Outreach Working Group

The Outreach Working Group is a standing body of the South Asia Open Archives (SAOA), reporting to the SAOA Executive Board and working in close consultation with the SAOA Program Coordinator and other Working Groups.

Members of the Outreach Working Group

• Laura Ring, University of Chicago (Chair)
• Ellen Ambrosone, Princeton University
• Triveni Kuchi, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• Todd Michelson-Ambelang, University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Mara Thacker, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Purpose

The charge of the Outreach Working Group is to enhance, increase, and diversify use of the South Asia Open Archives through community engagement.

Our outreach is aimed at the user community writ large, encompassing both current and future/potential users, and member and non-member institutions across the globe. In furthering the open access, decolonizing mission of SAOA, we have a particular commitment to reaching a diversity of scholars and institutions in South Asia, as well as non-elite and minority-serving institutions in the United States.

Forms of Community Engagement

• Social Media presence and strategy:
  • Sharing information about SAOA resources and activities
  • Engaging with content from South Asian studies, Library, or Open Access organizations
• Educational support:
  • Creating support materials for SAOA content, such as:
    • Research guides to interpret key collections (e.g., All-India census reports)
    • Collection introductions that frame digital holdings or provide counterpoints to colonial perspectives
  • Preparing sample activities and lesson plans to facilitate SAOA use in the classroom
• Public events:
  • Presentations or demos at South Asia-related conferences, libraries, or cultural institutions
  • Exhibiting at conferences and distributing promotional materials
  • Participating in panels or discussions on open access, digital scholarship, and South Asian studies

Rationale

The Outreach Working Group contributes to the ongoing promotion of SAOA and helps shape its evolving public presence and vision.

Membership

The group includes at least three members from SAOA member institutions. One Executive Board member serves as Chair or Co-Chair. The SAOA Program Coordinator also participates. Members serve one-year terms and are encouraged to renew.

Tasks, Timelines, and Deliverables

Typically proposed by the Executive Board, but the Working Group may initiate its own aligned tasks to support SAOA’s mission.

Reporting

Monthly reporting to the Executive Board, or more often as needed. The Board conveys Working Group updates to the SAOA membership.