Europe, Middle East and Africa Regional Council date announced
In July, a letter was sent out to all members in Europe, Middle East and Africa informing them of changes in the governance structure of OCLC and the qualification criteria for becoming a member institution.
A new structure has been introduced to facilitate discussion of local, regional and global issues within the OCLC cooperative. Three new Regional Councils will serve as incubators for new ideas within the cooperative; be a two-way conduit to allow the broadest, most inclusive conversation among OCLC staff and members and be an inclusive forum and vehicle to allow interested memory institutions to learn more about OCLC and opportunities for participation in the cooperative.
OCLC have determined that the first meeting of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Regional Council will take place in Leiden, Netherlands on 24 and 25 February 2010. The meeting is open for any institution to attend.
Also announced recently was a newly articulated definition of membership. Institutions demonstrating a “threshold of engagement with OCLC” will be deemed members. Engagement may be shown in a number of ways, for example through the contribution of metadata and/or holdings information or through the sharing of staff resources and expertise in reference cooperatives, like Enquire in the UK or the worldwide “Chasing the Sun” cooperative.
Over the next months, OCLC representatives and members will be speaking at a number of events across Europe to explain more about the changes. If you would like to register to receive further information on membership and/or you are interested in attending the first EMEA Regional Council in February, please submit your details here.