ADHO Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are encouraged by the ADHO Executive Board (EB) and Constituent Organization Board (COB) as a locus for members of ADHO Constituent Organisations (COs) with similar professional specialties, interests, and aptitudes to exchange ideas, to keep themselves current on pertinent developments, and to mobilize in pursuit of related activities and goals. In this way, SIGs represent key elements in the breadth and depth of the ADHO community, though they do not speak directly for ADHO, its committees, or its Constituent Organisations.
SIGs are eligible to receive modest financial support from ADHO for their activities at the DH conference, depending on availability in ADHO’s annual budget. This funding is usually allocated by the ADHO EB in the month of August. Each SIG can apply for its share (corresponding to the total allocation divided by the number of SIGs) only if it has submitted its annual report in due time (see “Reporting” section below). Individual requests for support (catering at a pre-conference activity, conference registration for presenter(s), partial travel reimbursement for presenter(s)) are collected by the SIG liaison in April. Each SIG benefits from guaranteed acceptance of a proposal for a half-day pre-conference event at the annual ADHO DH conference, in coordination with that conference’s Program Committee and the Conference Officer.
The ADHO EB is also able to offer infrastructure support for SIGs, such as dedicated server space for the SIG’s website, a dedicated listserv, and in-name sponsorship of related gatherings, workshops, and conferences, as well as in-name support when pursuing external funding. On an occasional basis, ADHO EB has a small amount of additional funding available to support SIG expenses, such as domain name registration, promotional stickers, etc. Such funding requests should be directed to the EB Chair.
Formation, Duration
- SIGs may be proposed by any group of members of ADHO COs.
- To propose a SIG, members should elect or appoint a convener(s) who will act as intermediary with the EB/COB, and that person should be in touch with the ADHO EB Chair with a proposal to establish the SIG — including its mission, anticipated activities and rationale, and list of its membership. The EB Chair will forward this proposal to the EB, the COB, and the SIG liaison for evaluation.
- SIGs may be dissolved if the EB determines their activities no longer pursue their mission in areas of ADHO’s mandate or no signs of activity are shown via their annual reporting for more than two years.
Reporting
- Each year in advance of the annual ADHO Board meetings, the contact person for each SIG will report on its activities to the SIG liaison who will gather the reports, compile a summary and forward all reports and the summary (“SIG liaison report”) to the ADHO EB/COB.
- This report will be entered into the minutes of the following ADHO COB-EB meetings before the annual conference, and given presence on the section of the ADHO website dedicated to SIGs.
- The COB SIG liaison archives the SIG documents, such as proposals for application and reapplication of SIGs, as well as annual SIG reports and application for partial annual ADHO SIG budget.
Sample Proposals
For sample proposals, see the Libraries and Digital Humanities proposal and the SIG-DLS proposal.
19 June 2013; updated 12 February 2026