The DRH conferences

The annual Digital Resources for the Humanities conference is the major forum for all those involved in, and affected by, the digitization of our cultural heritage: the scholar creating or using an electronic resource to further research; the teacher gathering Web resources into an online learning environment; the publisher or broadcaster integrating print or analogue with the digital to reach new audiences; the librarian, curator or archivist wishing to improve both access to and conservation of the digital information that characterizes contemporary culture and scholarship; the computer or information scientist seeking to apply new developments to the creation, exploitation and management of humanities resources. A volume of select papers from the conferences is published annually.

DRH 2001

DRH 2001 will be held at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1 from 8-10 July 2001.

Format

The academic programme of the conference will comprise academic papers, panel discussions, and poster presentations. An exhibition of products and services of interest to participants will form an important part of the conference. The conference is known for its friendly atmosphere and welcomes developers and users of digital resources from, amongst others, universities, libraries,archives, museums, galleries, broadcasters, publishers and community groups. The conference social programme will, we hope, encourage informal discussion and the chance to make lasting contacts between members of the different groups represented.

Themes

The Conference Programme Committee seeks proposals for papers, panel sessions and posters relating to the creation and use of digital resources in all aspects of work in the humanities. Prospective speakers are asked to bear in mind the following points: - Paper and session proposals should seek to develop themes and intellectual approaches which will be of interest and relevance across the subject domain; it is not sufficient simply to outline recent work on an individual project. Papers should take account of, and seek to address, strategic themes across the subject domain. Preference will be given to papers which outline innovative technical approaches or explore subject areas which have been generally neglected by the humanities computing community. Areas on which DRH conferences have particularly concentrated in the past have included the creation of digital resources, providing access to digital projects, and digital preservation. The Conference Programme Committee from DRH 2001 will particularly also welcome proposals which relate to the following themes:

• Visualisation of data: the use of graphical interfaces, GIS and other techniques for the exploration of data sets. What are the major issues for the use of these technologies by humanities scholars? What new insights do they offer for those working in the humanities?
• A managed digital environment: How far and in what ways do the initiatives to knit together, coordinate and develop existing initiatives for the creation of digital resources address the needs of humanities researchers? What shape should the future digital humanities environment be? How can digital initiatives be used to create new communities and to support initiatives to consolidate such communities (as, for example, in the use of digital technologies in support of an e-Europe)?
• Diversity and multi-culturalism: How can the creation and dissemination of digital resources in the humanities help to underpin and further a multi-cultural society? What are the major issues in creating and accessing digital resources for different groups in society? What technical issues affect the use of digital resources to further a policy of social inclusiveness? How can network technologies be used to support community programmes?
• World Wide access: How can the development of humanities digital resources support the creation of genuinely international access to the new e-culture? How can digital technologies suport the work of humanities scholars working on subjects connected with Asia and Africa?
• Convergence: How will the anticipated convergence between televisual,comunication and computing media affect research in the humanities? What new opportunities does it offer?

The deadline for submitting proposals is 24 February 2001 and notifications of acceptance will be sent out by 30 March 2001. Please note that all participants in the conference, including speakers, are expected to pay their own conference and accommodation costs. We hope, however, to offer a limited number of bursaries covering the conference fee for certain categories of participant. All proposals will be reviewed by at least two referees with relevant expertise. The final decision on acceptance into the conference programme rests with the Programme Committee.

For all type of proposal, authors are encouraged to provide a clear overview of the work to be presented; state how the proposal relates to the themes of the conference; outline any original or innovative methods, technical solutions or conclusions; outline the demonstrable value of the work to the broad humanities community. All proposals should be submitted in English. All proposals should include full name, institutional affiliation, postal address, telephone, fax and e-mail details for all participants. All abstracts will be printed in the conference book of abstracts.

Papers: We invite proposals for conference papers lasting no more than 20 minutes. Proposals should be between 750 and 1,000 words. Papers will be grouped into sessions of three papers. You are welcome to propose a session of three papers relating to a specific theme. In this case, session organisers should provide a clear description (c.250 words) of how the papers relate to each other, in addition to the three abstracts. Please note that all proposals for papers, whether individual submissions or part of a themed session, will be independently reviewed.

Themed Panel Sessions: We invite proposals for themed panel sessions lasting no more than 90 minutes. Proposals should be between 1,000-1,500 words. The panel organiser should include details of the individuals or organisations who have agreed to form the panel. Panel sessions are intended to provide a forum for discussion of a specific theme or issue, introduced by panel members.

Posters: We invite proposals for posters. Proposals should be between 750 and 1,000 words. Posters provide the opportunity for a visual, rather than oral, presentation of work within an informal atmosphere. Posters will be on display throughout the conference in a prominent area. Posters should not include software demonstrations. Where a software demonstration is required, the proposer should apply to be an exhibitor at the academic rate.

Please forward all proposals and abstracts to the Chair of the Programme Committee, Professor Andrew Prescott, University of Sheffield (a.prescott@shef.ac.uk).

Conference Publications: A book of abstracts, containing the revised versions of all accepted papers, panel sessions and posters, will be provided to all conference delegates. These abstracts will also be published on the conference web site. A volume of Selected Papers will be published following the conference. Everyone who presents a paper at the conference will be invited to submit a full version of their paper for consideration for the publication.

Organisation: The Programme Committee, which has responsibility for the academic programme of the conference, is chaired by Professor Andrew Prescott of the Humanities Research Institute, University of Sheffield. A list of the programme committee will shortly be posted on the DRH website http://www.drh.org.uk .

Call for hosts for DRH 2003

The DRH Standing Committee warmly invites proposals to host the DRH conference in 2003 Prospective applicants should refer to the conference Protocol and to other information on the DRH web site. Colleagues wishing to host the conference should write in the first instance to the Chair of the Standing Committee, Dr Marilyn Deegan, at marilyn.deegan@qeh.ox.ac.uk.

AHC Strand

The 1999 DRH conference, at King's College London, was held in conjunction with the annual conference of the Association for History and Computing (UK). DRH 2001 will follow this very successful experience by including a substantial AHC strand of sessions, lasting for at least one day. The AHC strand will represent a conference within a conference, in which AHC members will have an opportunity to give and to hear papers on historical computing, while benefiting from cross-fertilisation with other humanists with similar interests. Proposals for papers in the AHC strand will be sent to the AHC (UK) committee, who will arrange for them to be refereed.

The AHC's aims are to promote and develop interest in the use of computers in all types of historical study at every level, in both teaching and research. Recent years have seen the Association move from its traditional emphasis upon quantitative methods and database management to greater concern with such issues as digitisation, Web-based publication, teaching and learning with digital resources, and improving access to digital resources and archival holdings. The AHC invites papers on these and other aspects of the application of computers, whether for research, teaching or archives. In line with the rest of the DRH conference, African and oriental topics are particularly welcome, but papers may be submitted on any historical topic.