1991:2 - Universitetet i Bergen

1 O. ACADEMIC ACCEPTABILITY
The use of technology also has implications for career prospects. But
how does one rneasure electronic pub1icarions against Kaditional ones?
Is the cornpilation of a database a publication? I think it is fair to say
even now hat cornputing is marginai in the humanities. I would like
to see it become much more central and that mcans that it mus1 be
acceptable academically. The value of computer-based work must be
recognized and it must be shown ta have sea1 relevante for the
furtherance of scholarship in its discipline area. We are much further
ahead now with the development of computing techniques. 1 would like
ta find ways of ensuring that these techniques are used for high quaIity
acadernic research and hat they conrinue to be enhancd. This implies
much more input from users in defining what it is that they wani ro
do, which in turn implies more coIlaboration between the deveIopers
of software and scholars in the humanities. In this way academic
standards in the usc of information technology in the hurnanities wiII
continuc to bc raised.
Susan Hockey has been active in humanities computing for 22 years,
Id of which have becn at Ogord University wiih responsibility for the
Oxford Concordance Program (OCPJ, rypeserring ond general humuniiies
compufing faciliries. Her mosl recenl pusition ai Oxford was Project
Head of rhc OfJce for Humanities Comrnunicalion and Direaor of the
Compulers in Teaching Jniriative (CTI) Cenrre for Texsual Srudies. She
was elecred ro a Fellowship ar St Cross College, Ojord in 1979. She
is rhe author of IWO books and over 25 arficles on humaniries c~mputing.
She became Chairman of ~he Associarion for Lilerary and Linguistic
Campuring (ALLC) in 1984 and is cilrrenrly also Chair of fhc Sleering
Comrnittee of rlie Texl Encoding Initiarive. In suminer 1991 she was
appeinted Direcfor of rhe new US National Center for Machine-ReadabEe
Texrs in rhe Humanilies, which is sponsored by Rutgers and Princelon
Universities, and rakes up her posilion there on 7 Ocrober 1991.
This artfcfe is a reprint of a presenlation given at the NORDTNFO
Symposium on CulruraE Heritage and Humanitiex Research in the Lighr
of New Technology, Copenhagen, 7-9 Junc 1991.
HUMANISTISKE DATA 291