CFP: Bibliographical Society of America (BSA) Events

The Bibliographical Society of America (BSA) is currently inviting proposals for events that will take place between September 2024 and January 2025. The deadline for applications is July 24, 2024. 

The BSA can offer financial and logistical support for a variety of events, including lectures, panel presentations, hands-on workshops, conference sessions, or other online or in-person events.  Examples of past and upcoming events can be found here. Please reach out to the Events Committee if you have questions about event formats, financial support, or topics.

In all BSA events, the material text – that is, handwritten, printed, or other textual or visual artifacts, broadly conceived – as historical evidence, and/or the theory and practice of descriptive, historical, and/or critical bibliography, should be a central concern to participants and organizers.

BSA requests a general overview of the content of sessions and a short bio for presenters as well as information about the budget, promotion, and general organization of the event. For full details about the application process, and to submit an application, please visit the following webpage: https://bibsocamer.org/events/funding-opportunities

For additional questions or queries, please contact events@bibsocamer.org.

CFP: Engaging with Big and Small Historical Data

The material that historical research – and humanities scholarship in general – is based on traditionally carries names like ‘archival’ or ‘primary sources’. The ongoing disciplinary movement towards digitization and datafication forces us to engage with our material in new ways: it becomes data. The aim of the volume Engaging with Big and Small Historical Data, under contract with Routledge as a part of their Engaging with… series, is to provide a guide for the scholarly community of historians to reflect on the consequences of these current developments. We invite historians and other scholars with an interest in this topic to contribute to the volume. 

The structure of the volume is based on the following question regarding the datafication of historical scholarship. We are specifically looking for scholars interested in contributing to the named chapters within each of these parts of the volume, although we are open to any other suggestions that fit the aims of this volume:

0. Defining Data. The growing abundance of data has long been celebrated under the guise of ‘big data’. The contributions that this volume will start with will together address the most important debates that underlie this rhetoric. They elaborate on the epistemological consequences of thinking in terms of big data, on the rhetoric of ‘newness’ of big data, and on questions of bias, power, and inequality that come with big data.

Available chapters:

  • Historicizing the data deluge
  • Data (and) inequality: power and ethics

1. Where are data to be found? Data is not always stored in the archives and libraries that we know how to work with. Preconditions for access to data are changing. Historians have to cope with paywalls, versioning, permissions, and formats. They have to learn about OCR, image recognition, and other techniques. Most of all, they are usually not in control of what material is or can be turned into data. This raises crucial questions about what material can be worked with as data in the first place, and what material is being left out, excluded, overseen, or forgotten.

Available chapters:

  • Digitization and the role of heritage institutions

2. How do we engage with data? Working with data impacts the epistemological preconditions of historical scholarship, if only because its methodologies usually originate from other fields of research. Does working with data necessitate a (new) quantitative turn in historical scholarship, or can it be integrated into hermeneutic traditions? How do current developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning, which have a huge potential for historical research, impact traditional views on methodological reflection and source criticism?

Available chapters:

  • Becoming interdisciplinary
  • Data and open science: presenting scholarship in the digital age

3. What can we find in data? Tools and techniques for computational analyses of data are advancing with great speed, and historians and other scholars have been using them in a large variety of ways to study history. These techniques allow for new research questions, as well as new perspectives on familiar questions.

Available chapters:

  • Maps
  • Reconstructions

The title of this volume aims to capture the often intertwining trends that are hidden under these questions. It refers to the various dimensions of scholarship that come with digitization and born digital data. In addition, the juxtaposition of big and small also evokes two widely discussed approaches to using data in a humanities context – which are all but mutually exclusive. A more elaborate introduction to the volume’s aims and design can be found at http://tinyurl.com/BigandSmallData. 

The volume primarily aims to target the field of history. However, even if based on historical examples, the contributions to this volume are to have relevance for other fields of humanities research. After all, the historical data that is being digitized is used in a wide range of fields, from cultural studies to philosophy and from media studies to linguistics. Therefore, scholars from adjacent fields working with historical data are also warmly invited to contribute.

Contributions are ca. 7000 words long (excl. bibliography) and, ideally, relate to a combination of concepts, key terms/methodologies and case studies. Due date for the first draft of contributors’ chapters is Jan 1, 2025. Revised chapters are due in the Spring of 2025. Expected publication of the volume is the Fall of 2025.

Interested scholars are asked to send proposals of max. 300 words no later than July 1, 2024 to volume editor Pim Huijnen at p.huijnen@uu.nl, who you may also contact with any questions. 

Contact Information

Pim Huijnen, Utrecht University

Contact Email

p.huijnen@uu.nl

URL

http://tinyurl.com/BigandSmallData

New Issue: Collections

Collections- Volume: 20, Number: 2 (June 2024)
(subscription)

Focus Issue: Promoting Exhibit Access and Safety: Guest Editors’ Foreword
Jeffrey Hirsch, Cali Martin, Melissa Miller, and Samantha Snell

Promoting Exhibit Access and Safety (PEAS): Reflections on Conference Surveys
Jeff Hirsch, Pei Koay, Cali Martin, Melissa Miller, Robert Waller, and Amy Zavecz

The Molina Family Latino Gallery: A PEAS Case Study
Jenarae Bautista and Sarah Elston

Challenges Requiring New Thinking in Museum Security
Francis Demes, Jaime Juarez, and James H. Clark

The Problem of Compromise in Conservation and Exhibit Decision Making
Robert Waller and Jane Henderson

A Collaborative Conservation Perspective: Ensuring Preservation, Access, and Safety in Exhibits
Jennifer Herrmann and Dong Eun Kim

Defensible Collections: Designing a Safe Exhibit Space
Jeffrey Hirsch and Casey Gallagher

A Collaborative Approach to Hazardous & Contaminated Collections Conundrums
Holly Cusack-McVeigh, Mark Wilson, and Sarah M. Halter

The Wheel Is Already Invented: Planning for the Next Crisis
Julianne Snider

Breaking Down Barriers: Adopting a Holistic Approach to Safety, Collections Management, and the Visitor Experience
Carrie Heflin

Accessibility and Exhibit Safety: The Importance of Sensory Maps
Emma Cieslik

Promoting Exhibit Access and Safety (PEAS): Listening and Learning Sessions
Sarah Elston, Ronald Eng, Kelsey Falquero, Jennifer Herrmann, Dong Eun Kim, Melissa Miller, Samantha Snell, Julianne Snider, Allaire Stritzinger, and Gina Whiteman

Seeking Associate Editor: Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

The Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies (JCAS) is looking for a new volunteer Associate Editor! Associate Editors work with the JCAS Editorial Board to solicit, select, and develop content for the journal. Primary duties include:

  • Selection of peer reviewers for assigned submissions
  • Supervising the peer review process in consultation with the Managing Editor
  • Evaluating peer review reports
  • Making recommendations to the Managing Editor on the suitability of submissions for publication
  • Participation in programming at events
  • Soliciting submissions
  • Assisting in the development of content
  • Actively participating in the management of the journal

The term of service runs July 2024 – June 2027 with the opportunity to renew for another three-year term.

Applicants must submit a résumé or CV and a brief statement of interest to email.jcas@gmail.com by Friday, June 28.

CFP: ICA Section on Archives of Literature and Art Symposium

Please contact Heather Dean, hdean  @ uvic.ca (no extra spaces) with questions!

International Council on Archives
Section on Archives of Literature and Art
November 20-21 2024 | Virtual Symposium

The English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton is credited with the well-known phrase, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” This sentiment on the power of literature and art can be found across cultures. Those in the arts are uniquely poised to provide social commentary, to speak truth to power, and to provide an unflinching portrayal of our shared humanity. Literary and artistic archives include archives created by journalists, poets, novelists, painters, sculptors, and other writers and artists, as well as arts organizations, galleries, publishers, editors, and all of those involved in arts creation and dissemination. These archives – like the creators and works they document – are bestowed with a unique and resonant power.    

The International Council on Archives’ Section on Archives of Literature and Art welcomes proposals for a 2024 virtual symposium celebrating and interrogating the power of the arts and cultural archives. 

The Program Committee encourages proposals on the following themes. Note: Proposals on other themes related to archives of literature and art will also be considered:    

  • The intersection of human rights, archives, and the arts, such as the archives of dissident artists and writers, journalists, and other creatives and arts organizations who have challenged injustice.
  • Born digital archives and the unique challenges of preserving and providing access to archives of artists and writers.
  • Ensuring the enduring preservation of arts archives during times of political unrest and turmoil.
  • Approaches to decolonizing archives with particular focus on arts and cultural archives.
  • The role of cultural archives in truth and reconciliation and fostering cultural resilience.  

Session Formats 

The symposium will be held online over two days (November 20 and 21) to accommodate various time zones. The conference will take place in English, however, speakers are invited to present in their language of choice, and translation into English will be provided. 

You do not need to be a member of ICA to submit a proposal, however, we ask that presenters consider joining the ICA.  

Single Paper: Submissions of single presentations, of no more than 15 minutes, are welcome, and will be coordinated into panels by the programme committee.  

Roundtable Talks: These sessions are comprised of 5-6 speakers providing short presentations which are thematically related, and which may include a more informal discussion in response to questions organized in advance by the session moderator.  The moderator is responsible for organizing speakers and distributing questions in advance. Please include the name of the moderator and speakers.  

Panels: Panels are comprised of 3 speakers, each providing a 15 minute talk on a related topic. These sessions are 60 minutes (inclusive of time for questions). These can be pre-arranged between groups (please include an abstract and title for each paper), or submitted individually. 

Symposium Language

The symposium seeks to foster a global exchange of perspectives and ideas. While the symposium will largely take place in English, proposals for presentations in any language are welcome and a limited number of translators will be available to provide live translation into English.  

Submission Process

Proposals are due on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Submissions will be reviewed by the programme committee starting the first week of July and decisions will be shared by July 31. 

Please complete the following form with your submission details: forms.gle/FYUVDFhe7rPUXSSs8. 

Important Dates

June 30                              Deadline for Submissions

July 31                                  Notification of Submissions 

August 14                          Confirm Attendance

September 1                     Registration Opens

November 20-21:            Symposium 

Journal of Western Archives Special Issue: Collection Stewardship in the Age of Finite Resources

The Journal of Western Archives has published its special issue, “Collection Stewardship in the Age of Finite Resources.” The five articles in the special issue cover various topics related to managing collections with limited resources, such as processing, collections surveys, and more. Read it here. 

CFP: MARAC Fall 2024 Meeting

The Program Committee for the Fall 2024 Virtual Meeting being held on November 13-15, 2024 is formally opening the call for proposals. Inspired by ongoing commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, the theme is “Renaissance & Renewal.” The Program Committee invites session proposals that celebrate and explore creativity, advocacy, versatility, and innovation in archival work. Potential session topics might include:

  • Emerging technologies (AI, VR) or using technology to look at collections in new ways (data sets, digital humanities projects)
  • Career reinvention, pivots, skills development, or reconfigured responsibilities
  • Initiatives to highlight overlooked or underrepresented voices
  • New perspectives on community engagement, partnerships, audiences, and stakeholders

The Program Committee is committed to incorporating diverse perspectives within the program and across the entire conference. Session proposals should reflect varied personal and professional experiences, including individual, institutional, and geographic diversity. The Program Committee is also interested in supporting a range of session types, including panel presentation or discussions, lightning talks, mini-workshops, case studies, and birds of a feather. 

Any questions, please contact the Program Committee co-chairs, Megan Craynon (megan.craynon@maryland.gov) and Hillary Kativa (hkativa@udel.edu).

Proposals are due Monday, June 24, 2024.

Program Proposal Form

Call for Papers: Forgotten Journalists: Lived experiences and professional identities in the past

Various Belgian partners organise in June 2025 an international academic conference on the lived experiences and professional identities of forgotten journalists. The deadline to submit an abstract is 30 August 2024. 

The conference aims to reconstruct the careers and lived experiences of a mass of anonymous news workers. Three groups of forgotten media professionals stand out (amongst others): war correspondents and foreign correspondents, female journalists, and those who founded and shaped professional journalists’ associations and trade unions behind the scenes. Thanks to the ever-increasing amount of digitised historical news media, the digitisation of genealogical sources and the growing access to the archives of professional journalists, the lives and works of forgotten journalists have become easier to trace. By focusing on lived experiences and professional identities from a historical and decentered perspective, we want to make visible those whose work has been underestimated, or whose journalistic (or partly journalistic) careers have been neglected. 

All information can be found in the attached CfP. 

Contact Information

Liberas

Kramersplein 23

9000 Ghent

Belgium

christoph.despiegeleer@liberas.eu

Contact Email

christoph.despiegeleer@liberas.eu

URL https://www.liberas.eu/call-for-papers-colloquium-forgotten-journalists-2025/

Attachments

Full Call for Papers

Call for Proposals: RAO Marketplace of Ideas 2024

The Reference, Access, and Outreach Section (RAO) of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) seeks proposals for the 2024 Marketplace of IDEAs to be held during the Virtual Annual Meeting on Thursday, July 25, 2024 at 4pm EDT/3pm CDT/2pm MDT/1pm PDT.

Topics related to the sub-committee areas of Teaching with Primary Sources, Exhibits and Events, and Public Services Assessment are encouraged.
Proposals addressing topics or themes related to the following will also be prioritized:
– evolving the archival profession, public services, new ideas, fresh perspectives
– orienting reference, access, and outreach efforts as Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, and Accessible
– collaborations/co-sponsorships with other Sections

Submission Due Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Submission Form: forms.gle/TaGwUREqpuarbJSGA

CfP: Artefacts XXIX: New Digital Practice for Science and Technology Collections | Science Museum Research Centre, London

Artefacts XXIX, 2024: New Digital Practice for Science and Technology Collections / Congruence Engine End of Project Conference

The Artefacts Consortium is an international network of museum professionals and scholars of the history of science, technology, and medicine who promote the use of objects in research. Annual Artefacts meetings, each organised under a pertinent theme, provide a collegial venue to gather to discuss exciting work being done with collections in museums and universities across the globe.

Call for Papers

How are digital techniques changing museum practice: for objects, for museum workers, for audiences? With digital approaches: Is it becoming easier for the objects and documents within collections to be found, researched and displayed? Is the texture of day-to-day museum practice changing? Are visitors and researchers enabled to have new kinds of experience in museums or online, or use collections in new ways?

This year’s Artefacts conference will be held October 13th-16th at the Science Museum Research Centre, London, back-to-back with the final conference of the Museum’s Congruence Engine digital collections-linking research project.

Artefacts

For the traditional Sunday-Tuesday Artefacts conference days, we are inviting contributions on the theme of new digital practice in science and technology museums. We are looking for contributions (papers, panels, demonstrations, etc) that reveal the ways in which science museums internationally are embracing the affordances of new digital techniques. For example:

• Collections as data

• Uses of machine learning (ML) and other artificial intelligence (AI) techniques with

catalogue data

• Online complements to exhibitions

• Novel uses of new media -visual or sonic – in exhibition and gallery contexts

• Virtual- and augmented-reality techniques

• Digital means to enable access to reserve collections

• How museum work is changing because of digital techniques

• Histories of electronic, digital and new media practice in museums

Please submit an outline of up to 300 words per individual paper or up to 1000 words for whole sessions by 1st June to: research@sciencemuseum.ac.uk We plan to send acceptances no later than mid-August.

Congruence Engine

Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th will be the associated Congruence Engineend of project conference, which is primarily to report the research, findings and recommendations from the project. This exciting major three-year project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council under its Towards a National Collection funding stream has been experimenting with using machine learning and other computational techniques to link collections of all kinds for the sake of better curation of science collections and to ease historical work using those collections for historians of all kinds. Themes will include:

• The ‘social machine’ approach to creating linked industrial collections.

• AI and machine learning for data enhancement and collections linkage

• Taxonomies, thesauruses and ontologies for linking collections.

• Spatial and geospatial approaches to collections linkage

• Narrative sources and collections linkage

• Responsible and ethical digital collections research

• New historiographies and new curatorial practices

The conference will also see the launch of the Science Museum Group’s Digital Research Cluster; plenary sessions will address some of the broader issues and opportunities of the current digital moment.

Attendees are warmly encouraged to attend both sides of the conference.

Organisers: Tim Boon, Nayomi Kasthuri Arachchi, Max Long, Arran Rees, Nina Webb-Bourne

Contact Information

Tim Boon, Nayomi Kasthuri Arachchi, Max Long, Arran Rees, Nina Webb-Bourne

Contact Email

research@sciencemuseum.ac.uk

URL

https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-04/Artefacts%20X…