Our Call for Volunteers is open! Serving on a committee or task force can expand your network, gain valuable leadership skills, and increase your personal and organizational visibility within the industry.
Register for our Get Involved 2024-2025 Volunteer Call Out, or tell us which committee you’d like to volunteer with. Apply by June 10 for consideration for the 2024-2025 term.
Join us for a short presentation by SSP leadership about the vital role volunteers play in society activities, followed by a lightning round of introductions from our committee chairs. The “Get Involved!” webinar will showcase many terrific opportunities for engaging in the SSP community and a huge network of industry professionals. In addition, attendees will get a chance to see the different volunteer positions available and how the Committees work together in advancing the strategic mission.
We have more than 300 members who volunteer their time to support the advancement of scholarly communications by serving on committees, task forces, and the Board of Directors, writing for SSP’s blog, The Scholarly Kitchen, or mentoring our Fellows and mentees. Many of the programs SSP offers were developed and led by our enthusiastic member volunteers, including the Annual Meeting program, the Professional Skills Map, the new Communities of Interest Network, the Early Career Development Podcast, and many others. In addition, our volunteers create regional opportunities for networking, collaboration, and professional development that help members stay engaged and motivated.
If you want to receive notifications about upcoming SSP volunteer opportunities, please sign up for our mailing list.
Below, you will find information about SSP’s active committees and task forces. Our general volunteer recruitment window is from May to June. The president approves all committee (one-year term, renewable) and task force (variable term) appointments. Committees operate primarily from August to June; volunteers are expected to attend monthly meetings and participate in working groups as assigned.
Will you be at our Annual Meeting in Boston? Join us for the Get Involved Volunteer Fair on May 31. Come meet with committee chairs to learn more about what opportunities exist and how you can get involved. Stop by to chat casually with committee chairs.
Already know which committee you’d like to volunteer with? Let us know!
Apply by Monday, June 10 for consideration for the 2024-2025 term.
Log in to the SSP Member Center to review a detailed description of each committee’s charge in the SSP Organizational Guide.
Please note that you must be a member of SSP to participate in a committee or task force. Membership status is determined at the time of application; non-members may be invited to join a committee provisionally.
Committee and Task Force Directory
View the list of active committees and task forces below. Click on any committee’s name to learn more about their work. When you find a committee or two you’d like to apply for, click the volunteer application link to fill out the SSP Committee Volunteer Form.
Annual Meeting Program Committee
The Annual Meeting Program Committee selects the theme for the Annual Meeting and determines topics for the keynote, plenary, concurrent sessions, and pre-meeting activities. Members recruit speakers, provide guidance on expectations, and work with staff and other SSP groups to plan the schedule and promote the meetings.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee oversees the audit process and advises the Board of Directors about the audit and any findings.
Awards Program Task Force
Develop an awards program that will be repeated annually to recognize excellence in various categories of scholarly communications.
Benchmarking Advisory Group
Develop and conduct an annual benchmarking survey to gather wage, compensation, skills, and demographic data from individuals working in scholarly communications and the organizations that employ them. The Benchmarking Advisory Group is not accepting new volunteers at this time.
C3 Community Ambassadors
Community Ambassadors help enrich and enhance the C3 Member Exchange for SSP members. They help facilitate discussions and share timely and engaging content to help members stay abreast of the latest industry developments.
Career Development Committee
The Career Development Committee plans and manages professional development activities, including mentorship, professional profiles, and the student and early career Fellowship program.
Early Career Subcommittee
This group, a subcommittee of the Career Development Committee, focuses on activities established to promote and engage students and early career professionals in the publishing and information industry.
Community Engagement Committee
The Community Engagement Committee brings SSP members together for peer-to-peer interaction among groups with similar interests or geographical locations.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee
The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee is charged with providing members with education and resources about diversity and inclusion in their workplaces and giving direction to SSP volunteers about how they can model diversity, inclusion, and accessibility practices in their work on behalf of the organization.
Education Committee
The Education Committee plans and conducts educational seminars, Webinars, and the Focus Group. Members work with staff and other committees to promote the sessions.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee oversees SSP’s budget and financial operations.
Generations Fund Committee
Help generate philanthropic dollars for the society by raising awareness about the SSP Generations Fund and stewarding donors.
Global Perspectives Task Force
In our commitment to fostering a truly global and inclusive scholarly publishing community, the Global Perspectives Task Force includes members from multiple continents. The objectives of the GPTF are to analyze what global perspectives are absent or underrepresented in SSP and understand the reasons for this, as well as to propose a set of recommendations outlining how SSP can engage more effectively with the global community. The Global Perspectives Task Force is not accepting new volunteers at this time.
Marketing & Communications Committee
The Marketing Committee coordinates and conducts marketing outreach for SSP activities, including the Annual Meeting and educational seminars. Members prepare copy and work with designers on advertisements, brochures, flyers, listserv announcements, e-mail announcements, etc.
Member Criteria Task Force
Evaluate the potential benefits and consequences of establishing Membership Criteria and a Business Code of Conduct/Ethics/Behavior. Report to the board the risks, advantages, and disadvantages of implementing measures to limit the types of organizations that can be members of SSP. The Membership Criteria Task Force is not accepting new volunteers at this time.
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee monitors SSP’s membership health, promotes and develops new memberships, and advises the Board of Directors on matters concerning benefits for all classes of membership.
Mental Health Task Force
Given the impact of employee mental health on organizations, SSP past presidents were convened to consider ways SSP as a society can and should support members’ mental health. Work-related issues were the primary focus, but not the only one. This task force aims to identify potential opportunities, activities, resources, and initiatives. The Mental Health Task Force is not accepting new volunteers at this time.
Nominating and Awards Committee
The Nominating and Awards Committee’s central responsibility is to identify the candidates for each open officer and Board position for election in the coming year. The Nominating and Awards Committee is not accepting new volunteers at this time.
Scholarly Kitchen Cabinet
The Kitchen Cabinet is the governing body for The Scholarly Kitchen (TSK). Its responsibilities include settling governance issues, appointing the editor, reporting on TSK metrics and development to the Board of Directors, and making recommendations to the SSP Executive Committee regarding new opportunities for TSK.
Taxonomy Task Force
Implement a semantic enrichment program to index SSP’s professional development content, including content on The Scholarly Kitchen (TSK) and the OnDemand Library with conceptual metadata to increase content discoverability. The Taxonomy Task Force is not accepting new volunteers at this time.
Training Committee
The Training Committee supports the goal of making SSP a home for scholarly communications professionals at every career stage by developing new content and programming to enhance the range and diversity of resources for SSP members and the wider community.
