Computer Science & the Humanities

Introduction

Computer Science and the Humanities is an initiative developed out of an exploratory Roundtable meeting held at the National Academy of Sciences on March 28, 1997, and March 26, 1998. Collaboratively organized by the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Academy of Sciences, The Coalition for Networked Information and the National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage, the Roundtable brought together around thirty prominent individuals in the fields of computing and communications science, and arts and humanities research, in an attempt to explore the complexities of cross-disciplinary collaboration. See: PRESS RELEASE; REPORT.

The program began with an exploration of the interests and methodologies of computer scientists and humanists, proceeded with a consideration of economic and institutional factors that shape how different communities pursue their interests, and culminated in brainstorming about the prospects for additional and more sustained interaction among the communities.

Following the Roundtable, a steering committee was formed to develop the means to carry forward the lines of inquiry suggested at the meeting. The committee is currently engaged in developing a program of action.

August, 1998

Steering Committee for Computer Science and the Humanities

Current Program

January 1999

 

"Building Blocks," Humanities Informatics Project [See Building Blocks Workshop Website]

a field-based hard look by humanists on how practitioners use their materials in creating and representing 'knowledge'. This is designed to articulate our intellectual and pedagogical needs, within each discipline as well as across the humanities as a whole, that can be met or transformed by computer science and information technology. Field-based workshops will be the "building blocks" used to create a framework of shared understandings and vocabulary with which to build practical agendas for working with computer scientists

  • Projected Timeline: Workshop September 2000

   

Humanities and Computer Sciences Annual Conference Series (see Proposal)

a series of "best practice" conferences for computer science and humanities computing practitioners to review current research, lessons learned and promising directions, with a goal of identifying unmet needs and policy issues for funders and policymakers;

  • Projected Timeline: Fall 2001-Fall 2003
   
   

International Database of Digital Humanities Projects

International distributed database on current digital humanities projects with 'deep data' on methodology, software used etc.

  • Projected Timeline: Winter 1999-Summer 2001 for prototype
   
   

Archiving Digital Material

Computer Science and Telecommunications Board Research Project to examine the challenges associated with establishing and maintaining digital archives and provide recommendations on directions to ensure the long term preservation of digital material.

Projected Timeline: ongoing

    
   

Two Ravens Institute

Creation of a center to house seminars exploring the transformational changes of networked technology on the contemporary social fabric from the perspective of the humanities. Two Ravens will also examine ways in which current practitioners in the humanistic disciplines to manage the evolution of the humanities.

  • Projected Timeline: Fall 2002 onwards