Your first task will be to assemble a planning committee. The committee should include organizing members that are planning to participate on the day of the workshop. There should be at least two experienced moving image archivists, and at least one member from the community where the workshop will be held.
Once the collection and workshop site has been chosen, the committee can include more representatives from the host organization and other volunteers can be recruited for specific tasks.
The timetable will vary depending on the partners. A timetable can be impacted if planning alongside a conference, or if the workshop is hosted at a location that needs to advertise bookings well in advance. Our average timetables are six months out from an annual conference, but some workshops have been organized in as little as two months.
Roles
Roles assigned during the pre-event phase will not necessarily carry over to the event. It will be necessary to assign specific roles for the day of the event separate from the planning phase.
The following roles and responsibilities have been identified for the planning phase of organizing a CAW:
Captain
- Keep track of deadlines, e.g. Call for Proposals, newsletters, etc.
- Initiate / schedule planning committee calls
- Create agendas and solicit agenda items for planning committee calls
- Ensure that planning committee is on track with key milestones in the planning timeline
- Communicate with any staff / conference committee members as needed (e.g. confirming schedule, building access, resource requirements)
- Be aware / check in with planning committee members on progress
- General cheerleading and enthusiasm!
Liaison
- Main communication contact with partner
- Research background of collection and producers, if needed
- Manage shared documents and facilitate communication among partners
- Work closely with logistics and template people
- Manage communication about meetings, manage letter of agreement, follow-up with thanks and with merged data and documentation
Outreach
- Work with your partner on how outreach and recruitment will be coordinated (contact lists, etc.)
- Develop PR about the event – gather media contacts and create press release
- Develop and manage social media before, during, and after
Site logistics/equipment/supplies
- Create a site plan for the day and tables/chairs, etc.
- Determine equipment/supply needs for inspection/inventory, and gather
- Determine viewing possibilities and arrange for equipment
- Manage refreshments and lunch (with partner)
Create data template for inventory/inspection
- Evaluate existing descriptive systems and documentation and propose a strategy for data collection
- Recommend workflow for distributing and collecting spreadsheets (work with person merging data)
- Develop controlled vocabulary and any necessary prompts/signage (work w/presentation person)
Volunteer Coordinator
- Write copy and distribute to recruit ‘experts’ and non-experts (work with outreach person)
- Keep lists of participants and communicate any instructions
- Greeting, signing in at event and assigning tables for balance of experts/non-experts
Documentation
- Coordinate documentation of event and do yourself as needed
- Manage release forms
- Work with partner on goals for documentation and on transfer of documentation to them
- Upload or send photos and video to CAW web and write/upload a short report on event
Tasks
The Collection
- Determine Goals and Objectives
- Decide on a collection
Once the collection and workshop site has been chosen, the committee can include more representatives from the host organization and other volunteers can be recruited for specific tasks.
Timeline
The timetable will vary depending on the partners. A timetable can be impacted if planning alongside a conference, or if the workshop is hosted at a location that needs to advertise bookings well in advance. Our average timetables are six months out from an annual conference, but some workshops have been organized in as little as two months.
Site logistics
- Conduct a site visit
- Create a site plan for the day and tables/chairs, etc.
Equipment and Supplies
- Determine equipment/supply needs for inspection/inventory
- Gather equipment/supply needs for inspection/inventory
- Determine viewing possibilities and arrange for equipment
- Manage refreshments and lunch (with partner)
Create data template for inventory/inspection
- Evaluate existing descriptive systems and documentation and propose a strategy for data collection
- Recommend workflow for distributing and collecting spreadsheets (work with person merging data)
- Develop controlled vocabulary and any necessary prompts/signage (work w/presentation person)
Documentation
- Coordinate documentation of event and do yourself as needed
- Manage release forms
- Upload or send photos and video to CAW web and write/upload a short report on event
- Work with partner on goals for documentation
- Work with partner on transfer of documentation to them