Call for papers--AIC Annual Meeting

The general session of the 28th Annual Meeting of the American
Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) in
Philadelphia, set for June 9 and 10, 2000 will focus on preservation
issues relating to electronic media.  The conference will also
explore the impact of new technology on the way conservators perform
fundamental tasks. The General Session in Philadelphia will devote a
full day of talks to this theme. Some examples of topics that would
be appropriate for this session are:

    *   Materials science examinations of the materials used to
        store electronic information, such as magnetic tape, optical
        disks, hard drives, etc.;

    *   Art historical surveys tracing ways in which the various
        electronic media (video, computer art, etc.) have been used
        by artists over time;

    *   Potential strategies for managing obsolescence cycles of
        digital files and playback devices;

    *   An examination of the ethical issues raised by preservation
        measures, particularly what measures are possible and
        practical and some acceptable compromises;

    *   An examination into standards for documenting condition,
        reformatting, and restoring electronic media;

    *   Case studies of electronic media preservation projects,
        (e.g., surveys, treatments, and the formulation of
        institutional collections care policies) that have been
        developed by conservators;

    *   Innovative uses of digital technology by conservators to
        perform the primary tasks of treatment, documentation, and
        research.

This list is by no means comprehensive, papers on other, related
topics are encouraged.

In addition to the full day of talks relating to the electronic
media theme, a half day of presentations during the General Session
will be reserved for broader topics. These talks should be of
general interest, designed to engage AIC's diverse and specialized
membership. Abstracts should summarize either of the two topics in a
way that permits evaluation of the paper's quality and significance.
The committee will consider 1) the general interest of the paper and
its practical usefulness for the AIC membership; 2) the paper's
suitability for oral presentation; 3) the quality of the content and
significance of results; and 4) the paper's contribution toward
forming an overall balance to the session's theme. Papers judged
more suitable for specialty group sessions will be passed to the
appropriate group. Assistance in the development of poster
presentations, workshops, and vendor displays are also encouraged.
Abstracts should be double-spaced and a maximum of two pages.

If at all possible, abstracts should be submitted in an electronic
format, such as in the body of an e-mail message.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is Monday, August 2, 1999.
Send them to InfoAIC [at] aol__com; 1717 K St., NW, Ste. 301, Washington,
DC 20006; Fax: (202) 452-9328. If you have any questions, please
contact Paul Messier, program chair <pmessier [at] bosartconserv__com>,
617-782-7110.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:8
                  Distributed: Tuesday, July 13, 1999
                        Message Id: cdl-13-8-005
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