[MEI-L] In Memoriam: Eleanor Selfridge-Field (1940-2026)

[Kijas, Anna E]

Dear MEI colleagues,

In Memoriam: Eleanor Selfridge-Field (June 29, 1940 - February 2, 2026)


We share with great sadness that Eleanor Selfridge-Field passed away on February 2, 2026, at the age of 85. Eleanor was a founding board member of MEI (2015-2019) and served as the Director of the Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities<https://www.ccarh.org/> (CCARH) at Stanford University, which she cofounded in 1984. Her book, Beyond Midi<https://www.ccarh.org/publications/books/beyondmidi/>, published in 1997, one of the first books to document musical codes and data representation, has made a significant impact on the work of various encoding communities, including the MEI community.


Eleanor was an early supporter of MEI. Her guidance, based on many years of practical application, greatly influenced its development. Her tireless advocacy helped lead to funding opportunities and to acceptance by a wide audience of musicologists, librarians, and other encoding practitioners. Her wisdom will be sorely missed.

A memorial service is being planned for late March, and details will be shared on https://ccrma.stanford.edu/.

With sympathy,
Anna
on behalf of the MEI Board<https://music-encoding.org/community/mei-board.html>, and past members, Johannes and Perry


Anna E. Kijas
Assistant Director, Digital Scholarship & Lilly Music Library
Tisch Library | Tufts University
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Get help with Digital Scholarship at Tisch Library<https://tischlibrary.tufts.edu/get-help/help/digital-scholarship>
Book an appointment<https://tufts.libcal.com/appointments/kijas/lilly> | (617) 627-2846

Co-founder of Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO)<http://sucho.org/>
Administrative Chair, Music Encoding Initiative<https://music-encoding.org/community/mei-board.html>
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