[Sigcrit-l] conference update and other projects for CRIT

[Ron Day]

Well, SIG-CRIT members, here is an update on the recent ASIST conference in Long Beach and news of possible projects. 

First, as many of you saw from the conference program, we cosponsored a "hit" of the meeting, the session entitled, "Death of the User," which provoked at least two of the ASIST fathers at two different sessions to call for the "resurrection" of the user (an odd term--apparently cognitive IR=JC!).  Despite this presence on the program, however, "SIG-CRIT" (the "SE-CRET" sig as we've become known), was not acknowledged as a sponsoring SIG at the back of the program nor did we have a table at the SIG party, and of course, we still don't exist on the ASIST web page that lists the SIGS.  So, in some ways, another successful year for our clandestine operation!

Second, I spoke to a board of directors member, and I understand that someone else spoke to our new president, Nick Belkin, about the SIG-CRIT (non)existence.  It was promised all around that this would be looked into....

Third, Joe Tennis and Jonathan Furner and I have been kicking around some projects for the coming year.  From my server end, first, hosting an online dictionary of terms in "critical information theory" or whatever we want to imagine that CRIT stands for, and second, hosting a CRIT syllabi deposit so that we can see what is being done at other institutions.  What does anyone think about that??  Do these seem useful?  Either one?  Or no?  Joe and Jonathan are also discussing an occasional papers series and a web/discussion page on these type of things.  Comments?

Last, as you know, we seem to have every penis and breast implant spam on the internet coming through our List--a phenomenon that I don't experience with the other SIG lists I'm on.  Now, one could be paranoid about this, but I won't be....  I want to assure you, however, that I delete what the spam filter catches, but it isn't catching very much.  I would complain to Dick, but I'm afraid that since we don't exist as much would be done as is being done in acknowledging our existence!

best to all, Ron Day

**************************************

"l'ora del tempo e la dolce stagione" (Dante, Inferno, Canto I)

Ronald Day,
Assistant Professor
Library and Information Science Program
Wayne State University
ronday at wayne.edu
http://www.lisp.wayne.edu/~ai2398
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.asis.org/pipermail/sigcrit-l/attachments/20031110/e805a977/attachment.html