ELO PLUGS INTO NEW HUB: MITH @ MARYLAND

The Electronic Literature Organization (ELO) is now establishing its new headquarters at The Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) at the University of Maryland, College Park. The move, which has been made possible by sponsorship from MITH, the English department at Maryland, the College of Arts and Humanities, and the University Libraries, was officially made July 1, 2006.

Neil Fraistat, director of MITH, said of the move: “In moving from UCLA to the University of Maryland, the ELO will provide MITH with a unique opportunity for a truly comprehensive program in the Digital Humanities, one that focuses equally on migrating electronically the cultural artifacts of the past and the production of the cultural artifacts of the future.” Thom Swiss, president of the ELO, added: “The Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) at the University of Maryland, College Park, is internationally known and, together with the support of its campus partners in this venture, makes for the best possible home for the ELO because of our similar and now collaborative interests and ambitions.”

Founded in 1999 in Chicago, the ELO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization made up of writers, scholars, educators, and technologists dedicated to exploring how computers can be used for literary expression, and how born-digital work can use the computer and the network to build on and extend the tradition of literature. Landmark events in the ELO’s short history include:

* The launch of the Electronic Literature Directory, an acclaimed database-driven resource of information about electronic literature maintained by authors and visited by thousands of readers;

* Readings of electronic literature and outreach events in Chicago, New York, Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Providence;

* The Electronic Literature Awards, which recognized exemplary works of poetry and fiction and rewarded winners with substantial cash prizes;

* The State of the Arts Symposium, which united over one hundred international writers, scholars, and publishers of electronic literature at UCLA for two days of panels and presentations and produced hard-copy proceedings; and

* The Preservation, Archiving, and Dissemination (PAD) project’s publication of two reports, Acid-Free Bits: Recommendations for Long-Lasting Electronic Literature and Born-Again Bits: A Framework for Migrating Electronic Literature.

The ELO has an international network of directors, literary advisors, and members. The organization’ss university partners include the University of Iowa, the University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of Pennsylvania. After the headquarters of the ELO moves to Maryland, partnerships with these universities, and the partnership with UCLA, will continue, as will electronic literature readings, events, and activities across the country.

The partnership between MITH and the ELO will help both organizations pursue their related missions. The ELO will work, with MITH’s help, to further its programs and its impact, both internationally and on the Maryland campus.

The ELO has long sought a partnership with a major research library to further its initiatives in the realm of the preserving, archiving, and disseminating electronic literature. Charles Lowry, dean of the University Libraries at Maryland, said: “To say that the scholarly information exchange is transforming academic and research libraries belabors the obvious. Nonetheless it is an essential condition for defining what libraries will be in the future. Libraries have played an historic role by providing the secure archive for the scholarly record. This is vital work worth preserving, but that will be done in a multitude of new ways. Among them, libraries must assume responsibility for the output of scholarly and creative work that is born digital. This is one of the most important reasons that from my perspective the University of Maryland Libraries have supported the ELO’s move to our campus.”

Moreover, a working relationship with a major English department will allow the ELO to develop its curricular and pedagogical initiatives in a new way; one of these initiatives, the Electronic Literature Collection (a digital literary annual to be made available online and on CD-ROM) is already in progress, with MITH as one of its five sponsors. Charles Caramello, (former) chair of the English department, said: “The English Department looks forward to ELO’s joining the Maryland community. ELO perfectly complements Departmental emphases on creative writing, comparative literary arts, and digital and textual studies; and its presence on campus will greatly enhance opportunities for Departmental faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates to collaborate with artists and scholars in the vanguard of literature and literary scholarship using twenty-first century technologies.”

James F. Harris, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Maryland, also noted how the ELO will complement the campus’s existing strengths, saying: “The College of Arts and Humanities is very pleased to welcome the ELO to the University of Maryland campus. We have long had a focus on the creative and performing arts, as well as the use of new technologies in traditional humanities settings; the ELO, with its emphasis on the artistic and imaginative use of computers and new media, is a natural fit and helps complete that circle. I look forward to a broad range of activities and events that enhance the creative and intellectual life of the College.”

Media Contact: Matthew Kirschenbaum,

Assistant Professor of English, University of Maryland

Associate Director,

Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH)

Director,

The Electronic Literature Organization

Tel: 301-405-8505

Best email: mkirschenbaum@gmail.com