students and young scholars who have papers or posters accepted for presentation at the conference. More information about the bursary scheme is available on request from the Programme Chair.

Applications must be made using the on-line form available at the ALLC website. Full details of the scheme may also be found there.

Further Information Equipment Availability and Requirements

Presenters will have available an overhead projector, a data projector for Windows and Macintosh OS, and an Internet connection. Requests for other presentation equipment will be considered by the local organizers. All submissions should indicate the type of hardware and software required for presentation.

Language of the Presentations

Presentations can be done in the same language of the accepted abstract, but when the language is not English we strongly recommend the use of slides in English to allow for a bigger audience.

Location

Information about British Columbia, Canada, and the hosting University of Victoria, (fees, travel, accommodation, social programme, etc.) can be found at http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/achallc2005/

Inquiries

Inquiries concerning the goals of the conference, the format or content of papers, and other topics relating to the academic programme should be addressed to the Chair of the International Programme Committee:

Alejandro Bia,
Department of Statistics, Mathematics and Computing
Miguel Hernández University
03202, Elche, Alicante, SPAIN
E-mail: abia@umh.es
Phone: 610806427
Fax: 966658715

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

Peter Liddell
Chair, Local Committee
Humanities Computing and Media Centre (HCMC)
P.O. Box 3045 STN CSC
University of Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8W 3P4
Email: achallc5@uvic.ca

International Programme Committee and Local Organizers

Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers who will make recommendations to the Programme Committee comprising (in alphabetical order):

• Alejandro Bia (chair) (Miguel Hernández University, Alicante, Spain)
• Julia Flanders (Brown University, USA)
• Neil Fraistat (University of Maryland, USA)
• Simon Horobin (University of Glasgow, UK)
• Joseph Jones (University of British Columbia, Canada)
• Lisa Lena Opas-Hanninen (University of Joensuu, Finland)
• Concha Sanz-Miguel (Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, Spain)
• Susan Schreibman (University of Maryland, USA)
• Michael Sperberg-McQueen (Association for Computing Machinery, USA)

The conference is hosted by the Humanities Computing and Media Centre (HCMC) at the University of Victoria. The Chair of the local organizing committee is Peter Liddell, Academic Director of the Humanities Computing and Media Centre.