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Joint Committee on Archives, Libraries and Museums (CALM)

In 2002 the American Association of Museums joined with the American Library Association (ALA) and the Society of American Archivists (SAA) to create CALM, the Joint Committee on Archives, Libraries and Museums.

Recognizing that the shared purpose of libraries, archives and museums is to acquire, preserve and promote the use and appreciation of collections that document the range of human expression, experience and knowledge, CALM promotes cooperation among professionals of all types of collections-holding organizations, strengthens communication among their professional associations, and coordinates the goals and activities of the three organizations.

CALM’s function is to:  (1) foster and develop ways and means of effecting closer cooperation among the organizations; (2) encourage the establishment of common standards; (3) undertake such activities as are assigned to the committee by one or more of its parent bodies; (4) initiate programs of a relevant and timely nature at the annual meetings of one or more parent bodies either through direct Combined Committee sponsorship or by forwarding particular program plans to the appropriate unit or on or more parent bodies for action; and (5) refer matters of concern to appropriate units of one or more of the parent bodies.

The Committee maintains a fifteen person membership comprised of five members from each of three participating organizations.  AAM’s members are appointed by the AAM Board Chair and serve a two-year term.  The Committee meets three times a year at each of the participating organizations’ annual meetings.

For more information, visit the CALM wiki, which is maintained by the American Library Association.

Resources
CALM sponsors related sessions at the meetings of AAM, ALA, and SAA that are cross-disciplinary in their approach. Past topics have included data standards, strategic planning for decision makers, and how to implement good data management to promote communication and effective workflow within the museum. The first two cycles of sessions took place in 2004 and 2005. Audio recordings can be ordered using forms linked to below.

2004, Session F-8: Data Management: A Strategic Concern with Practical Solutions.

2005, Session M-20: Data Management II: Case Studies in Best Practices. 

For 2006 and beyond, visit the archive of Annual Meeting recordings.