Are you interested in becoming more involved in the Chicago archives community? Consider volunteering to serve on the Chicago Area Archivists Steering Committee. Not only will you get to work closely with some of your colleagues in the profession, but CAA service is a great way to gain valuable experience in preparation for service in regional and national archival organizations.

Wonder what the Steering Committee does? The Steering Committee is tasked with:

• Establishing programmatic goals for the organization
  
• Responding to the needs of CAA members
  
• Representing CAA within the larger profession and to the general public
  
• Setting standards to ensure the sustainability of CAA
  
• New this year, expanding communications efforts for the CAA
  

Think you aren’t experienced enough to serve on the Steering Committee? Think again: any organization needs fresh viewpoints to remain vibrant. And CAA is meant to serve the needs of all of its members, including those who are new to the profession.

Worried about over-committing yourself? Steering Committee members are elected to two year terms that begin and end at the Members Meeting in March. The time commitment is relatively minimal, consisting of monthly in-person meetings with occasional business conducted by email.

Candidates for the four open seats for the 2016-18 term will be elected by a vote of CAA members cast electronically after the Members Meeting on Wednesday, March 30 2016. Election results will be announced shortly after the Members Meeting.

Service on the Steering Committee is open to all CAA members in good standing. To volunteer, submit a brief (1-2 paragraphs) Statement of Interest outlining your background and motivation for serving on the Steering Committee to info@chicagoarchivists.org. Please include your full name, title, place of work (if applicable), and preferred contact phone and email address.

Statements of interest will be distributed to CAA members prior to the Members Meeting. Candidates will also have an opportunity to introduce themselves at the meeting on March 30.

The deadline to submit your Statement is Wednesday, March 16 at 5:00pm.

Want more information? Contact information for current Steering Committee Members is available on the CAA Website. Please reach out to one of them and ask about his or her service on Steering.

Please send general questions or comments to info@chicagoarchivists.org.