Are you at the intersection where museums, libraries, and archives converge?
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The American Association of Museums is looking for two new representatives from the museum community to serve on the Joint National Committee on Archives, Libraries and Museums (CALM).

CALM was created in 2002 by the leaders of AAM, the American Library Association (ALA), and the Society of American Archivists (SAA) as a way to strengthen communication and promote cooperation among the three organizations. The committee includes 15 appointed members, five from each organization.

The committee’s charge is:

• To foster closer cooperation among the parent organizations and the institutions they represent.
• To encourage the establishment of common standards.
• To identify issues of common interest and help bring them to the attention of the three communities.
• To organize relevant and timely programs for the annual meetings of the parent organizations. 
• To refer matters of concern to appropriate committees of AAM, ALA and SAA, and to undertake activities related to convergence when they are requested to do so by one or more of the parent organizations. 

The committee convenes three times a year at meetings of the parent organizations in late January (ALA-Midwinter), April or May (AAM), and August (SAA).

If you are interested exploring the issues facing these three communities from a cross-disciplinary viewpoint, CALM might be the right place for you. Some of the important issues on the table right now are digital initiatives, professional development, disaster preparedness and business continuity, compatibility and partnerships, sustainability and preservation, public access and impact, standards development and joint advocacy.  

To be appointed to the committee, you must be:

• An individual member of the American Association of Museums.
• Able to attend the AAM Annual Meeting to participate in the committee meeting there.
• Able to attend at least one of the other two annual meetings of the committee (travel and housing assistance may be available for this).
• Willing to participate in bi-monthly conference calls with the other AAM representatives on the committee.

If you are interested in one of the CALM appointments, please send a resume and short (250 word) essay declaring your interest in the committee to Philip M. Katz at pkatz@aam-us.org. The AAM Board will appoint the new representatives in spring 2009. Committee members typically serve for two years. For more information, contact the AAM co-chair of the committee, Holly Witchey (Cleveland Museum of Art), at hwitchey@clevelandart.org.

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