Hi,
Back in January [1] the Fiscal Continuity IG [2] released our report
describing some options for establishing a more permanent fiscal
arrangement for Code4Lib activities, particularly the annual
conference:
https://wiki.code4lib.org/FCIG_Report
At the time, the report received some commentary on the mailing list
and was discussed by various folks during the 2017 conference in Los
Angeles, but no strong community consensus has emerged regarding
whether to take up any of the proposed courses of action or to remain
with the status quo.
I would like to restart discussion of the FCIG's report and its
recommendations with the aim of reaching a decision in time for groups
who may propose to host an international Code4Lib conference in 2019
and/or 2020 to have a clear picture of the financial commitments they
may be making.
I should note that since the release of the report in January,
DLF/CLIR volunteered to act as fiscal sponsor for the 2018 conference
in the DC area.
I propose that we discuss this over the next few weeks and plan on
holding a vote in mid-August (specifically, holding the vote from 14
to 25 August inclusive). Of course, the timeline is not set in stone,
nor could it be.
The three options that the FCIG recommends that the community choose from are:
* Option 1: maintain the existing practice of local conference
planning committees seeking a new "fiscal host" each year
* Option 2: implement a formalized, ongoing fiscal sponsor arrangement
with an organization external to Code4Lib. In particular, we have
solicited proposals from ALA/LITA and DLF/CLIR; these are detailed in
the report. The Open Library Foundation has also expressed initial
interest in acting as a fiscal sponsor.
* Option 3: seek out non-profit organizational status for Code4Lib
Given that the question of fiscal arrangements for the annual
conference necessarily intersect on larger questions, including the
nature of the Code4Lib community, how we choose to organize ourselves,
and the purpose of the annual conference, I anticipate that there will
be a wide range of opinions expressed. I suggest that we keep most of
the discussion on this mailing list, but if folks think it would be
useful to hold a synchronous discussion on the Slack (or elsewhere),
the FCIG would be happy to help facilitate one.
[1] https://lists.clir.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=CODE4LIB;2e24471b.1701
[2] https://wiki.code4lib.org/Fiscal_Continuity
Regards,
Galen
--
Galen Charlton
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