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User:Garyvines/OzArch

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OzArch

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OzArch (or Ozarch) is an electronic mailing list or discussion group whose purpose is to facilitate the exchange of information about research, conferences and employment in the field of indigenous and historical Australian Archaeology. It was formerly hosted on the Google Groups platform,[1] and in 2021, was moved to Groups.io.[2]

OzArch is the primary electronic discussion list for archaeological topics in Australia,[3] in comparison to other email lists which are provided for specific membership groups including the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology, Australian Archaeological Association and Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists.[4][5]

Origin

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The group was established in 2009, to replace the previous, and similar electronic mailing list, AUSARCH-L,[6] which was run from the Australian National University (ANU) computer system as a result of an initiative of Peter Hiscock at ANU and Peter Veth and David Roe at James Cook University (JCU). As JCU had no capacity to host computer email lists at this time, Peter Hiscock was able to get the list established on the ANU servers. The main reasons for establishing Ausarch-L were to overcome the relative isolation of archaeologists in Australian regional universities and to be able to share information, data and news with colleagues overseas (particularly those in New Zealand) working in the Pacific arena. Peter Veth ceased being a list manager when he moved from JCU and David Roe left shortly after.[7] This list was pulled down due to threats of legal action over defamation allegations.[8]; [9]

Etymology

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The group takes its name from the common slang term for Australia - Oz and the beginning of the word 'archaeology'. By 2016, it had over 970 list members with approximately 100 posts per month and had become a major portal for exchange of information among professional archaeologist in Australia. The hashtag #ozarch is often used to identify social media of relevance to Australian Archaeology.[10]

Impact

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It has been noted in a survey of social media and archaeological communication in Australia[11] and has also been used as a source for disseminating information and obtaining feedback on the state of the archaeology industry in Australia. [12] The list has national coverage in Australia, and has "...confirmed that many more people read and value the discussions than actually post messages.[13] During the Covid-19 crisis the list became an important conduit for maintaining links between archaeologist during lockdown.[14]

Both AusArch and its successor OzArch have had a wide takeup among Australasian archaeologists and have been used to assist in developing survey metrics and survey.[15] It is supported by the main archaeological associations and university archaeology courses in Australia.[16]

References

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  1. ^ Google Groups, Welcome to OzArch
  2. ^ Groups.io Welcome to OzArch
  3. ^ Women in Archaeology The Best Archaeology Job Boards
  4. ^ Claire Smith and Alison L. Gascoigne, (eds.) Encyclopedia of global archaeology, 11 volumes, London, GB, Springer, 2014, ISBN9781441904263]
  5. ^ Julian D. Richards, 'Archaeology on the internet', In Encyclopedia of Archaeology, edited by Deborah M. Pearsall, Academic Press, New York, 2008, Pages 1526-1529, ISBN 9780123739629
  6. ^ Claire Smith, Heather Burke, Digging It Up Down Under: A Practical Guide to Doing Archaeology in Australia, 2007, p.10
  7. ^ Ausarch-l Australian Archaeology Info Page
  8. ^ Mick Morrison 'Ozarch: new google group for Australian archaeology!,' January 8, 2009
  9. ^ Google Groups archive - OzArch
  10. ^ see https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/ozarch/, https://mobile.twitter.com/hashtag/ozarch?src=hash,
  11. ^ Sarah Colley, Social media and archaeological communication: an Australian survey, Archäologische Informationen 36, 65 - 80, published online: 14 April 2014
  12. ^ Adela Sobotkova, The Use of Information Technology in Australian Archaeology: the FAIMS Digital Data Survey Report 25 November 2013
  13. ^ Canberra Archaeological Society Newletter March 2011
  14. ^ G. Vines '10 Years of Ozarch' Victorian Archaeology Colloquium 2020
  15. ^ Martin Gibbs, David Roe and Denis Gojak, Useless graduates?: Why do we all think that something has gone wrong with Australian archaeological training? Australian Archaeology, Number 61, 2005 pp.24-31
  16. ^ Rebekah Hawkins and Carly Monks, Getting involved in Archaeology while you’re studying – AAA student representatives Australian Archaeological Association 2017
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Category:Electronic mailing lists Category:Archaeology of Australia

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