MEDIA ABC Blog

Just to indicate that people really do get together to talk about this stuff:


SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE BOOK
The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
16-18 October 2009
http://book-conference.com

We are particularly excited about holding this year's Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. The beautiful and historic city of Edinburgh has long served as a center of learning and the arts. It is the home of the world's largest book festival and oldest literary award. Edinburgh's important role in literature was recognized in 2004 when it was named the first UNESCO City of Literature. The Book Conference venue, the University of Edinburgh, has contributed significantly to the city's, and the nation's achievements. Since its founding in 1582 it has made vital contributions to learning and scholarship. We expect that the Seventh International Conference on the Book will make contributions of its own, in the spirit of this impressive tradition.

The Book Conference serves as an inclusive forum for examining the past, current and future role of the book. It proceeds from recognition that although the book is an old medium of expression, it embodies thousands of years' experience of recording knowledge. The pervasive influence of this experience continues to shape newer forms of information technology, while at the same time providing a reference point for innovation.

The Book Conference not only considers the book and other information technologies as artefacts or discrete objects, it also examines other key aspects of the information society, including publishing, libraries, information systems, literacy, and education. Broadly speaking, the Conference engages the interrelation between changes in thought, creation, production and distribution, and the role and meaning of the book and other information technologies. The Book Conference welcomes a wide range of participants from the world of books including authors, publishers, printers, librarians, IT specialists, book retailers, editors, literacy educators, and academic researchers and scholars from all disciplinary traditions.

The Conference includes plenary presentations by accomplished researchers, scholars and practitioners, as well as numerous paper, workshop and colloquium presentations. Presenters may choose to submit written papers for publication in the fully refereed International Journal of the Book. If you are unable to attend the Conference in person, virtual registrations are also available which allow you to submit a paper for refereeing and possible publication in this fully refereed academic Journal.

Whether you are a virtual or in-person presenter at this Conference, we also encourage you to present on the Conference YouTube Channel. Please select the Online Sessions link on the Conference website for further details.

The deadline for the next round in the call for papers (a title and short abstract) is 16 April 2009. Future deadlines will be announced on the Forum website after this date. Proposals are reviewed within two weeks of submission. Full details of the Conference, including an online proposal submission form, are to be found at the Conference website - http://book-conference.com

We look forward to receiving your proposals and hope you will be able to join us in Edinburgh, Scotland in October 2009.

Yours sincerely,

Garett Gietzen
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
For the Advisory Board, International Conference on the Book and International Journal of the Book