Newsletter, October 2014

Note from the President

It’s with great pleasure (and a bit of anxiety) that I take over as president of ACH from Bethany Nowviskie, who has led the organization so admirably in the past years, tirelessly promoting so many of the core values and priorities of the ACH, including diversity, openness, and new scholar support and mentoring. Please join me in a richly-deserved standing ovation for Bethany. … Thanks very much as well to members of the ACH Executive Council who completed their terms this summer, Ernesto Priego, Geoffrey Rockwell and Tanya Clement (Tanya stays on as Treasurer). A warm welcome to new members Miriam Posner, Lisa Rhody, and Roopika Risam, as well as Dot Porter, our new Vice President.

The momentum of Digital Humanities continues to grow (there were over 750 participants at DH2014 in Lausanne!), and the ACH will continue its work to promote both regional strengths and features, as well as many interests we share as an international community. The ACH is a proud member (also known as “constituent organization”) of ADHO, the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations. Individual membership to the ACH and ACH participation in ADHO help to enable the rich ecology of digital humanities that we have, including journals like Literary and Linguistic Computing and Digital Humanities Quarterly, training venues like the Digital Humanities Summer Institute, various conferences and events, and a range of travel bursaries and fellowships. In the coming years the ACH will be particularly keen to explore ways of helping foster even more regional activities (in part to make events more accessible and to promote local identities).

The ACH is strong thanks to its members. By being a member you’re already contributing, but if you’d like to contribute in other ways (ideas, time, resources, etc.), please let us know!

Humbly yours,
Stéfan Sinclair

Digital Humanities 2014

ACH was delighted to participate in the annual Digital Humanities conference, held this past July in Lausanne, Switzerland. As usual, we contributed reviewers to the Program Committee and proposal review process, and a representative to the ADHO Conference Coordinating Committee. At the conference we once again held our day-long Executive Council meeting (minutes) and the Annual General Meeting (notes). Since DH 2014, we have been busy preparing for the coming elections, collaborating with CSDH/SCHN on a conference in Ottawa next June (details below!), and minding our action items from the July meeting.

Digital Humanities 2015

The next Digital Humanites conference will be held in Sydney, Australia, 29 June–3 July 2015! The conference theme is Global Digital Humanities, and while the program committee welcomes proposals on any aspect of the digital humanities, it also especially encourages proposals that address global aspects of the digital humanities. Visit the DH 2015 conference website for more information and to submit a proposal!

Joint CSDH & ACH Conference 2015

We are delighted to announce a formal collaboration with our Canadian DH colleagues (CSDH/SCHN) to host a joint CSDH / ACH conference in Ottawa from June 1-3, 2015. As co-sponsor, ACH members will benefit from reduced registration rates and several student travel bursaries and awards will be offered. There will also be a DHSI@Congress event (half-day and full day workshops). Keep an eye on the usual channels for more information coming very soon about the Call for Papers!

Nominations and Elections for ACH Executive Council

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be gathering nominees for election for three positions on the ACH Executive Council beginning July 2015.  The Council consists of 12 representatives, as well as a few other officers, elected by and from among the entire ACH membership: this means YOU!  Please consider nominating a favorite colleague—or yourself!—for this great opportunity to serve the community and to shape its activities and policies in the coming years.

The only requirement to stand for election is to be a current member of the ACH (and of course, one can become a member at any time).  We are a group that is diverse in age, experience, professional position, and all other ways, and we welcome candidates of absolutely all stripes, from grad students to emeriti.  You can find a more formal statement of how the ACH is governed in our Constitution & Bylaws; on this same site, you can also see a list of the current Council Representatives.

ACH Council Representatives serve for four years.  During that time, we engage in spirited (and always collegial) discussion and decision-making over email; we have occasional conference calls; and we meet in person, generally at the annual Digital Humanities Conference.  As an all-volunteer organization, each member of the Council may also take on special projects or serve on committees that work to support the community and to advance the cause of digital humanities.

For questions or to submit a nomination, please contact nominations@ach.org.  Our Nominations Committee will then be in touch with details about submitting a brief biographical and candidate statement.

Bursaries for Digital Humanities Summer Institute 2015

Once again, the ACH is proud to sponsor travel bursaries for the Digital Humanities Summer Institute! Available for graduate student members of the ACH, these bursaries help defray travel and lodging costs to attend the institute. To apply, just indicate your eligibility when you also apply for a tuition scholarship for DHSI. And if you’re not yet a member, consider joining the ACH to become eligible for the bursary and other benefits!

Affiliated Sessions at AHA and MLA Meetings

The ACH Affiliations Committee is delighted that we will be sponsoring sessions at this year’s meetings of the American Historical Association and the Modern Language Association!

American Historical Association Conference, New York City, January 2-5, 2015

Visit the AHA Affiliates Program for more information.

Modern Language Association Convention, Vancouver, January 8–11, 2015

Microgrant Winners

ACH Microgrants were established to reward enterprising ideas that serve the digital humanities community by building on existing ACH initiatives. The winners for 2014 are:

  • Alexander Christie, University of Victoria, for Pedagogy Toolkit
  • Jeffrey Moro, Smith College; Elizabeth Alexander, graduate of Amherst College; Criss Guy, graduate of Amherst College for The_Critical_Is: […]Video Game Pedagogy
  • Thomas G. Padilla, Sara D. Miller, Hailey Mooney, Bobby L. Smiley, Michigan State University Libraries, for Library-Led DH Pedagogy: Modeling Paths Toward Information and Data Literacy
  • Celeste Sharpe, George Mason University; Jeri Wieringa, George Mason University, for Bridging the Gap: Women, Code, and the Digital Humanities.

By Jeremy Boggs

23 comments on “Newsletter, October 2014”