2024 MDOS Elections: Call for Candidates

Help shape the future of the Society of American Archivists' Metadata and Digital Object Section (MDOS) by joining the Steering Committee! 

Service on the MDOS Steering Committee is a manageable time commitment that offers you valuable experience as you contribute to our profession. You can help foster discussion, education, and collaboration among archivists interested in digital archival objects and the metadata that enables their access, management, and preservation.

The MDOS Steering Committee is currently seeking candidates to fill vacancies for the following positions:

• 1 Steering Committee Co-Chair. Three-year commitment. Serves the first year as Junior Co-Chair, the following year as Senior Co-Chair, and third year as the Immediate Past Chair. The Junior Co-Chair assists in the operation of the Section, serves as acting chair in the absence of a Co-Chair, and participates as a Member of the Steering Committee. The Senior Co-Chair directs and reports the activities of the Section, organizes and runs the annual meeting, leads the Steering Committee, and handles administrative duties such as submitting the Section's annual report and serving as the Section's liaison to SAA and Council. The Immediate Past Chair shall assist with special projects and provide continuity for ongoing initiatives.

• *1 Social Media Coordinator: Fulfilling remaining two-year term for 2024-2026. The Social Media Coordinator is responsible for using various communication modes (including the MDOS listserv, Facebook, Twitter, and SAA publications) to communicate with the section membership about news and events; coordinates with the Web Liaison on communication issues as needed. 

• 1 Steering Committee Member: Three-year commitment. MDOS Steering Committee Members attend and actively contribute to regular Steering Committee meetings, help set goals and priorities for the Section, and develop and/or solicit proposals for the Section's session at the SAA Annual Meeting.

The Steering Committee holds monthly, one-hour meetings and Steering Committee members generally spend an average of 1-2 hours per month on Committee activities. Attendance at the SAA Annual Meeting is not required to seek a position on the Steering Committee, but candidates must be members of the Metadata and Digital Object Section who are in good standing with SAA. Successful candidates will begin their terms at the close of the 2024 SAA annual meeting.

*MDOS will have a referendum to be voted on this year that proposes updates to elected positions in the Standing Rules. This will allow the steering committee to be more nimble with balancing the workload of its members. If the referendum passes, the election results will be interpreted through the newly revised standing rules. The Social Media Coordinator position will transition to a newly created Communications Liaison after the annual conference in August. This position is proposed to facilitate communications between the Steering Committee and the Section membership and other audiences, including but not limited to maintaining and posting to the SAA Section microsite (currently the role of the Web Liaison), electronic mailing list, and social media or other forms of online communication not yet in use by the Section.

If interested, please complete this form by May 30, 2024 at 5:00 PM Eastern.

If you have any questions, please contact the the MDOS Steering Committee Co-chairs, Jessica Serrao (jserrao@clemson.edu) and Jaime Margalotti (jmargalo@udel.edu).