About ACM Tech Packs
What’s a Tech Pack?
A Tech Pack is an integrated, innovative learning package covering a particular technical area of computer science and technology deemed interesting by our members. Tech Packs are especially geared for IT Practitioners and Managers, but also extremely valuable for faculty and students. The core of the Tech Pack is an Annotated Bibliography, built around materials from:
- ACM Digital Library (DL) articles, ACM journals and magazines; papers from ACM Special Interest Group conference proceedings; videos of conference keynotes and tutorials, etc.
- ACM non-DL resources: ACM’s Books 24x7 and Safari Books Online offerings, online courses from ACM’s Element K catalog
- Non-ACM resources, such as tutorials, sample code, company videos, podcasts, white papers, YouTube videos, community websites, open courseware, blogs, etc.
In addition to the Annotated Bibliography, each Tech Pack includes supplemental “Related Materials” that may include any of above.How’s a Tech Pack Created?
Each ACM Tech Pack is authored by an “all-expert team” of IT practitioners and researchers, all with many years of technical experience in—and passion for—their Tech Pack subject. These Tech Pack teams work with ACM to put together the heart of the Tech Pack—the Annotated Bibliography.
Each Tech Pack is then reviewed and evaluated for practical value and relevance of sources by a separate panel of computing practitioners, academics, and students interested in the topic who may supply supplemental resources for the Tech Pack. Finally, each Tech Pack engages ACM members and builds an organic and dynamic interest-based community around tech pack feedback (suggested materials for the Annotated Bibliography and “Related Materials”).
Who Should Read a Tech Pack?
Tech Packs are particularly suited for, though not limited to, use by:
- Software/Application Developers, Designers and Engineers
- System Architects, Designers and Engineers
- Technical/IT Managers
- Educators, Students and Researchers