Category: dh+lib review

CFP: Comics as Computation

Ilan Manouach (FNRS, ULiège) & Benoît Crucifix (KU Leuven, KBR) announce a call for submissions to Comics as Computation: An uninterrupted thread of operational intensity. From the call for proposals:

This collective volume aims to provide a historical understanding of the intensification of automation in the comics industry, leading to today’s integration of algorithmic tools for the production of comics. It has the goal to examine to which extent comics are the direct output of industrial processes of completion based on instituted sets of standardization practices and how deeply automation is embedded in the conceptualization of artistic practices in the medium. Comics as Computation ambitions to analyze how the integration of computational processes for the production of contemporary comics is consistent with the industry’s early experiments in automation.

This collective volume aims to provide a historical understanding of the intensification of automation in the comics industry, leading to today’s integration of algorithmic tools for the production of comics. It has the goal to examine to which extent comics are the direct output of industrial processes of completion based on instituted sets of standardization practices and how deeply automation is embedded in the conceptualization of artistic practices in the medium. Comics as Computation ambitions to analyze how the integration of computational processes for the production of contemporary comics is consistent with the industry’s early experiments in automation. By tracing an account of the medium’s very early attempts to industrialize and automate its production, and by identifying the precedents foregrounding the importance of human-machine relationships in comics from early on, Comics as Computation reshifts the understanding of comics craftsmanship as a symbiotic expansion alongside the early development of printing, distribution, and communication technologies. This volume should be positioned to suggest historical continuities by following the uninterrupted thread of the same operational intensity with today’s synthetic comics and generalized adoption of computational tools such as Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, chatgpt, Hugging Face, among many others.

In the present volume, we are particularly interested in contributions examining the following research areas:

  • scalability and efficiency in comics and comics craft
  • international perspectives on formats, production procedures, best practices and standardization
  • comics as data
  • (dis)similarities between AI-assisted creation and standardized drawing methods
  • longer history of computational tools
  • historical perspectives on the role of engineering and its impact on comics craft
  • role of audiences and users in practices of automation and standardization; forms of (digital) playbor
  • data-mining techniques in the (re)circulation of comics
  • informatization and discretization of comics archives
  • integration of machine learning tools for comics artists
  • against automation: resistance and discontent to increased technological mediation in the production of comics

The volume is particularly open to international contributions; we are happy to consider translation possibilities. Based on the selected abstracts, the volume will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed book series with an international academic publisher. More details will follow based on proposals.

Abstract length : 250 words
Short bio (150 words)
Deadline for abstracts: 1st November 2023
Notifications of acceptance: 30th November 2023
Send to reader@echochamber.be

FUNDING/OPPORTUNITY: 2023-2024 VRA Project Grant Call for Applications

Visual Resources Association (VRA) announced the call for project grant applications for 2023-2024. From the VRA Project Grant description:

The Visual Resources Association Project Grant awards up to $3,000 to support projects in the field of visual resources and image management. The project must be completed within one year from the time the grant is formally accepted. The funds may be used for stand-alone projects or pilots, start-up financing for larger projects, or for a component of a larger project. Collaborative projects and those proposed by groups, whether or not affiliated with an organization or institution, are encouraged. Of particular interest are innovative projects with results that can have a broad impact and be shared with the global community. Categories to be considered for funding include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Metadata for Visual Media
  • Visual Media Cataloguing Standards
  • Visual Media Data Standards
  • Digitization Projects of Special or Unique Collections (Educational Institutions, Libraries, Museums)
  • Visual Literacy
  • Technology Development for Visual Media Management and Pedagogy
  • Intellectual Property Rights

Applicants should work in the broad field of visual resources and image management and do not have to be VRA members. Applications are due by November 3, 2023.

FUNDING/OPPORTUNITY: Digitizing Hidden Collections

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) announced its call for proposals for the 2023-2024 cycle of Digitizing Hidden Collections: Amplifying Unheard Voices. From the call:

Launched in 2021, the program is designed to support efforts to digitize materials that deepen public understanding of the histories of people of color and other communities and populations whose work, experiences, and perspectives have been insufficiently recognized or unattended.

These often “hidden” histories include, but are not limited to, those of Black, Indigenous, Latine, and other People of Color; Women; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-binary, and other Genderqueer people and communities; Immigrants; Displaced populations; Blind, Deaf, and Disabled people and communities; and Colonized, Disenfranchised, Enslaved, and Incarcerated people.

The application award site includes information about past and upcoming informational webinars, application guidelines, and the application portal. Initial Applications are due by November 1, 2023.

JOB: Digital Scholarship Coordinator, Illinois State University

From the posting:

The Digital Scholarship Coordinator is responsible for facilitating and supporting faculty and student digital research projects, ranging from short and long-term consultations (e.g., helping to identify appropriate methods, tools, and training resources) to more intensive, hands-on assistance with technology, project design, and project management. For faculty, they offer a range of teaching support, from providing one-shot instruction sessions to teaching multiple sessions and collaborating on curriculum design. Additionally, the Digital Scholarship Coordinator is responsible for managing the Digital Scholarship Lab and will heavily influence how the space is used and developed.

JOB: Natural Language Processing Specialist, University of Florida

From the posting:

The University of Florida, in Gainesville, Florida is seeking a Natural Language Processing Specialist / Assistant University Librarian for the Department of Academic Research Consulting and Services (ARCS). Duties and responsibilities include: Providing instruction (teaching), consultation, and project work in Natural Language Processing (NLP), text mining, predictive text, and related areas; Collaborating with library colleagues and other researchers and educators throughout the UF community to create, identify, and evaluate learning resources in the areas of NLP and digital sciences; Advocating for the role of the Smathers Libraries in supporting related education and research; and Building effective and inclusive collaborations across the campus community. Telecommuting/working from home is permitted.

JOB: Librarian/Archivist for Digital Programs, Harvard Radcliffe Institute

From the posting:

 Reporting to the Head of Digital Collection and Services, the Librarian/Archivist for Digital Programs has shared responsibility for technical program management, digitization and the enabling of data integration across local and external data sources in the Digital Collections and Services unit. The Schlesinger Library contributes to one of the largest shares of special collections book and paper reformatting among dozens of repositories at the largest university library system in the United States. As a result, the Librarian/Archivist for Digital Programs will be responsible for the operation and growth of a highly impactful program for collection access and preservation, contribute to the management of a mature technical program, and help set strategy for the future of digital services at Schlesinger.

The incumbent in this position will manage a large digitization program to reformat bibliographic and manuscript materials, serve as a repository liaison to internal Harvard units (example, Digital Preservation and Imaging Services) and act as a point of contact to external contractors.  They will collaborate and work with an inclusive team in Digital Collections and Services and other Schlesinger units. They will also participate in working groups at Schlesinger, Radcliffe, and the Harvard Library to improve programs and services in a fast-paced, scholarly, research-library environment.

JOB: Institutional Repository Librarian, Montclair State University

From the posting:

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Research, Teaching and Engagement, the Institutional Repository Librarian is responsible for managing Montclair State University’s institutional repository (IR) and related technologies. The Institutional Repository Librarian has primary responsibility for guiding the development of a successful system of tools to support and showcase Montclair scholarship and unique local collections. This position works in close collaboration with other library units to administer and develop the university’s Digital Commons presence (digitalcommons.montclair.edu) and integrations, including Research with Montclair/Research with NJ and PlumX Metrics. The Institutional Repository Librarian contributes to library research data support efforts. This is a 12-month, tenure-track position (Librarian III/Librarian II). Rank will be determined commensurate with credentials and experience.

JOB: 3D Data Visualization Specialist, Washington University

From the posting:

Reporting to the Head of Data Services, the 3D Data Visualization Specialist develops research services and consults with WU campus users related to 3D data visualization. The position will focus on the development of services, tools, and programs to support faculty, staff, and students’ efforts to model data and produce 3D data visualizations. The incumbent also will collaborate with units across the Libraries in applying data analytics and data visualization tools for Libraries projects, services, and resources.

The incumbent will work collaboratively with campus stakeholders throughout the WU community, and external partners to facilitate the use of data visualization tools and resources for research and learning.

RECOMMENDED: Training Information Professionals in the Digital Humanities

“Training Information Professionals in the Digital Humanities: An Analysis of DH Courses in LIS Education,” by Chris Alen Sula (Pratt Institute) and Claudia Berger (Sarah Lawrence College), provides a look at DH courses offered in LIS programs in light of the growth DH has seen since 2014 when it was identified as one of the top trends in academic libraries.

From the abstract:

The digital humanities (DH) remain a growing area of interest among researchers and a locus of new positions within libraries, especially academic libraries, as well as archives, museums, and cultural heritage organizations. In response to this demand, many programs that train information professionals have developed specific curricula around DH. This paper analyzes courses offered within two overlapping contexts: American Library Association (ALA) accredited programs and iSchools. In addition to documenting the scope and extent of DH courses in these settings, we also analyze their contents, relating our findings to previous research, including analysis of job ads and interviews with professionals.

Data was collected from Spring 2020, from institutional course catalogs and program webpages, and syllabi and course descriptions were obtained from 69 percent of the courses identified. Researchers discuss their findings with a focus on course offerings, course descriptions and key concepts, learning outcomes, technologies, and sources.

RECOMMENDED: DHQ Issue 17.2

The most current issue of Digital Humanities Quarterly (DHQ), issue 17.2, focuses on Critical Code Studies and Tools Criticism, which the editors define as “the application of the hermeneutics of the humanities to the interpretation of the extra-functional significance of computer source code. ‘Extra’ here does not mean ‘outside of’ or ‘apart from’ but instead it refers to a significance that is ‘growing out of’ an understanding of the functioning of the code.” In other words, the articles in this issue seek to understand code as a text which humanists can interpret, rather than just a means to a computational end.

Articles on topics such as Close Code Readings, Code Legibility and Critical AI, and Code Languages and Linguistics, as well as Tools Criticism are included. The editors have described these articles in 3 categories:

“In addition to demonstrating established methods and best practices, scholars in this issue offer new and nuanced approaches to a wide range of code objects as well as developing new approaches, expanding the realm of what can be analyzed through critical code studies — accompanied by in-depth readings performed by top scholars in the field. This first issue presents three groupings of articles: 1) exemplary close readings of code, 2) new directions in critical code studies (such as code legibility and Critical AI), and 3) new work in programming languages and linguistics (including esoteric programming languages and indigenous programming languages).”

PROJECT: Mapping Racist Covenants

The Mapping Racist Covenants project highlights neighborhoods and properties in the Tuscon, AZ area that contained racist language in their covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CCRs) during development, focusing on CCRs from 1912-1968. From the project’s website:

  • The MRC project will deliver an interactive web-based map highlighting the geography of racist CCRs in Tucson that prevented African American, Asian, Mexican-American, Native American, Jewish individuals, and many other marginalized populations from living in certain neighborhoods.
  • The map will also include race/ethnicity data from the 1930, 1960, and 2020 decennial U.S. Census so Tucsonans can connect racist CCRs with historical and present-day racial segregation in Tucson neighborhoods.

The project was funded by a 2022 Mellon Borderlands grant, created with collaboration from  African American Museum of Southern Arizona, the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center, the Southwest Fair Housing Council, and the City of Tucson Department of Housing & Community Development, and created by faculty, staff, and students in both the School of Geography, Development & Environment, and the library.