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ACM History Committee

ACM Heritage on-line seminar, September 30 – October 1, 2022

Call for Participation, Seminar on Capturing Hidden ACM Heritage,
September 30 – October 1, 2022

— Download PDF version of this call —

The Association for Computing Machinery, founded in 1947, is the world’s oldest and largest educational and scientific society dedicated to the computing profession, with more than 100,000 members around the world. The ACM universe includes SIGs, regions, and committees.

The ACM History Committee is hosting a seminar focusing on preserving the heritage of ACM. The seminar targets organizations in the ACM universe that are interested in engaging with this goal. This seminar is designed for individuals who are planning or are actively involved in doing projects related to ACM history, including the history of Special Interest Groups (SIGs), past or present. The seminar will explore concepts and methods for heritage preservation, including professional archiving practices.

This one-and-a-half day on-line event, which is open to the public, brings together individuals interested in ACM heritage / history and will highlight ongoing projects.

The program

  • Keynote presentations from leaders in the field.
  • The opening speaker is Vicki Hanson, ACM’s Chief Executive Officer.
  • Lectures on issues such as: preservation, ACM support, priorities, assessment, privacy, legal matters, preparing for public deposit.
  • Examples from ACM groups engaged in heritage projects.
  • Presentations about current projects (see presenter application information below).

This seminar lays the groundwork for a series of future workshops, both in person and on-line, that will build on insights that emerge. We will publish a digital proceedings after the seminar, which will include a selection of papers by presenters.

Apply to be a presenter

We invite presentations by SIG leaders, committee members, ACM officers and staff, historically-minded ACM members, as well as anyone studying the methodology or historiography of any aspect of ACM history. We will prioritize ACM members and members of computer societies affiliated with the ACM.

To apply as a presenter, submit a single PDF document to heritage@history.acm.org by Sunday, August 7, 23.59 AoE.

  • Brief CV for the project lead (max 2 pages)
  • Project description (max 250-words) that explains:
    • Significance of the (proposed) project and its importance to some aspect of ACM history, including the specific SIG, region, or committee.
    • Which raw materials: images, documents, reports, publications, interviews (audio, video, transcript).
    • The applicant’s willingness to make a short presentation during the seminar if the proposal is accepted and agreement to participate fully in the entire seminar.

Register to attend

This seminar is open for attendance by a broad audience, including the general public. Seminar registration will open on August 30. Watch for an announcement here on the ACM History Committee’s website.

Timeline for the 2022 Capturing Hidden ACM Heritage Seminar

August 7: Due date for presenter applications
August 22: Notify presenters of acceptance
August 30: Open registration for participation
September 28: Distribute email with instructions for how to join the seminar
September 30-October 1: On-line seminar — 9/30, 9:00am to 5:15pm + 10/1, 9:00am to 12:30pm CST

Contact information

Send questions and requests for clarification to heritage@history.acm.org.