Upcoming VRA Events

March EAC Community Hour: Guest Speaker Dr. Kaycee Bills
Mar
26

March EAC Community Hour: Guest Speaker Dr. Kaycee Bills

Guest Speaker Dr. Kaycee Bills

Tuesday, March 26, 3:00pm EDT / 12:00pm PDT

Description:

This month we are proud to welcome Dr. Kaycee Bills as our guest speaker, whose talk is entitled "Is the ADA Enough? Recognizing the Diverse Needs That are not Addressed by Disability Accommodations".


The ADA was established in order to allow for equity to be established among individuals who have disabilities. But do these minimum ADA standards address all of the diverse needs necessary to achieve equity for those in the disability community? This discussion will explore the gaps in ADA policies that don’t address all of the unique needs of individuals with disabilities due to their diverse backgrounds that are often overlooked.

Dr. Kaycee Bills is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame. She received her PhD in Social Work from the University of Tennessee and her Master’s in Social Work from Hawaii Pacific University. As a woman who grew up on the Autism Spectrum, she has always had a passion for the inequalities experienced among individuals with disabilities. Through this passion, she has devoted her professional career toward educating the public about accessibility challenges among the disability community through her research and teachings.

Registration link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScA30pfMIMb6OM486jKlvqkWL2QdZM22gnosGiY3m9VbiMtwA/viewform?usp=sf_link

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Feb
27

Cataloging and Metadata Standards (CaMS) Meeting

The Cataloging and Metadata Standards Committee (CaMS) would like to invite VRA members to our upcoming meeting on February 27 at 1 PM EST. We are excited to welcome any potential new members to CaMS and recruit project participants! There are no requirements for being a member of the CaMS committee. We would love to meet with more members of VRA on any ideas to improve cataloging standards that are products of VRA, such as VRA Core and CCO, establish best practices for critical cataloging, and maintain relationships with visual resources professionals.

Meeting information:

February 27 at 1 PM EST

To RSVP and receive the meeting link, email CaMS Committee Chair Leah Constantine at vra-cams@googlegroups.com.

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February EAC Community Hour: Article Discussion, “Navigating the Workforce as a Chronically Ill Person” by Zainab Onuh-Yahaya
Feb
21

February EAC Community Hour: Article Discussion, “Navigating the Workforce as a Chronically Ill Person” by Zainab Onuh-Yahaya

Article discussion: "Navigating The Workforce as a Chronically Ill Person" by Zainab Onuh-Yahaya 
Please join the Equitable Action Committee on Wednesday, February 21st from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET (10:00 am to 11:00 am PT) for our February Community Hour, where we will discuss the article “Navigating the Workforce as a Chronically Ill Person” by Zainab Onuh-Yahaya. Through a discussion of the article, we’ll explore the challenges and unique perspectives of individuals facing chronic illnesses in professional settings, including the struggle to balance one’s health with work and societal expectations. During this conversation, we hope to gain a greater understanding of how individuals who are chronically ill navigate the workplace and discuss what we can do in the GLAM/R (galleries, libraries, archives, museums and recordkeeping institutions) community to make a more inclusive and supportive place for workers experiencing health issues, including chronic issues.

Moderator: Summer Shetenhelm

Wednesday, February 21 at 1:00pm EDT / 10:00am PDT

Link to register: https://forms.gle/fX7Dh4toEzqdEhp79

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December EAC Community Hour: AI and DEIA
Dec
4

December EAC Community Hour: AI and DEIA

Guest hosts Devon Murphy and Summer Shetenhelm lead a discussion on AI and its implications for GLAM work.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in gallery, library, archive, and museum (GLAM) institutions has been a topic of consideration for the past few years, and interest has increased with the release of technologies such as DALL-E and ChatGPT. What aspects of AI relate to GLAM work, what moral or ethical considerations do we need to make when dealing with AI, and is there an opportunity for us to mindfully engage with AI to better perform GLAM work? Join hosts Devon Murphy and Summer Shetenhelm as they lead a discussion on the complications and possibilities of using AI in GLAM work.

Register here!

Devon Murphy (they/them) is a metadata and digital collections professional, currently working as Metadata Analyst at the University of Texas at Austin Libraries. Their research areas include information ethics, metadata, Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge organization, and linked data. They received dual masters degrees in Art History and Information Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2019), examining information systems in Indigenous-led and non-Indigenous museums. Current research projects include developing metadata best practices for LGBTQ+ materials with the Queer Metadata Collective and creating a shared Spanish subject thesaurus in collaboration with the University of Florida Libraries. Murphy also serves as a member of the Visual Resources Association’s (VRA) Equitable Action Committee.

Summer Shetenhelm (she/her) currently works as the Digital Access Services Librarian at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University, where she manages Yale Library’s Digital Collections System. Her previous positions include Technical Lead for Digital Collections at Yale University Library, Digital Collections & Scholarship Librarian at Santa Clara University, and Archivist at the Colorado State Archives. Summer is an active member of the VRA and currently serves on the Equitable Action Committee and Awards Committee, and previously served as a member of the 2023 Summer Educational Institute Implementation Team as well as Co-Chair of VREPS from 2020 to 2022. She received her MLIS from the University of Denver (2019). She’s currently curious about assessment strategies for digital object reuse and collections-as-data initiatives.

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EAC Community Hour
Oct
26

EAC Community Hour

Join the Equitable Action Committee on Thursday, October 26 at 3:30pm EDT / 12:30pm PDT . The EAC And the Solo VRA Professionals SIG will dive deep into three topics, boundaries, managing priorities, and work/life balance.

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Oct
6

EAC Community Hour

Join the Equitable Action Committee on Friday, October 6 at 1:00pm EDT / 10:00am PDT for an informal debrief and reflection on DEIA-related content from the 2023 VRA Conference.

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Mar
24
to Mar 31

Collaborating Across the Institution and Beyond: Creating Professional Partnerships to Support Cultural Heritage

Maureen Burns, instructor
Part I: Friday, March 24th
Part II: Friday, March 31st
12-2 pm EDT (both days)
Workshop fee: $50

Register to attend

Workshop Description

Cultural Heritage professionals are finding new, mutually beneficial ways to work together to develop their resources. In this workshop, we will discuss:

  • Improving discovery and broader access to digital resources

  • Collaboration and partnerships between units to further common goals

  • Current emphasis on institution-wide and inter-institutional work

  • How collaborating can provide learning opportunities, expand job scope & develop professional skills

  • Expanding networks through collaborative research and projects

  • Real world examples of projects that have proven successful

This workshop will provide concrete strategies for building stronger professional collaborations by exploring the benefits and barriers to creating collaborations and offering specific techniques to build successful partnerships.

About the Instructor

Maureen Burns is an information professional with over 35 years of experience developing and managing teaching resources of analog and digital images at UC Irvine, the Getty Villa, and CSULB. Presently working on a consulting basis through IMAGinED, she is the sales representative for Archivision/vrcHost, technical consultant on the CSU Archives Japanese American Digitization project, and participating in other image-focused and educational work. Burns’ degrees are in History, Art History, and Education. She recently completed 7 years of work on a NSF-funded arts and science integration UCI teacher training program and continues as the production editor for the electronic Journal for Learning through the Arts. She is active in the Visual Resources Association participating in the work of VRA’s Awards and Financial Advisory Committees and is also a past VRA president, past director of the VRA Foundation, past editor of the VRA Bulletin, and past chair of the VRA’s Southern California Chapter.

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Nov
1
to Nov 2

Something Mappy This Way Comes: An Introduction to Digital Mapping Technologies

Part I: Tuesday, November 1st
Part II: Wednesday, November 2nd
5:30 to 7:30pm EDT (both days)

Instructor: Justin Madron

Registration is now closed.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

A crash course in available digital mapping technologies including: ArcGIS, Carto, StoryMaps developments, and free open source technologies. Learn how to create spatial data from primary sources directly in the browser, and create collaborative location-based history with the use of these tools. Examples from each platform will be given, with discussion of strengths, weaknesses, and budgets. Next generation mapping projects include American Panorama: A Digital Atlas of American History (University of Richmond) and other high impact mapping projects will be discussed in depth.

ONLINE PLATFORM

This workshop will be hosted using Zoom video conferencing. The link and password will be emailed to participants in advance. Recordings will be made available to registered participants for a limited time after each session. Lecture materials will be made available to registered participants following each session.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Justin Madron is the Digital Scholarship Lab’s Associate Director. He coordinates the development of digital scholarship projects, applications, and manages all processes involved in the production and organization of spatial data for the lab. He is responsible for GIS administration which involves consulting and advising faculty and other colleagues on GIS practices and assisting with GIS-related teaching and research projects. He has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Landscape Architecture from West Virginia University and a Master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Environmental Studies with a focus on Geographical Information Systems and Technologies. He is an adjunct lecturer for the Department of Geography and teaches courses in GIS, Design, and Geovisualization. He is also the Program Specialist/Instructor of the School of Professional Studies GIS Certificate Program at the University of Richmond.

REGISTRATION

The registration fee for this workshop is $50. 

If you have questions about registration, please email the Regional Workshop Implementation Team at vraf.rwit@gmail.com.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Every attempt will be made to hold the workshop at the stated time, however, if the instructor is
unable to hold the workshop at that time for any reason, the workshop will be rescheduled. Refunds of the registration fee will only be issued if you are unable to attend the workshop on the rescheduled date. If the workshop must be canceled, a full refund will be issued.

WORKSHOP CONTACT

If you have any questions about the workshop, please email the Regional Workshop Implementation Team at vraf.rwit@gmail.com.

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Sep
23
to Sep 30

Learning to Look and Looking to Learn: A Workshop on Visual Literacy

Fridays, September 23rd and 30th, 2022, 5:30 pm–7:30 pm EDT

Instructors: Jessica Sack and Rachel Thompson

Registration for this workshop is now closed.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

As we now work in hybrid settings—in person and online—there is an increasing challenge to develop visual literacy skills of both educators and students, uniquely positioning those who work with visual media to provide necessary visual literacy training and instruction. This two-part workshop will provide participants with the tools to develop and implement visual literacy instruction within their professional practice both in person and using online platforms such as Zoom. Part one of this workshop will focus on visual literacy skills and pedagogical approaches by using Zoom to engage with objects from museums, libraries, and archives. Part two will focus on ways for participants to apply these pedagogies to their own work and institutions. Participants will discuss and develop ways to implement and evaluate their own visual literacy programs as well as how digital archives, art objects, and other primary sources can be used by staff, students, and faculty. The question of what it means to teach from collections within a range of professional perspectives–including from information, museum, and education contexts—will also be addressed.

ONLINE PLATFORM

This workshop will be hosted using Zoom video conferencing. The link and password will be emailed to participants in advance. Recordings will be made available to registered participants for a limited time after each session. Lecture materials will be made available to registered participants following each session.

 ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS

Jessica Sack is the Jan and Frederick Mayer Curator of Public Education at the Yale University Art Gallery. Jessica has worked in the field of museum education for more than twenty years. In that time she has been developing professional development programs in Visual Literacy for a variety of audiences including librarian, teacher, and faculty workshops, and training graduate students as museum educators. In addition, Jessica works with area teachers and faculty, helping them find ways to teach from objects and hone their own observation skills. Prior to Yale, Jessica was the Senior Museum Educator and Coordinator of Teacher Services at the Brooklyn Museum. She has contributed to journals and publications including Art Education and The International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education, The Caring Museum: New Models of Engagement with the Ageing, Interpreting the Art Museum,  “Looking to Learn, Learning to Teach” in the Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin and Picturing a Nation: Teaching with American Art and Material Culture. Jessica received her M.Phil. in Ethnology and Museum Ethnography from Oxford University, England, and a M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University.

Rachel Thompson is the Associate Manager of School and Teacher Programs at the Guggenheim Museum. In this role, she plans, implements, and evaluates museum-based programs for teachers; provides support for Learning Through Art, a longstanding artist residency program in NYC public schools; and serves as a mentor for teens in the GuggTeens Collaborative program. Rachel began her career in education at Southwest High School in San Antonio, Texas, where she taught English and Latin. Prior to joining the Guggenheim, she was the John Walsh Fellow in Museum Education at the Yale University Art Gallery, where she facilitated museum programs for a range of audiences, including young children, university students and faculty, and K-12 educators. Rachel has co-authored publications on topics in museum practice in Art Education and The International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School. 

REGISTRATION

The registration fee for this workshop is $50. Registration for this workshop is now closed. 

If you have questions about registration, please email the Regional Workshop Implementation Team at vraf.rwit@gmail.com.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Every attempt will be made to hold the workshop at the stated time, however, if the instructor is unable to hold the workshop at that time for any reason, the workshop will be rescheduled. Refunds of the registration fee will only be issued if you are unable to attend the workshop on the rescheduled date. If the workshop must be canceled, a full refund will be issued.

WORKSHOP CONTACT

If you have any questions about the workshop, please email the Regional Workshop Implementation Team at vraf.rwit@gmail.com.

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