The Association is committed to providing leadership in the visual resources field, developing and advocating standards, and offering educational tools and opportunities for the benefit of the community at large. VRA implements these goals through publication programs and educational activities.

The Association offers a forum for issues of vital concern to the field, including: preservation of and access to media documenting visual culture; cataloging and classification standards and practices; integration of technology-based instruction and research; digital humanities; intellectual property policy; visual literacy and other topics of interest to the field. Through collaboration, partnership, and outreach with the broader information management, educational, and scholarly communities, the Association actively supports the primacy of visual information in documenting and understanding humanity’s shared cultural experience.

We strive to create an inclusive community that values and encourages diversity in its membership and work. Our mission is not only to promote knowledge sharing, skill development, and best practices, but also to foster open, inclusive communication; to offer a supportive community; and to advocate for all people who engage in the management of visual assets.