Hi Mark,
Sorry for my delay in replying--I'm about to move to Illinois, and
things are getting a little crazy, as you can imagine.
On Wednesday, July 16, 2003, at 10:45 AM, Mark Olsen wrote:
> Hi John,
>
> Thanks to you and the team you assembled to put this excellent
> proposal together. I think that the new structures that you
> are proposing, and I fully expect to be carried out, will be
> seen as ushering a new era of international humanities
> computing when we look back in a decade or so. Congratuations!!
Thank you for that vote of confidence--I appreciate it, and I'll convey
it to the rest of the working group.
> The only thing that I would add is that ADHO, or ACH as the
> American affiliate, consider the option of a new print
> publication, particularly in the worst case in which _Computers
> and the Humanities_ does not survive this change over or
> evolves into something that no longer serves the current
> consistuencies. We do need, in my opinion, as many print
> publication avenues as possible. One might consider a print
> version of the electronic publication being proposed if a
> suitable publisher can be found. I have a couple of friends,
> a few years younger than me, coming up for tenure in the
> humanities, and they find print is still far more important
> than electronic publication. I do think that this concern
> will continue for a while in the humanities. As long as _CHum_
> continues to be a viable avenue, this is not a pressing problem.
> The ACH may also find the prestige of a print publication to
> be equally as important in its development. Outside of some
> exceptional institutions, UIUC and UVa surely at the top of the
> list, many places have not yet moved to a "post-print" model
> in terms of evaluating merit and worth of published work.
On the question of setting up another print journal, I do understand
the continuing perceived importance of print in tenure and promotion,
but I think it behooves us to emphasize peer-review, as a
medium-independent process, in response to that. On the economic
front, the logic of consolidating on an existing journal is fairly
compelling, I think, but the object of doing that is, after all, to
produce a range of new publications, from informal blogging to
peer-reviewed electronic publications to print journals and books. So,
if this works, I think you will see the outlets for publishing increase.
> Aside from this small point, I think that the plan is
> excellent. If there is anything I can do to help, do let
> me know.
Thanks, Mark--we'll do that. And I must say, I find your sig line
particularly appropriate:
> Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections
> must first be overcome. --- Samuel Johnson
>
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