Oral History Association Task Force Calls for Reports
The Oral History Association has established a task force to investigate the role oral history plays in professional evaluation of academics for whom the practice is a major part of their work. The task force is particularly interested in the ways in which oral history practice is weighed in decisions regarding hiring, retention, promotion, and tenure. In what ways are publications based upon oral history considered when assessing the publication record of colleagues, or in teaching or public service or other aspects of faculty standing?
The task force is interested at this stage in gathering anecdotal evidence as well as formal reports or statements about established policies that mention oral history as a factor in hiring, retention, promotion, or tenure decisions of academic departments or academic institutions. The task force would be particularly interested in hearing from those who have developed an oral history practice, which they have submitted as part of their dossiers, or from those who have served on various committees evaluating colleagues on the basis of their work in oral history. The information collected now will be used to formulate and develop a detailed and comprehensive survey of the profession.
Responses to this preliminary inquiry should be sent by July 1, 2005, to Ronald Grele, 90 Morningside Drive, #3A, New York, NY 10027.
The Urban History Association Invites Submissions for Prizes
The Urban History Association (UHA) invites submissions to be considered for the award of the association’s various prizes, which will be conferred at the UHA’s 17th annual dinner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 8, 2006 (during the annual meeting of the American Historical Association). All works to be considered—books, essays, and dissertations—must be in English or in English translation. Membership in the UHA is not a requirement for eligibility. All submissions should be accompanied only by a single sheet containing contact information for the author—current mailing and e-mail addresses and telephone number(s). Letters of recommendation and endorsement are discouraged. The sole criterion will be the quality of the submission. The submissions (three copies in every case) must reach the specified addressee by June 15, 2005.
Book prizes. The UHA will award a prize of $500 for the best book in North American urban history with a publication date of 2004. Three copies of the books should be submitted to Roger Biles, Department of History, East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858.
The UHA will also present its biennial prize of $500 for the best book in non-North American urban history with a publication date of 2003 or 2004. Three copies of the book should be submitted to Clay McShane, 150 Staniford Street, #211, Boston, MA 02114.
Article prize. The UHA will award a prize of $250 for the best journal article in urban history, without geographic restriction, with a publication date of 2004. Three copies of the article should be submitted to: Jeffrey Adler, Department of History, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117320, Gainesville, FL 32611-7320.
Dissertation prize. The UHA will award a prize of $350 for the best dissertation in urban history, without geographic restriction, completed in 2004.
Three copies of the dissertation should be submitted to: Owen Gutfreund, Department of History, Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027.
SHOT Planning for 50th Anniversary
The Society for the History of Technology has begun planning the celebration of its 50th anniversary, which will be commemorated at the 2007 annual meeting in Washington, D.C., and the 2008 meeting in Lisbon. An ad-hoc committee chaired by Bob Post and Steve Cutcliffe has been set up. The president, vice president, and secretary of the society will be ex officio members of the committee. The committee, which will be meeting in Washington, D.C., this spring, invites SHOT members to suggest ideas—for an overall theme or themes; about sponsorship; for program sessions and publications to appear both before and after the meetings; and for performances, special events, and memorabilia. Details are available on the SHOT web site, https://www.historyoftechnology.org/.
