AIC 2000 Call for Papers

        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, harddrives, 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
[log in to unmask]; AIC, 1717 K St., NW, Ste. 301, Washington, DC 20006; Fax:
(202) 452-9328. If you have any questions, please contact Paul Messier,
program chair, at [log in to unmask]; (617) 782-7110.