The autumn leaves may be falling outside,
but Katherine and I are already thinking about the spring.
We're working to bring the community
THATCamp Iowa City, a weekend
of digital humanities workshops and conversations
taking place March 30 through April 1.
THATCamp stands for 
The Humanities And Technology Camp.
It's an 'unconference', and it's aimed
at getting people thinking, talking, and doing.
The THATCamp website says
going to an unconference is like being
a member of an improv troupe.
An unconference is all participants, 
no audience.
Sessions are proposed on the spot.
Every attendee suggests a session,
which they may be asked to lead 
if the group votes on that session.
This session brainstorm is from 
THATCamp Melbourne.
They must have had a great need for speedos over there!
The key to a successful unconference 
is being open to spontaneity and diverse perspectives.
There are no panels, no papers.
This photo is from the inaugural THATCamp,
at the Center for History and New Media
at George Mason University,
where the digital exhibition software Omeka was developed.
So who attends?
Anyone can register, attend, and participate.
Sessions are group conversations.
Again, no panels, no papers.
Most THATCampers are in it for 
the community and the ideas. 
Attendees come to get some work done
and to have some fun.
This is an international community, 
and we are looking to host a camp right here
in Iowa.
Topics can focus on anything THATCampers
want, be it technical, institutional, philosophical,
critical, or social.
It doesn't have to relate to a specific project.
THATCamp Iowa City sessions will take place 
over the weekend, with workshops happening
the Friday before.
Workshops are class sessions on 
a digital humanities-related topic,
and they're taught in the traditional instructor-class format.
So what will the workshops cover?
Anything we want it to.
THATCamp workshops often include topics like
GIS mapping, XML text markup, website creation,
database management, collaboration tools, and 
data visuallization tools.
We are currently looking for workshop suggestions
and instructors.
We as organizers are handling registration,
logistics, scheduling sessions, providing food,
and facilitating networking among participants.
Our goal is to get 75 Campers to leave
Iowa City brimming with ideas and connections.
We definitely have our work cut out for us.
Anyone craving to learn more is in luck.
THATCamp Publishing is happening this weekend 
in Baltimore, Maryland.
This camp will specifically deal with 
the academic publishing and concerns of 
digital archiving.
To see one in action, check out their website
or follow the goings-on through Twitter.
There are at least three main reasons
to bring a THATCamp to Iowa City.
It's a chance to produce and share knowledge 
that fits with the University of Iowa's educational goals
in the broadest scale, but more specifically, 
we have a growing and talented digital humanities community
that we would love to help connect 
for productive conversations.
Iowa's Libraries, the Walt Whitman Archive, 
the School of Art and Art History's Intermedia degree,
the Civil War Diaries--
people involved in these diverse projects
might benefit from conversations about everything
from database management to user interfaces to
applying for funding.
We're also hoping to bring in individuals who 
have or might want to create their own projects,
a group that might include graduate students.
The William Morris Archive is run by Florence Boos
in the English Department, and the 
Killer Apps are Kembrew McLeod from Comm Studies
and Loren Glass from English.
If they connected, who knows what a conversation
might lead to?
Other regional institutions also have 
tons of amazing projects going on.
The University of Nebraska in Lincoln, 
the University of Wisconsin, Grinnell College, Ohio--
THATCamp is a chance to bring people from
other schools for some face-to-face discussion time.
Iowa's Digital Studio is up and running, 
and the Digital Studio and the Cluster Hire are bringing
attention to the digital humanities in new places.
We are hoping to involve some new people
in the conversation, like DEOs, administrators,
and maybe even hiring committees,
who might want to get an idea of what the fuss is about.
As HASTAC scholars, we want to help
create these conversations on campus,
and there are so many people that are or could be
talking about digital humanities:
about institutional structure, research, 
project management, theoretical implications....
The Obermann Institute, which, along with 
the Center for Teaching, is also invested in helping
to produce these discussions.
So how can you help?
You can give us recommendations.
Who should we talk to?
We've been talking to a lot of people, and
we keep adding to our list of names.
So keep us on your radar.
Are there things that we should know about?
As HASTAC scholars, we blog about what's going on
on campus.
So even if something isn't quite a fit for THATCamp,
if it's digital humanities related,
let us know.
Our sessions will depend on what registrants
want to talk about, so if you have something you'd like
to discuss, register and let us know.
The workshops we arrange, so if there's something
you'd like to see or contribute, also let us know.
You can do this through our website at 
iowacity2012.thatcamp.org.
And lastly, we are trying to build up some buzz
about this, and let people know what's happening,
so if you know people that might be interested, 
or if you would be willing to be a contact person
for your department or group,
again, please let us know.
If you would like to contact us, please email us 
at melody-dwora@uiowa.edu or 
katherine-f-montgomery@uiowa.edu.
We're also on Gmail at thatcampic@gmail.com,
@THATCampIC on Twitter,
and iowacity2012.thatcamp.org, where you can register.
And we hope to see you at THATCamp Iowa City!
