Terms of Reference
Mandate
- Provide guidance and advice on PKP’s governance and organizational structure
- Provide input on general strategic direction and priorities for PKP’s software development and related activities
- Provide input and actively participate in community engagement and fundraising
- Review PKP financial reports and provide advice on ongoing sustainability
Membership
- One (1) representative from each of the PKP Development Partners
- One (1) representative from Érudit
- One (1) representative from the SFU Library (Dean or delegate).
- Chair of Technical Committee
- Chair of Members Committee
- Chair of PKP SFU Community Advisory Committee
- Up to six (6) members from the community, from regions not represented by existing Development Partners (e.g., Africa, Asia, Australia/NZ, Europe, Latin America, and North America)
- PKP Community Engagement Librarian (ex officio)
- PKP Scientific Director (ex officio)
- PKP Operations Director (ex officio)
- Representative of the Office of Vice-President Research and International, SFU (ex officio)
Member Selection
- Some members are selected based on their role (e.g., Chair of the Technical Committee)
- Some members are selected from within their organization (e.g., representatives from the PKP Development Partners
- Regional members are selected based on the lack of representation from their home region and are recommended by the PKP Operations Director, and approved by the Advisory Committee
Member Terms
- Role-based memberships are continuous
- Representative memberships are for two-year, renewable terms
- New representative members can join the Advisory Committee at any time during the year, and their term begins on the date they join
- When a first Development Partner from a previously unrepresented region joins the Advisory Committee, any regional representative from that region can complete their term but will not be re-appointed.
Chair Selection
- Call for nominations will go out to committee members via email from the outgoing chair after the Fall meeting of their final year
- Responses will be sent, in confidence, to the outgoing chair
- If more than one nominee steps forward, an election will be held, with members sending their preferred choice in confidence, via email, to the outgoing chair
- The nominee with a majority of votes will be selected
- In the event of a tie, the PKP Operations Director will make the decision
- The selected nominee will be approved by the committee at the Spring meeting
Chair Term
- Two year, renewable term
- If the Chair’s institution ceases to be Development Partner, a new Chair will be elected
Meetings
- Quarterly, scheduled in advance for the calendar year
- Additional meetings can be scheduled as needed
Communications
- Mailing list
Quorum
- 50% of non ex-officio members
Collegiality
- Members will agree to adhere to the PKP Code of Conduct and follow the guidelines outlined in the PKP Inclusive Online Meeting Practices guide
Decision-Making
- Committee members will seek to reach consensus wherever possible. If a vote is required, a majority of votes will prevail
- The Chair does not vote, but has the authority to break ties
- Most decisions will be made during regularly scheduled AC meetings. When a special email-based decision is required for timeliness, members will send their vote directly to the Chair, and be given a minimum of 7 calendar days to vote
Guest Participation
- The committee, Chair, or Operations Director may invite other staff or community members to participate in a meeting or meetings for specific topics
Current Members (2025 / 2026)
- Marco Tullney (Chair, Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB) Development Partner Representative)
- Gohar Ashoughian (SFU Dean of Libraries)
- Allan Bell (UBC Development Partner Representative)
- Sonya Betz (PKP Members Committee Chair, uAlberta)
- Talia Chung (OCUL Development Partner Representative)
- Trevor Davis (SFU VPRI)
- Geoffrey Harder (uAlberta Development Partner Representative)
- Josephine Hartwig (Sachsenkonsortium Development Partner Representative)
- Emily Hopkins (PKP Technical Committee Chair, uSaskatchewan)
- Tanja Niemann (Érudit Representative)
- Urooj Nizami (PKP Community Engagement Librarian)
- Abel Packer (SciELO Development Partner Representative)
- Juan Pablo Alperin (PKP Scientific Director)
- Kevin Stranack (PKP Operations Director)