Anthropology News • March 2008 A S S O C I AT I O N B U S I N E S S utor. Once logged on you can create pages or Realizing the comment on and edit most pages. The wiki and our collective vision will grow as you and AnthroSource Vision others contribute to it. You can also visit www. aaanet.org/publications for additional informa- tion. We look forward to your contributions. MICHAEL FISCHER Workshops and podcasts covering topical U KENT, CANTERBURY themes, methods and instruction Michael Fischer is professor of anthropologi- cal sciences and director of the Centre for Social Co-ops to deliver specialist and general The Committee on the Future of Print and Anthropology and Computing. He can be contacted teaching online on a fee basis Electronic Publishing (CFPEP) has launched an at Department of Anthropology; University of Kent AAA community website to seek advice, contri- Online seminars at Canterbury; Canterbury, Kent; UK CT2 7NR; butions and feedback from members regarding

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. Resource guides documenting and orga- developing and expanding AnthroSource to nizing existing anthropological web content include resources and services that are of value to the membership and that promote and Issues that arise include advance anthropology. How to enable AAA sections to create President AnthroSource began as a vision for a platform for content, with technical assistance from the Continued from page 15 online communications and services for the AAA association as necessary membership. In 2006, the AnthroSource Steering Group and AnthroSource Working Group merged Ethical concerns involving the presentation Other presidential business included working to form CFPEP, which makes recommendations of data, meeting the requirements of funding with Florence Babb on procedures that section to the Committee on Scientific Publications sources and enabling public, commercial leaders will employ to consider their future regarding AAA publications and other Internet and governmental access to anthropological governance structure; a teleconference meeting services. AnthroSource has initially focused on material with the Committee on Practicing, Public and the online transition of AAA publishing. In the Public Interest Anthropology to begin imple- How to fund AnthroSource, in full or in midst of the benefits and problems that have menting the Practicing Anthropology Working part, through membership fees, sponsor- been born of this effort, a larger vision has been Group report; working with the Long Range ship, advertising, shareware and subscrip- in the background. CFPEP is exploring how we Planning Committee to pass revised Long tions fees can realize the larger vision of AnthroSource now Range Plan Mission and Vision statements; and that the association has completed initial arrange- AnthroSource will be what we make of it. a teleconference meeting of the Committee ments with Wiley-Blackwell regarding our online As anthropologists are fond of declaring, the on Scientific Communication (CSC) chaired journal publications. development of the future is not linear. We by Sally Merry to discuss developing a proce- We need to consider more generally what are asking you to submit ideas for new kinds dure for making changes in the specifications could be useful for improving teaching and of resources and services that might become of section publications. At the same time, research, promoting our discipline to the public a part of AnthroSource. Possible contributions the Committee on the Future of Print and and working through the many ethical issues include short suggestions for discussion, elab- Electronic Publishing (CFPEP) is working with that will arise. Our teaching and research are orated descriptions with mock-ups, identifica- a consultant and talking to section leadership supported by information exchanged and made tion of existing resources and services currently to develop a new formula for AnthroSource available online. Web services, such as Google’s used by anthropologists and examples of non- revenue allocation. I also appointed Alan Smart shared editing and spreadsheet applications, are anthropological resources and services with a to the Finance Committee, Theodore Bestor to platforms for collaborative research. YouTube discussion about how their ideas or mecha- the Audit Committee, Richard A Wilson (U is a source of video for teaching and a stage to nisms might be useful to anthropologists. Connecticut) to the Committee for Human extend our own reach. Our students and younger Why is the need to examine these issues so Rights, and added Gwendolyn Mikell to the Ad staff interact casually and professionally on important? Our students and younger anthro- Hoc Commission on Race and Racism. social platforms such as FaceBook and MySpace. pologists expect, perhaps demand, this of us. Many other committees also have been Blogs are used to supplement teaching, discuss They are accustomed to working in network active during this time. The Committee for research findings and disseminate research as environments with network objects and have Human Rights has been working on redefining it progresses. Anthropologists are studying and high expectations for resource availability. One their objectives as advocates in a number participating in new forms of social, cultural and of the reasons AAA recently contracted with of key areas. The Executive AAA Program transcultural interaction on the internet. Wiley-Blackwell to take over management of Committee has been soliciting and developing Some possibilities for an expanded role for our publications was to greatly improve acces- proposals on inclusion, collaboration and AnthroSource include sibility to AAA publications. engagement for the upcoming San Francisco Repositories for nonjournal publications Beyond our internal use, AnthroSource is a annual meeting. means for communicating our shared values This summary is not just to say that we are Specialized archival repositories for ethno- (and value) to those outside the anthropological busy doing the jobs that we were elected to do graphic media and fieldnotes with secure community. The Internet is the most accessible but to give you some insight into the how our access means we have of interacting with the public. association governance functions. What gets AnthroSource can improve our visibility and passed, funded, written and decided upon comes Social spaces (like FaceBook) for ensure that the public not only understands from committees, commissions, sections, groups anthropologists the potential value of anthropology in today’s and individuals voluntarily supporting, clari- Collabatories: formal meeting and working world but can also directly benefit from anthro- fying, funding or promoting issues of impor- places for collaboration in small or large pology. The public includes our research part- tance to anthropology as a discipline and to our groups ners, who increasingly look online for informa- members. If there are issues that you think go tion about themselves and their communities. unnoticed or unresolved, write a letter to the EB Indexes of online applications and tools To participate in this discussion go to http:// or directly to me. I encourage all AAA members to for data annotation, management, sharing, cfpep.anthrowikis.org/signup, which includes become involved in making our association more analysis and presentation instructions on how to sign up to be a contrib- democratic, transparent and responsive. 16