PERCY-L LISTSERV - CHARTER & POLICIES
Please read and save this document when you have a question about listserv policy. The member managements links at the bottom of this document will assist you in operating your account. Subscribe/unsubscribe at https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/percy-l.
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I. CHARTER
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1) PERCY-L PURPOSE: The purpose of the Percy-L listserv is to provide an open online discussion forum focused on topics related to Walker Percy, including his writings, life, and thought, as well as literary, religious, scientific, and philosophical culture relevant to him. Percy-L is a public discussion group, interdisciplinary in nature, with an international membership. The listserv operates according to both the principles of free speech and of mutually-respectful debate.
2) IMPLICIT GOAL: Through its Charter & Policies, Percy-L aims to cultivate a learning community open to students, scholars, and general readers, no matter their level of expertise, in which all perspectives are welcome. Announcements related to forthcoming Percy publications, conferences, and other Percy news, as well as specific research queries or general interest questions, are encouraged.
3) REQUIREMENTS OF MEMBERSHIP: There is no minimum membership requirement to join Percy-L beyond an interest in the listserv's purpose and being familiar with and adhering to its Charter & Policies. Members may subscribe, unsubscribe, or place their account on hold using the member management links (Section III). Members are encouraged to invite others with potential interest in our discussions to join the community at any time.
4) LISTSERV FORMAT: Percy-L seeks to remain an unmoderated listserv that is self-regulating toward the interests of all. Each member should aim to conduct themselves in a respectful and civil manner toward others and the community. In all matters, patience and tolerance are encouraged given that public electronic discussion has the expected potential for difference of opinion and misunderstanding.
5) PARTICIPATION: Members of Percy-L are not required to participate in discussion. However, even if involved only as an observer, members are encouraged to introduce themselves to the group in order to indicate their particular interests in Percy for the community.
6) DISCUSSION TOPICS: Any member may initiate a new discussion topic at any time. Posts should abide by the listserv's purpose as stated above, allowing for a reasonable degree of topical latitude so long as the topic is of clear interest to Percy readers. Members may suggest and form self-organizing "slow reading list" groups on Percy essays/novels to be conducted on the listserv in order to involve as many active participants and observers as possible.
7) ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR: Abusive behavior is prohibited, as detailed in the Policies (Section II.8). If it becomes necessary to remove a member from Percy-L for persistent disregard of the Charter & Policies, then this action will only be carried out after reminders have been issued and reasons given. This step will ideally be an extremely rare occurrence to protect the interests of the larger community.
8) UPDATES: Updates to the Charter & Policies of Percy-L in the form of additions or modifications may occur under the guidance of the listserv administrator/manager. Any additions or modifications will be posted to the listserv with reasons given.
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II. POLICIES
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1) INTRODUCING TOPICS & REPLYING:
Percy-L members are encouraged to initiate discussion topics at any time by posting a message with a NEW Subject Line identifying the new topic. Likewise, members may respond to any existing "discussion thread" already underway no matter when the topic was initially posted. When replying to a post, members should quote messages sparingly. A reader-friendly message has a better chance of being responded to. Members are encouraged to include a closing signature line in their posts identifying themselves and their affiliation.
2) SUBJECT LINE ALTERATIONS:
Members should NOT alter the Subject Line when REPLYING to existing posts so that discussion flow remains obvious in members' email in-boxes. Furthermore, it is against listserv policy to include community members' names in a Subject Line at any time. Members should address one another in the body of their post.
3) AVOIDING INTRODUCTION OF PARTISAN TOPICS:
Members should refrain from deliberately introducing partisan political topics. Although discussion of current events is not prohibited, this policy merely affirms that Percy-L remains dedicated to forwarding inquiry into Percy's writings, life, and thought as identified in the listserv's purpose statement. Partisan-oriented discussions are best pursued either privately off-list or on a different listserv.
4) COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL:
Members are solely responsible for any copyrighted materials they post to the listserv in addition to providing appropriate attribution (e.g., author, publication, URL, etc.). Neither The Walker Percy Project nor its volunteer staff is liable for copyrighted submissions to the Percy-L listserv. Fair Use Educational Doctrine practices are available on the web by performing a Google search.
5) FORWARDING OUTSIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
With the exception of announcements related to forthcoming Percy publications, conferences, and other Percy news, members should not post announcements about outside events to the listserv unless a case can be made for a direct connection to the interests of the Percy-L community. If in doubt, contact the listserv manager off-list at percy.listserv.manager AT gmail.com. Similarly, as pertains to the marketing of any Percy-related product, the organization or individual involved should contact the listserv manager before posting.
6) ATTACHMENT RESTRICTIONS:
Members should not include attachments on posts to Percy-L. This exclusion includes Word, PDF, or other text-based documents, as well as any media item (such as images, sound, video, or animation files). As alternative methods to share materials, members may:
a. Cut and paste the contents of a text-based document into the body of their email post (in the case of Word, PDF, etc.); or
b. Paste a URL link in their email post pointing to an external webpage featuring the document (or media item).
This constraint safeguards listserv operations and members' email programs against time-consuming technical issues and problematic maintenance.
7) FURTHER GENERAL PRACTICES TO BEAR IN MIND:
a. Blog Posts: Percy-L is not be used as a personal blog; posts should promote or otherwise comment specifically on discussion of Percy topics.
b. Duplicate Posts: Members should refrain from submitting duplicate posts given that listserv network processing of posts may be delayed. Members can confirm their post has been distributed by accessing the Percy-L archives at https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/.
c. End-User Technical Issues: Members experiencing technical difficulties with their email program or computer should self-maintain. Percy-L staff is volunteer and can only assist with listserv-specific technical issues.
8) ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR (DETAILED):
Abusive behavior, in any form, is prohibited. Members shall refrain from personal attacks, offensive language, and any form of bullying or harassment, whether in tone or substance. This policy extends to messages sent to individual members off-list. Members are expected to respect others' privacy in their off-list exchanges. Off-list emails should remain off-list. Discriminatory and/or hate speech is prohibited and shall be addressed strongly for the member(s) involved.
9) A FINAL WORD ON COMMUNITY DIVERSITY:
Broadly understood, our diverse membership and varied range of perspectives is our greatest asset. The well-being of the community and our collective learning interests are best advanced through the positive and collegial exchange of ideas. Respecting our diversity challenges our personal understandings and expands our community inquiry in new directions. If in doubt, consider Percy himself as a model in the open-minded, thoughtful approach he brought to his reflections and writings, as well in how he lived his values.
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III. MEMBER MANAGEMENT LINKS
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1) GENERAL ACCOUNT OPERATION:
- Review the Percy-L Charter and Policies (this document):
- Manage Your Membership (unsubscribe, password reset, request digest version, etc.):
- Submit a New Post to Percy-L:
2) PERCY-L ARCHIVES:
- View Percy-L Archives (2000-Present):
Using the Google search box at https://google.com, type or copy the full italicized phrase:
NOTE: Be sure to include a space BEFORE your-search-term (or terms); otherwise, your query will return no results.
3) QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, OR COMMENTS:*
- Contact the Listserv Manager:
