<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Dear colleagues - <div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">As you know, the SIGCIS email list has been in an “emergency moderation” mode since late May. Since then the SIGCIS Officers have reflected on the problems that occurred on and beyond the list, and we have been working on ways to address these problems and make positive changes for our community. I’m writing today with an update about what we have done, and what our next steps are.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">1. Statement of Community Values</b></div><div class="">The Officers decided that a good first step would be to articulate the foundational values that we, as a community, aspire to embody and uphold. This statement is posted at <a href="http://www.sigcis.org/node/404" class="">http://www.sigcis.org/node/404</a> (the page name was system-generated, in case you’re wondering), and I’m pasting it here as well. It can be found under the “About SIGCIS” heading on the left-sided menu at <a href="http://sigcis.org/" class="">sigcis.org</a>.</div><div class=""><p align="center" class=""><strong class=""></strong></p>
<ol class="">
<li class=""><strong class="">We study the past:</strong> SIGCIS is a community dedicated
to studying the past of information technology. We tackle this common
task using many disciplinary perspectives and analytical methods.</li>
</ol>
<ol class="">
<li value="2" class=""><strong class="">We embrace SHOT’s call for openness and pluralism:</strong>
SIGCIS welcomes SHOT’s description of SIGs as groups aimed at “bringing
together scholars and professionals with interests in specific fields
of the history of technology.”</li>
</ol>
<ol class="">
<li value="3" class=""><strong class="">We aim to bring people and institutions together: </strong>SIGCIS
values our community’s ability to bring together people from a broad
range of institutions—which include universities, museums, libraries,
clubs, corporations, and professional associations.</li>
</ol>
<ol class="">
<li value="4" class=""><strong class="">We are strengthened by our community’s diversity:</strong>
SIGCIS recognizes that our members’ social diversity and breadth of
disciplinary approaches constitute our core strengths as a scholarly
community.</li>
</ol>
<ol class="">
<li value="5" class=""><strong class="">We are committed to supporting our community’s diversity: </strong>SIGCIS
does not tolerate oppressive behavior. This includes, but is not
limited to, objectification, online or off-line harassment, and
stereotyping or discriminating based on gender, race, class, national
origin, religion, or professional affiliation and background.</li>
</ol><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">2. Revised Acceptable Use Policy for <a href="mailto:members@SIGCIS.org" class="">members@SIGCIS.org</a></b></div></div><div class="">The Officers also agreed that we should update our old Acceptable Use Policy, and we worked hard to find a consensus about what it should say. The revised AUP can be found at <a href="http://www.sigcis.org/node/14" class="">http://www.sigcis.org/node/14</a>, available from the “Email List” heading on the left-sided menu. I won’t paste it here, since it’s somewhat lengthy, but it will be posted to the list regularly (at least twice per year). It consists of four sections: History and Function; Community Standards and Expectations; Acceptable Topics; and Restricted Topics.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">3. Moderation of <a href="mailto:members@SIGCIS.org" class="">members@SIGCIS.org</a></b></div><div class="">The Officers discussed many options for the future of our main email list, <a href="mailto:members@SIGCIS.org" class="">members@SIGCIS.org</a>. I can’t say we achieved unanimity, but I think we feel comfortable with our solution. We have decided to keep the list open, with one significant change: a group of volunteer moderators who will keep a close eye on the list and promptly address any questions or violation of list policies that come up. The moderators will work with SIGCIS Officers to take action on posts that they determine to be marginally inappropriate, inappropriate, or clearly offensive. We have already taken action regarding some specific past postings. Our overarching goal in moving to a model of list moderation is simple: to devote more care to guiding discussion in respectful and productive ways, and to avoid problems we have encountered in the past when discussions have veered off the rails. A description of the Moderator Responsibilities and Guidelines, as well as contact information for our (heroic!) moderators, is posted at <a href="http://www.sigcis.org/node/19" class="">http://www.sigcis.org/node/19</a>. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">With these steps in place, we plan to open up the list to regular postings in the coming weeks. If you have comments or questions in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me or any of the Officers or Moderators. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thank you for your patience as we have worked through this challenging time for our community. We are trying our best to strengthen our community, to demonstrate our unwavering support for our community’s diversity and collegiality, and to restore the mailing list so that it can function again as a productive space for all of us who are passionate about computer and information history. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Sincerely,</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Andy Russell</div><div class="">SIGCIS Chair</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></div></body></html>