The Documenters Network focuses on equipping people to access and produce the information they need. We make our work, process and tools as open and useful as possible.
Documenters.org centralizes public meeting dates, times, locations, official records and original documentation at the city, county, and state-level in one searchable location.
To join our network, attend our upcoming training:
This two-hour training will begin with an introduction to the Chicago Documenters community, a walk-through of Documenters.org and our assignment workflow. You’ll also practice core skills relevant to a range of assignments.
The second half of the training we’ll begin Covering Your Local Government, a training for our most common assignment type–notetaking. We’ll go over the basics of documenting public meetings subject to the Illinois Open Meetings Act, as well as your legal rights and responsibilities.
Upon completion of this community-building workshop you’ll be eligible to apply for paid assignments with the Chicago Documenters program. We offer other trainings such as interviewing and live-tweeting workshops to give you the support and preparation you need. Unless otherwise noted, these trainings are encouraged but not required for the related assignment.
It’s all happening Wednesday, November 16, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. CST at the City Bureau office (3619 S. State St. Suite 400)! That’s right, we will be in person!
Be sure to bring the device you use to access documenters.org, a notebook, and a mask! Snacks and water will be provided.