Members Committee

I. Purpose

The Members Committee (MC) is charged with guiding the strategic direction of the Public Knowledge Project by providing advice, support and consultation to the Community Team’s portfolio, and by helping align the Community Team’s work with PKP’s broader mission, vision, goals and activities. The MC fosters connectedness by establishing clear reporting lines between interest groups and the Advisory Committee. As a community-driven, community-supported project, the MC brings together PKP staff and community members from across PKP’s operational areas to ensure diverse, user-centered perspectives inform decision-making.

II. Objectives

• Providing strategic direction, support, advice and consultation for PKP’s Learning Resources Interest Group (LRIG) as well as the membership program;
• Facilitating structured reporting and planning by the LRIG to the Members Committee, including the presentation of longer-term plans and the solicitation of strategic advice and feedback;
• Supporting community-informed development by incorporating community testing and feedback into the release management and prioritization processes;
• Identifying organizational and membership expertise for interest group and special projects;
• Recruiting membership for PKP’s LRIG and working groups; Compiling reports and discussion questions for the Advisory Committee.

III. Deliverables

Developing, delivering, and reporting on a biennial user survey in collaboration with the Technical Committee.

The Members Committee compiles reports and discussion questions for the quarterly Advisory Committee meetings. The LRIG has a recurring agenda item that provides a channel for receiving support from the MC on a wide range of topics. These may include updates, group inquiries, requests for advice and guidance. 

IV.  Membership

• PKP’s Members Committee (MC) is composed of at least ten individuals. Members may represent PKP Member organizations or serve as Community Contributors through their participation on the Committee or through other forms of engagement with PKP or institutions that use PKP Software. The Committee should strive to reflect regional diversity.

• Chair – volunteer member contributing their expertise through service
• Community Contributors – volunteer members contributing their expertise through service 
• PKP Staff

Current Membership

• Stephanie Savage, Scholarly Communications and Copyright Services Librarian, University of British Columbia (Chair)
• Fahad Almekhlafi, Publishing Development Expert, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences 
• Sonya Betz, Head of Open Publishing Services, University of Alberta
• Júlia Castán García, Technical Support and Journals Librarian, University of Barcelona
• Landis Grenville, Digital Publishing Librarian, Florida State University 
• Urooj Nizami, Associate Director, Community Engagement and Outreach, Public Knowledge Project (PKP Staff)
• Tim Ribaric, Scholarly Publishing and Platforms Librarian, Brock University 
• Kate Shuttleworth, Community Education Manager, Public Knowledge Project (PKP Staff)
• Carolina Tanigushi, Preprints and Submission Systems Coordinator, SciELO 
• Shelby Thaysen, Scholarly Publishing Librarian, University of Toronto 
• Emma Uhl, Librarian and Education Manager, the Public Knowledge Project (PKP Staff)
• Rebecca Wojturska, Open Access Publishing Officer at Edinburgh Diamond, Edinburgh University Library

V. Terms

All members agree to adhere to PKP’s Code of Conduct. 

Staff members have specific areas of responsibility that are ongoing. Roles filled by Community Contributors are two-year appointments with the possibility to renew, at the invitation of PKP Staff.

Chairs agree to a two-year appointment and will be appointed by PKP Staff. 

Upon completion of a term, Community Contributors in good standing, as determined by the Chair and PKP Staff, may be invited to serve additional terms or asked to nominate a representative from the open access publishing community.

Since the Committee meets every other month for 1.5 hours, regular attendance is expected. Members who miss more than two consecutive meetings without notifying the Chair and/or PKP Staff may be removed from the Committee, including associated documents, listservs, and the PKP website.

VI. Meeting Practices

1. Regular virtual meetings will be held every other month for 1.5 hours. 
2. The agenda is developed by the Chair in consultation with PKP Staff and will be sent out by the Chair one week prior to the next scheduled meeting.
3. Meeting minutes will be taken by members on a rotating schedule with an emphasis on recording action items.
4. Ongoing communication will take place on the Member Committee’s Mattermost Channel.
5. Meeting agendas and minutes will be shared publicly once approved by the committee.