Re: [ARSCLIST] ARSC Awards -- Award criteria (was: Awards 2009 - Call for Nominations)

["Nelson-Strauss, Brenda" <bnelsons@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

To answer Joel's questions, I believe the Awards Committee is open to considering websites that are nominated for ARSC awards (the committee doesn't have time to surf the web seeking out worthy websites- the author or another individual needs to bring them to our attention via an official nomination). 

There are, of course, several issues that make websites more difficult to evaluate. First, according to our guidelines, we must be able to establish a date of publication (we are currently considering materials published in 2008). Since most websites are updated frequently and evolve over time, we haven't quite decided what might constitute an official date of publication. In any case, we would at least need to be notified that the content is in its final form. Second, the website would need to hold its own against published items within the same category- i.e., there would have to be sufficient content to make it a contender against published histories/discographies.  

So far, no one has nominated a website for consideration, so the judges have not yet put the issue to the test. As for Joel's websites, "Follow the Drinking Gourd" does not seem to be finished. If "Sephardic Music" is in its final form (or let's say "1st edition" phase), let us know and we can circulate the link to the judges use it as a test case.

Brenda

Brenda Nelson-Strauss
Archives of African American Music and Culture
Indiana University
2805 E. 10th, Suite 180
Bloomington, IN 47408
812-855-7530
bnelsons@xxxxxxxxxxx
www.indiana.edu/~aaamc
www.blackgrooves.org
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Joel Bresler
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2008 2:33 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: ARSC Awards -- Award criteria (was: Awards 2009 - Call for Nominations)

Hi, thanks for this interesting information. So...is it the case that
"read-only" media (paper, CD-ROM, digital liner notes on audio CDs) are
acceptable but other media are not? Could someone from the committee weigh
in on what formats are and are not actively considered at present? 

Thanks,

Joel

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Malcolm Rockwell
Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2008 11:35 AM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] ARSC Awards -- Award criteria (was: Awards 2009 -
Call for Nominations)

Joel -
Last year Mahina Piha Press published my "Hawaiian & Hawaiian Guitar 
Records 1891 - 1960" and it was awarded the best discography of 2008 in 
the category of Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research, by the 
ARSC.
It was published as a CD-ROM, and there are no current plans to publish 
in print.
So what really needs to be changed is the wording of the award parameters.
Granted, including web-based discographic work may be loaded with 
problems, but all relevant publication besides hard print should be 
addressed by the ARCS discographic committee.
Best regards,
Malcolm Rockwell

*******

Joel Bresler wrote:
> Dear friends:
>
> Thanks very much to the committee for its hard work recognizing important
> research. I do want to comment on one element of the announcement: 
>
> "Eligible publications include any original ***printed*** work..."
(emphasis
> mine.)

<snip>