Come forward and become a Members Council 2016 candidate

As you might have seen in previous blogs and newsletters, the Europeana network has been evolving and is now an Association; this means it is more transparent and democratic. It also means that its members can elect the people that speak and make decisions on their behalf.

These elected representatives make up the Members Council, currently a group of 30 who sit at the heart of everything Europeana does. I’m lucky enough to be one of these 30 in 2016, and I sit on the six-strong Management Board of the Members Council too.

Today I’m excited to kickstart the 2016 elections! From now until October 11, we are inviting Network Association members to put themselves forward to join us as Councillors in the Members Council. There are 28 positions open for application.

The current elected Members Council is composed of 30 representatives, 21 of which have served as Councillors since 2014. These representatives can either step down, run for candidacy again or return to being Association members. Over the next few years the Members Council will increase in size. In 2017 there will be 36 seats, increasing to 50 by 2019.

Versailles : la salle du Sénat pendant le vote, National Library of France, Public Domain

So why should you run?

In practical terms, being a Councillor means helping create the annual Business Plan, or representing the interests of the Network Association, and your wider professional network, in decision making. We also lead Task Forces and target Working Groups on all sorts of different issues we believe are worthwhile. We very much hope that our work will lead to an increased dialogue between Association members. One way in which we work towards this is through the monthly Network newsletter. With this, each Councillor has the opportunity to speak directly to members. If you want to know more about the work of the Members Council over the past year, have a look at the series of blogs.

How do I know if I’m eligible?

We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and sectors relevant to Europeana so long as you’re a member of the Network Association. Check out the profiles of the current Councillors to learn more about their background.

If you’re not a registered member, there’s still time to sign up in order to run in this year’s round of elections. You must have registered before October 5, so don’t waste any time!

What happens next?

Firstly, we need you to send us a candidate profile, please do this by submitting your candidacy via the button below no later than October 11. Your manifesto will tell us why you’re running, what you stand for and want to work towards and why people should vote for you.

After 11 October, campaigning will begin. We’ll invite each of the candidates to promote themselves and the issues that matter to them. You can follow this using the hashtag #EuropeanaElects.

Voting will then begin on 8 November during the meeting of the General Assembly at the Europeana AGM. You’ll have a week from then to vote for up to three candidates. Voting is, of course, entirely anonymous.

During that week, you’ll also have the opportunity to make your voice heard on other Association decisional matters. We will ask you to approve several Network Association documents such as the policy and budget for the coming year, the 2015 and 2016 annual reports, as well as important changes to the Association’s Statutes.

The voting and elections procedures will be overseen by a Voting Committee consisting of Councillors Laura Carletti, Emmanuelle Bermès, and myself. I’ll keep guiding you through the elections right up until we announce results towards the end of November. Stay tuned for more updates, and get in touch at network@europeana.eu if you have any questions.

We look forward to your candidate profiles and your general engagement with Europeana!