Editorial Committee

The Editorial Committee is responsible for shaping how the Information Technology History Society communicates with the world. This includes: what we publish, where we publish it, and how our voice reflects our mission and values. The draft framework outlined below is intended as a starting point, not a mandate.

The incoming Editorial Committee is explicitly encouraged to challenge, refine, and propose alternatives to this plan, and to bring its own ideas, editorial sensibilities, and judgment to the work. The Board is seeking not only volunteers to execute a predefined agenda, but thoughtful stewards who will help define what responsible, engaging, and historically meaningful ITHS publishing should become.

• Own the publishing strategy across channels
  • Intended Platforms:
    • Email: long-form newsletters (Substack/Mailchimp)
    • Social: announcements, links to events/longform (LinkedIn/Bluesky)
    • Website: need to decide what content we wish to have persistent on our site
    • Async: channel-organization conversations, both public-facing and committees (Discord/Slack)
    • Live: meetups and presentations (Zoom) [managed by Events Committee]
  • Define which content sizes belong in which channels:
    • Words: long-form features and essays (e.g., Substack / newsletter; permanent versions on ithistory.org when appropriate)
    • Bytes: short posts, brief spotlights, individual database entries, or “mini-stories”
    • Bits: micro-acknowledgements and date-driven notices
  • Set rules for cross-promotion:
    • Decide whether (and how) Words are advertised via Bits and Bytes on short-form channels
    • Establish a consistent “release package” (teaser copy, images, links, and calls-to-action)
  • Create a platform plan for where to publish Bits (and related compact items):
    • a sidebar / call-out section within long-form newsletters
    • standalone short-form posts (e.g., Bluesky, LinkedIn, Instagram)
    • a recurring section on the website
• Establish editorial standards and safeguards
  • Define tone and appropriateness guidelines for ITHS publishing (accuracy, attribution, respectfulness, and mission-fit)
  • Create a lightweight review process (fact-checking expectations, citations/links, permissions for images)
  • Assign editors:
    • Identify who will edit or polish submissions for clarity and quality
    • Ensure at least one reviewer peruses each item for appropriateness before publication
  • Coordinate with other committees when needed (e.g., Archives/Collections, Events, Membership, Development)
• Recruit and support volunteer contributors
  • Solicit volunteers for writing, interviewing, and light editorial help
  • Maintain a roster of contributors and their interests/areas of expertise
  • Provide clear contributor guidance:
    • how to pitch a Byte or Word
    • typical lengths and formats
    • image and rights requirements
    • basic sourcing expectations
• Set and maintain the editorial calendar
  • Plan a publication cadence appropriate to ITHS capacity and audience
  • Schedule Words and larger Bytes in advance (e.g., “her piece runs in April; his runs in May”)
  • Set predictable deadlines and workflow checkpoints:
    • pitch deadline
    • first draft deadline
    • editorial review window
    • final approval
    • publication date
  • Maintain a balanced pipeline (people, companies, artifacts, themes, and “unsung heroes”)

Content programs overseen by the Editorial Committee

• Short-Form Conversations (typically Bytes, sometimes Bits)
  • Run community prompts and “memory calls” (e.g., “Here’s a photo of an early system—what do you remember?”)
  • Publish user-submitted artifacts and anecdotes (e.g., “an item from my basement”), with basic vetting and context
  • Maintain simple intake and permission workflows:
    • submission guidelines (form or email)
    • permission to repost images and stories
    • clear contributor attribution norms
• Long-Form Academic and Substantial Essays (Words)
  • Maintain an editorial calendar of original long-form work (features, interviews, research essays)
  • Define what “academic” means for ITHS publishing:
    • standards for sourcing and citation
    • expectations for claims, context, and historical framing
    • conflict-of-interest and disclosure norms
  • Evaluate whether ITHS should support a peer-review-like process, including:
    • criteria that would qualify a piece as “peer reviewed”
    • who counts as a reviewer
    • how reviews are recorded
    • whether the process is public, blinded, or committee-based
  • Decide when and how long-form work is archived on ithistory.org for long-term access and discovery
• Plan and curate “Bits” (short-form acknowledgements)
  • Honor Roll birthdays (and other recurring recognitions we choose to maintain)
  • Anniversaries of major inventions, releases, and industry inflection points
  • New obituaries and memorial acknowledgements (as appropriate, with sensitivity and sourcing)
  • Decide which holidays ITHS acknowledges—and which we intentionally do not
  • Refresh milestone items year after year with light new context (not just repetition)
• Annual Milestones (Bits, refreshed annually)
  • Maintain a recurring list of milestones we recognize each year
  • Set a process for generating fresh context each year (new framing, quote, artifact image, or micro-story)
  • Ensure milestone selections reflect ITHS priorities (including “unsung heroes” and under-documented contributions)