CALL FOR PAPERS FROM INDEPENDENT MEDIEVAL SCHOLARS

THE MODERN INDEPENDENT SCHOLAR IN THE MEDIEVAL RESEARCH WORLD: BECOMING A DIGITAL DETECTIVE

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDIEVAL STUDIES (8-10 MAY 2025)

VIRTUAL PAPER SESSION

DUE BY 15 SEPTEMBER 2024

Have you conducted your own independent research on any medieval matter by using digital resources? Perhaps researching for a book in progess? Would you like to share your experience with like minded independent researchers and authors? We'd love to hear from you at our upcoming virtual paper session at the 60th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, from May 8-10, 2025. Papers may focus on any matter related to your personal research using digital platforms.

The importance of access to digitized medieval manuscripts by researchers cannot be overemphasized. Usually, that access occurs through an academic institution. To those independent medieval scholars with limited or no access to such institutional resources, alternative gateways to digitized material become critical. This session will explore materials available in various open-access libraries, such as those offered by the Digital Bodleian or the Digital Biblioteca Vaticana and their effect upon the scholarly work of independent medievalists. We will also consider the various ways to access and use increasingly available online manuscripts.

We will consider papers providing practical ways that independent scholars have used to access and explore the increasing availability of online digitized medieval manuscripts housed in strong institutions such as the Digital Bodleian or Digital Vatican. We are also looking for papers that will guide the beginning independent researcher through the gatekeeping steps of such institutions and ways to become comfortable working with open-access medieval manuscripts. Furthermore, we encourage papers that explore collaboration and communication among independent researchers, all to the purpose of fostering open dialogue and peer support that nurture valuable contributions to future medieval scholarship.

THIS PAPER SESSION IS VIRTUAL ONLY AND PRESENTED THROUGH ZOOM.

To submit a short proposal by September 15, 2024, here is the official ICMS link to our session: https://icms.confex.com/icms/2025/paper/papers/index.cgi?sessionid=5857

For any questions, please contact Barbara Prescott at both bprescott125@gmail.com and barbprescott@alumni.stanford.edu. Sponsoring Organization: American Society of Dorothy L. Sayers Studies