On Jul 24, 2017 18:07, "Eric Lease Morgan" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Again, I advocate incorporating, even if incorporation means not
necessarily becoming a non-profit organization. The process is almost
trivial, and it costs a trivial amount of money. Once code4lib.com exists,
then it/we can have a bank account, an identification (EIN) number, and
somebody will be authorized to sign contracts, etc. It is a solid first
step towards just about everything else that has been under discussion.


This is nominally true, but how this is done and governance are real
issues. For example, I could register code4lib with the Oregon Secretary of
State and get all the things you mention in short order. But then I would
have control (and legal responsibility) for this stuff even if honored
every decision made by the community. Note that the precise way I choose to
incorporate significant organizational, legal, and financial implications.

In many ways, that might not be as good as just working through an entity
willing to assume some risk and responsibility on the basis that C4l is
"real enough"  -- i.e. that people are as good as their word.

Kyle