Terms of Reference for Working Groups

Working groups facilitate ongoing discussions on topics of interest to (a group of) Association Members, without necessarily resulting in concrete deliverables.There is no limited time frame for Working Groups; they can remain in existence whilst there is a need for them.

Task Forces, on the other hand, run for a limited period of time (usually for six to nine months) and result in the delivery of a set of publishable recommendations on their subject, which should help improve Europeana’s annual working plan (Business Plan) bringing it as close as possible to the needs of the digital heritage sector.

Requirements

Initiative: Working Groups are proposed and chaired by a member of the Members Council.

Membership: There is no limit to the number of members a Working Group can have, and both Councillors and regular Network Association Members can be part of it. A Working Group always includes at least one Councillor as Chair, and membership is by invite only.

Goal: Working Groups address ongoing activities (such as the set-up of the Association's AGM or the running of the #AllezCulture campaign) and facilitate continued discussions on topics of interest to the Members Council and/or the Association (such as copyright policy).

Output: There is no fixed end product for Working Groups; the outcome of the work depends on the topic and aims of the group. The results can be anything from Europeana Pro blogs and network campaigns to recommendations on new rights statements or proposed amendments to the Association's statutes. Working Groups always report back to the Members Council.

Dissemination: Working Groups are encouraged to disseminate and promote their work and outcomes through (Europeana Pro) blogs, circulation to stakeholders and relevant communities, Twitter campaigns, etc. Working Groups are also asked to keep their page on Europeana Pro updated.

The way of working: Working Groups accomplish all their work virtually. They are overseen by the Members Council and supported by the Network Coordinator in the Europeana Office. Regular updates on progress should be sent to the Europeana Network Coordinator. In extraordinary cases, the Management Board may decide to grant the Working Group budget to organize a physical meeting.

Timeframe: There is no limited time frame for Working Groups; they can remain in existence as long as there is a need for them.

Budget: There is no structural budget available for Working Groups.

Communications: Working Groups use Basecamp, an online project management tool as their platform for communication.

Setting up a Working Group: Working Groups can only be proposed by a member of the Members Council. Proposals can be submitted to the Members Council by the Chair at any point during the year, by filling out the form. The Members Council will review the proposal, and the Chair will be informed of their decision: approval, approval conditional on specified revisions, or rejection. If there are topics you think should be tackled by a Working Group, get in touch with the Councillor who best represents the scope of the issue.

Roles and Responsibilities

Chair proposes the Working Group, oversees it, and makes sure the Members Council, Association, and any external parties are being kept up to date on the work.

Europeana office representative acts as the liaison between the Working Group and the Network Coordinator and provides admin support to the Working Group.

Concretely, he/she

➔ Ensures all members of the Working Group are registered as Association members and makes sure the Working Group membership list is kept up to date

➔ Informs the Network Coordinator of the dates of Working Group meetings

➔ Updates the Network Coordinator on progress after each meeting

➔ If budget is allocated: ensures the Working Group abides by the reimbursement rules and remains within budget

➔ Makes sure the Working Group uses Basecamp as its sole platform for communications

➔ Keeps the Working Group page on Europeana Pro updated

➔ Communicates about the Working Group to the Europeana office

Network Coordinator aligns and coordinates communications between the Association, Members Council, and Working Group Chairs; helps coordinate meetings; supports financial planning; aids in the dissemination of Working Group updates/outcomes to the Association.