This Special Interest Group meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday, March 26, 1997, 9:00-10:30 a.m. in the
Cairo/Vancouver room.
This document is available at:
http://www.acm.org/~perlman/infosig.html
ACM SIGCHI Information Infrastructure
Gary Perlman
SIGCHI Vice Chair for Publications
OCLC Online Computer Library Center
6565 Frantz Road
Dublin, Ohio 43017 USA
[log in to unmask]
Keith Instone
SIGCHI Information Director
Computer Science Department
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403 USA
[log in to unmask]
_________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents:
* Abstract
* Goals for the Meeting
* SIGCHI's Information Technology Areas
* Application Areas
+ General Information
+ Extended Executive Committee Support
+ Publications and Conference Support
+ Technical Discussions
* New Directions
_________________________________________________________________
Abstract
We describe recent improvements to the ACM SIGCHI information
infrastructure, mainly in the SIGCHI Web site and SIGCHI use of the
ACM LISTSERV for mailing lists and aliases, and how they have been
applied to provide general information, support committees,
publications and conferences, and technical discussions. We then
describe some key areas where volunteers are needed to improve SIGCHI
information services, particularly in the area of databases.
_________________________________________________________________
Goals for the Meeting
* Inform Members of Progress: to discuss recent changes to the
SIGCHI information infrastructure in the areas of the web site,
mailing lists, online publications, etc.
* Evaluate Policies: to gather feedback on the policies for
different areas of the SIGCHI Information Infrastructure,
particularly for new areas, such as online databases.
* Recruit Expertise and Workers: We want to recruit people with
time and expertise to help maintain old and realize new SIGCHI
information offerings.
_________________________________________________________________
SIGCHI's Information Technology Areas
SIGCHI has based its information infrastructure primarily on the
World-Wide Web (e.g., the SIGCHI Web site, www.acm.org/sigchi/,
redesigned in 1996 by Scott Robertson) and LISTSERV mailing lists and
aliases (recently moved from Xerox PARC, where they were supported for
years, to ACM, and described in www.acm.org/sigchi/listserv/).
SIGCHI has also utilized Web Crossings WebX for discussions (although
it has fallen into disuse). SIGCHI has started to make use of the new
ACM member accounts (described in www.acm.org/account/).
_________________________________________________________________
Application Areas
General Information
An informal news service started at the end of 1996 at
www.acm.org/sigchi/news/, with time-critical events displayed on
the SIGCHI home page.
Extended Executive Committee Support
SIGCHI is run by the Extended Executive Committee (EEC) with consists
of the Executive Committee (EC) and the Adjunct Chairs. The people on
these committees communicate extensively with electronic mail,
supported now by ACM member accounts and the ACM LISTSERV (see
www.acm.org/sigchi/officers/). For some SIGCHI chairs, there are
corresponding Web pages (e.g., Publications, Conferences,
Education, Local SIGs) and mailing lists (e.g.,
[log in to unmask], [log in to unmask],
[log in to unmask], [log in to unmask])
Publications and Conference Support
The SIGCHI Bulletin is in its second year of a two-year experiment to
publish the Bulletin on the Web at www.acm.org/sigchi/bulletin/.
As part of the creation of the new SIGCHI mailing lists, LISTSERV
aliases were created for individual Bulletin editors.
The Annual CHI Conference is publishing its proceedings on the Web for
the third year. We are compiling access statistics for CHI'95 and
CHI'96 and plan to track CHI 97, when it is released. CHI 97
was the first annual SIGCHI conference to use the ACM LISTSERV; 59
lists were created for the event, and more are planned for CHI 98.
Technical Discussions
SIGCHI open lists have supported announcements and discussions on many
HCI topics. The SIGCHI Web site describes these lists under the SIGCHI
LISTSERV Web page www.acm.org/sigchi/listserv/:
* Help Form for Open Lists at
www.acm.org/sigchi/listserv/request.html
* Instructions for SIGCHI List Owners at
www.acm.org/sigchi/listserv/listown/
_________________________________________________________________
New Directions
We several areas where SIGCHI's information infrastructure can be
improved and/or better used. These relate back to the SIGCHI EC's
goals for SIGCHI to be a focal point of HCI in the world and the
heart of SIGCHI members' professional network. (See SIGCHI
Bulletin, Vol. 28, No. 1, 1996.)
* Use of Web and LISTSERV by Vice / Adjunct Chairs. Although there
are Vice Chairs and Adjunct Chairs (see
www.acm.org/sigchi/officers) using the Web and/or LISTSERV
mailing lists, some chairs have not yet made use of these
facilities. There are opportunities for volunteers to assist
chairs (or even hold a chair) to provide more information to
members.
* Databases for Members. Little progress has been made on efforts
to create a consultants directory, a job bank, or a member
directory (which should build on the ACM accounts at
www.acm.org/account/).
* Indexes to HCI Information. There is an opportunity for some
industrious volunteers to merge the existing indexes of HCI
material on the Web (e.g., HCI-VL, HCI Index, HCI
Resources) at the SIGCHI Web site.
* HCI Bibliographic Services. The HCI Bibliography is going to
be supported by ACM SIGCHI, creating new opportunities for
volunteers to provide the HCI community with improved and new
services.
* Graphic Design and Usability of SIGCHI Services. There is a
constant need for volunteer expertise in these areas.
|