I am very pleased to announce that the Society of Biblical Literature has formed a new advisory board, and one with a great acronym. STAB, the Scholarship and Technology Advisory Board, will have its inaugural meeting at this year’s SBL meeting. The board will consist of the following individuals, most of whom are probably well known to the biblioblogging community.
SBL staff members:
- Missy Colee – Director of Technology Services
- Sharon Johnson – Manager of Web Communications
At the request of John Kutsko, Executive Director of SBL, I will serve as chair. As the name implies, this board will be an advising mechanism for John and SBL committees whereby we would offer advice and counsel about how SBL ought to be engaged and deploying technologies, including everything from questions about WiFi at conference venues to establishing a peer review process for online initiatives such as blogs, ebooks, and so on. The charge would read something like this: “The Scholarship and Technology Advisory Board provides counsel to committees and staff by identifying and evaluating opportunities for technology to enhance scholarly exchange and professional development.”
This is just a beginning and I believe the first meeting will likely be nothing more or less than discussing exactly what the mission of STAB will be. I look forward to any and all thoughts that you all have. I also want to thank, and I hope that you will join me in doing so, those named above who are willing to serve on this board. The world of technology has and will continue to impact our little cosmos of biblical studies and I am very excited that John has had the vision to lead SBL to the forefront of such considerations.
