7.0355 National Initiative for Humanities Computing (1/246)
Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Sat, 18 Dec 1993 11:30:15 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 7, No. 0355. Saturday, 18 Dec 1993.
Date: 17 Dec 1993 09:31:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: chhenry@VASSAR.BITNET
Subject: National Initiative for Humanities Computing
Notice
of a
National Initiative for Humanities and Arts Computing
The following is a summary of two meetings:
1. November 19, 1993: Special meeting at the Coalition for
Networked Information's (CNI) National Task Force
2. December 1, 1993: Meeting of the Ad Hoc Steering
Committee for the National Initiative for Humanities and Arts
Computing
Meeting 1. CNI Task Force
On Friday 19 November 1993, as part of the Coalition for
Networked Information's fall Task Force, a special meeting
was called to forge a national voice for humanities and arts
computing as plans for the National Information Infrastucture
progress. This meeting was co-sponsored by the CNI and the
Getty Art History Information Program (AHIP).
Attending were representatives from the American Council of
Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the
Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the
National Science Foundation, the Association of Research
Libraries, the Commission on Preservation and Access, the
American Association of University Presses, the National
Humanities Alliance, the National Cultural Alliance, the
Association of Computers and the Humanities, the American
Association of Museums, Kodak, and other organizations.
The task force members resolved to publish widely a statement
(see below) of committment to a national initiative to integrate
humanities and arts computing into the coordination,
planning, and promulgation of the National Information
Infrastructure. Three general goals were articulated (also listed
below).
An ad hoc steering committee was formed to execute the first
stages of this initiative, with the goal of forming a permanent
steering committee soon. Members of the ad hoc steering
committee are Stanley Katz, President of ACLS; Charles Henry,
CNI and Vassar College; Peter Lyman, CNI and the University
of Southern California; Susan Siegfried, Getty AHIP; Marilyn
Schmitt, Getty AHIP.
I. Task Force Statement:
A National Initiative for Humanities and Arts Computing
The absence of the humanities and arts in the development of
a national information infrastructure ignores the value of the
American people's cultural
heritage, and the network as a medium of creativity and
learning, in the crucial formation of technology policy.
The members of the Task Force on a National Initiative for
Humanities and Arts Computing endorse the principle that
humanities and arts voices are critical--indeed equal to the
recognized interests of the sciences--in the balanced
development of the nation's technological infrastructure.
Reinstating the humanities and arts in the dialog shaping this
public policy is of utmost urgency. We call for the
reintroduction of the humanities and arts in the formation of
such policy.
II. Goals agreed upon by the Task Force, to be facilitated by a
steering committee:
1. Define a rubric that articulates the value of humanities and
arts computing for a democratic society.
2. Build a profile of humanities and arts computing using data
that identifies the breadth and vitality, as well as the needs, of
technology in these fields.
3. Form alliances with identified stakeholders in order to
engage programmatically in national policy development and
planning.
Meeting 2: Ad Hoc Steering Committee 1 December 1993
Members of the Ad Hoc Steering Committee (S. Katz, C. Henry,
M. Schmitt, and S. Siegfried) met on 1 December 1993 to
determine the next steps of the Initiative. The ad hoc
committee reaffirmed chief objective articulated at the special
task force meeting : to assure that the purposes and goals of the
National Information Infrastructure will be formulated in
ways that further the development, utilization,
and integration of computing in the humanities and arts.
To this end, the Ad Hoc Steering Committee will begin at once
to:
a.Work for the inclusion and respresentation of humanities
and arts computing in the planning and development of the
NII. This will include
meetings with appropriate federal funding agencies, private
foundations, and relevant organizations; announcements; and
attendance at discussion and planning forums
b. Seek funding for the inclusion of humanities and arts
computing in the development of the NII, as well as funds to
assure a more solid structure to support the goals of this
initiative and to address issues relating to computing in the
humanities and arts
A progress report of this national initiative will be published
by the Ad Hoc Steering Committee within the next two
months.
Note: Comments and remarks can be sent to
chhenry@vassar.edu.
List of Participants Attending the CNI Special Task Force
Meeting
Prue Adler
Assistant Executive Director for Federal Relations
Association of Research Libraries
Patricia Battin
President
Commission on Preservation and Access
David Bearman
Editor
Archives and Museum Informatics
Elaine Brennan
Women Writers Project
Editor, HUMANIST
Brown University
Alexander Crary
Director of External Relations and
White House Liaison
National Endowment for the Arts
Lisa Freeman
Director
University of Minnesota Press
and Chair, Electronic Caucus, American Association of
University Presses
Martha Chomiak
Division of Research Programs
National Endowment for the Humanities
Chet Grycz
Coordinator
Scholarship and Technology Study Project
University of California
Office of the President
Charles Henry
CNI, Working Group on the Transformation of Scholarly
Communication
and Director of the Libraries
Vassar College
Nancy Ide
President
Association for Computers and the Humanities
Michael Joyce
Hypertext novelist
Department of English
Vassar College, Box 360
Stanley Katz
President
American Council of Learned Societies
Peter Lyman
CNI, Working Group on the Tranformation of Scholarly
Communication
and Dean of the University Libraries
University of Southern California
Patrick Melia
Office of Planning and Research
National Endowment for the Arts
Avra Michelson
Member, Technical Staff
The MITRE Corporation
Don Olson
Director of Higher Education
U.S. and Canada Regions
Eastman Kodak Company
Marc Pachter
Deputy Assistant for External Affairs
Smithsonian Institute
Susan Siegfried
Research Projects Manager
Getty Art History Information Program
Marilyn Schmitt
Program Manager
Getty Art History Information Program
Margaret Wyszomirski
Senior Research Fellow
Graduate Public Policy Program
Georgetown University
Observers
Sara Dubberly
Technical Information Services Coordinator
American Association of Museums
Thomas J. DeLoughry
Senior Editor for Information Technology
The Chronicle of Higher Education
John Hammer
Director
National Humanities Alliance
Susan Hockey
Director
Center for Electronic Texts in the Humanities
Rutgers/Princeton Universities
Carolyn Lesinski
Director of Development
National Cultural Alliance
Ronald J. Overmann
Program Director
Science and Technology Studies,
Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research
National Science Foundation