Library Circulation Histories Workshop: Call for Proposals

James Connolly Announcement
Location
Indiana, United States
Subject Fields
Library and Information Science, Cultural History / Studies, Digital Humanities, Humanities, Research and Methodology

The Center for Middletown Studies, Ball State University, invites proposals for the Library Circulation Histories Workshop on Monday, May 18th and Tuesday, May 19th, 2020.  Over the past two decades, a number of projects have assembled a rich body of evidence derived from historical library circulation records that capture the borrowing choices of thousands of ordinary people. The aim of this NEH-supported Workshop is to make the data available through these resources more accessible and more analytically powerful. The Workshop currently has commitments from scholars and developers associated with projects from the U.S., the U.K., and Australia to address key challenges and explore new opportunities for exploiting these datasets, and it welcomes additional proposals addressing any geographic region or time period. Topics addressed will include the use of computational text analysis, network analysis, ethical issues, and data aggregation.  The Workshop’s format will include short presentations about current and new projects employing library circulation records or related material and broader discussions of the challenges and opportunities these resources present.

 

The Center for Middletown Studies launched the What Middletown Read database in 2011 and has since sponsored a variety of scholarly work related to the history of reading.  The Workshop continues those efforts and further details will be available via the Center’s website.  Its organizers welcome proposals from scholars and/or developers engaged in comparable endeavors examining the history of reading, the circulation of printed materials, the evolution of libraries, and related topics. Those interested in participating should submit a short (2-page maximum) description of their project and a brief c.v. via email to James Connolly, Director of the Center for Middletown Studies (jconnoll@bsu.edu).  Questions are welcome and can also be directed to him.  The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2019 and notifications of acceptance will be provided by December 15, 2019.

Contact Information

James J. Connolly

Center for Middletown Studies

Ball State University

+1-765-285-8037

Contact Email
jconnoll@bsu.edu