Member Governance
DPLA’s Hub Membership Program provides an opportunity for Member Hubs to have a formal voice and increased ownership of the network. The DPLA Membership Operating Principles are designed to foster and support effective information sharing and collaboration among Member Hubs and DPLA in order to:
- Work toward solutions to common problems across the Network
- Identify opportunities for working at scale to advance the work and impact of the cultural heritage community as a whole
The Member governance structure includes the following groups:
Network Council
Every Member Hub will appoint one representative to the Network Council. The Network Council will:
- Provide oversight to Working Groups/Task Forces, including identifying and recruiting participants with appropriate expertise
- Surface network-wide issues and opportunities for collaboration to the Advisory Council
- Elect, on an annual basis, a Chair and Co-Chair who will serve as ex-officio members of the Advisory Council
- Vote on matters such as changes to the governance structure, and (after the first year), members of the Advisory Council
- Participate in and help set agenda for quarterly meetings, to be run by the Chair and Co-Chair
To fulfill this role, Network Council members should have an understanding of the full range of their Hub’s work. Hubs may change their Network Council representative as needed by notifying the Network Council Chair, Co-Chair, and DPLA Network Manager.
List of Network Council Members
Advisory Council
Effective October 2023, the Advisory Council is on hiatus and seeking new members. If you would be interested in serving on the Advisory Council, please reach out to us at network@dp.la
The Advisory Council will include up to seven Hub representatives, as well as the Chair and Co-Chair of the Network Council as ex-officio members. The Advisory Council will:
- Work closely with DPLA staff to set network priorities, explore new initiatives, resolve issues
- Approve new Working Groups/Task Forces
- Provide feedback to and advise DPLA on programs that impact the members
- Identify strategic opportunities and potential network initiatives, at large and through consultation with the Network Council
- Meet monthly with DPLA staff
- Advocate with external funding sources, as appropriate to support projects and programs of high interest to the membership
Advisory Council members should have a strategic leadership role in their Hub, or their Hub’s parent organization, and an understanding of the national landscape for digital libraries. Advisory Council members may be, but need not be, their Hub representative to the Network Council. In the first year, Advisory Council members will be selected by DPLA through an application process. The Network Council will elect Advisory Board members after the first year. Advisory Council members will have staggered terms of two years.
List of Advisory Council Members
DPLA Board Seats
The Member Network will be represented on DPLA’s Board of Directors.
Working Groups/Task Forces
Working Groups and Task Forces will be established to assist in implementation of DPLA/network initiatives; surface network-wide issues/priorities; provide input to DPLA at key decision points; and/or facilitate information sharing across the network. Members of Working Groups and Task Forces may be drawn from the Councils or any staff with necessary expertise from the Member Hubs. Occasionally, Working Groups and Task Forces may invite participants from outside the Hubs that have significant expertise beneficial to the group.