Office Hours with the Script Encoding Initiative
Anushah Hossain, Debbie Anderson, Helena Kansa, Kyra Ann Dawkins
The Script Encoding Initiative (SEI), housed at UC Berkeley, is a long-standing collaborator and commentator on the Unicode Standard. SEI’s work on script proposals has resulted in over 120 successful additions to Unicode, spanning the historic (such as Cuneiform, Old Italic, Balinese and Small Seal) to the modern (such as N’ko, Sunuwar, and Hanifi Rohingya). Its work has expanded in recent years to include font and keyboard development, digital literacy curricula, and critical analysis of Unicode and related technologies.
Inspired by university “office hours,” this tutorial offers a chance to learn about and from SEI’s team. Multiple SEI team-members will be on hand to consult on proposal writing and script research, showcase current research streams (neographies, post-encoding realities, and Unicode histories), discuss advocacy and field-building, and explore possibilities for future collaboration. The session opens with a short overview of SEI’s history and directions, then turns to discussion — one-on-one, small-group, or full-group, depending on the preference of participants. Come with a question or just come to listen; no need to prepare topics in advance.