VRA Identity Task Force Assembled

From VRA President Stephen Patton:

In June of this year I informed the membership that the VRA Executive Board had developed a charge for the VRA Identity Task Force. The charge is outlined below this correspondence. This effort is in response to VRA Strategic Plan Goal 1.1. To guide the direction of the VRA Strategic Plan, it is necessary for the Association to review the organization’s identity, vision, mission, and values.

Two examples of goals that are dependent on the work of the VRA Identity Task Force are: Strategic Direction 3: Membership; and 5: Communications and Marketing. Strategic Priorities like the creation of an integrated marketing plan to increase membership need the focus of a vision in order to be successful.

VRA Strategic Plan (summary), 2018

Betha Whitlow and Carolyn Lucarelli have agreed to co-chair the VRA Identity Task Force. The VRA Executive Committee provided guidance through the VRA Identity Task Force charge, but the Board has granted the Task Force independence in their work and membership selection. Betha and Carolyn have assembled a great team representing the diverse nature of the organization and the work of our members. Please support the Task Force in their efforts.

VRA Identity Task Force

Co-ChairsCarolyn Lucarelli, The Pennsylvania State UniversityBetha Whitlow, Washington University in St. LouisMembersMarcia Focht, Binghamton UniversityPatricia Guardiola, University of PennsylvaniaMargaret McKee, The Menil CollectionJeff Mixter, OCLC ResearchBrian Shelburne, University of Massachusetts, AmherstSue Tyson, California State ArchivesKendra Werst, Williams CollegeCharge:  Develop vision, mission, and core values statements that align with the Visual Resources Association (VRA) Strategic Plan Goal 1.1. Define the term “visual resources” and consider its relevance as a discipline and/or a field of practice to current and potential members (See Strategic Priorities 1.1.4). This may include a review of the name of the organization going forward. Evaluate the VRA’s current affiliate organizations and make recommendations for new affiliations that complement and strengthen VRA’s identity and membership. Identify peer organizations with similar membership numbers and functions as the VRA to provide a baseline for performance assessment and comparison. This entire process should be informed by membership feedback which could take the form of surveys, focus groups, web conferencing and any additional methods the task force deems effective. Review the VRA​ ​Strategic​ ​Plan​ ​2018-2022, the VRA Professional Status Task Force Report, and any other research the Task Force finds informative. The approach should be transparent, inclusive, just, and incorporate diverse representation when possible. The task force’s recommendations will likely result in a vote by the membership. 

VRA 2015-2016 Report on Professional Status

Dear VRA colleagues,I am pleased to announce the completion and availability of the VRA 2015-2016 Professional Status Task Force Report on Professional Status.*  This report provides extremely valuable information about the landscape of our professions and the needs of members and non-members working within a variety of visual resource environments.  The Executive Board encourages you all to take some time to read the report, and we believe it will be of particular interest and use to our many committees, task forces, chapters, etc. Please don't hesitate to contact the VRA Board with questions about this information. We can be reached at board@vraweb.org.Please join me in thanking the members of the 2015 Professional Status Task Force for there dedication to their charge and for the thoughtful, creative, and collaborative time and energy they invested in the VRA over the past two years.

• Virginia (Macie) Hall, Senior Instructional Designer, Center for Educational Resources, Johns Hopkins University, Co-chair
• Ana Cox, Assistant Archivist, New York Public Radio Archives
• Liz Gushee, Head, Digital Collections Services, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin
• Amy McKenna, Assistant Visual Resources Curator, Art Department, Williams College
• Rebecca Moss, Assistant Director, LATIS, University of Minnesota
• Greg Reser, Metadata Analyst, University of California San Diego
• Jen Green, Digital Scholarship Librarian, Scholarly Communication, Copyright, and Publishing Program, Dartmouth College, (Co-chair through March 2016)

*You may also access the report within Memberclicks (go to: Community > Info >Task Force and Advisory Group Reports). The Board will also be submitting the report to the VRA Bulletin for publication in a future issue.Kind regards,Jen Green

Message from the VRA President: New appointments and Executive Board activities

I hope you are all well and enjoying the first days of summer. I’m emailing to let you know what the VRA Executive Board has been up to since our annual conference in Seattle.We are pleased to announce the following new Task Forces and appointments:VRA Strategic Plan Task Force:The Board has appointed Jolene de Verges, Southern Methodist University, and Elaine Paul, University of Colorado, Boulder to co-Chair the Strategic Plan Task Force (SPTF) as well as the following members to work with them on the SPTF :

• Heidi Eyestone, Carleton College
• Sarah Gillis, Worcester Art Museum
• Beth Wodnick Haas, Princeton University
• Billy Kwan, New York School of Interior Design
• Meghan Musolff, University of Michigan
• Molly Tighe, Chatham University

The charge and timeline:Beginning with a review of the 2008 VRA Strategic Plan, the data gathered by the ARLIS/NA - VRA Joint Task Force on Professional Standards Criteria, and the 2016 final report of the Professional Status Task Force, the Task Force will provide a status assessment and proceed to make recommendations for initiatives going forward. The Task Force will focus on the areas of: programs and services, membership, technology, financial structure, organization and governance, and leadership in the field.Initiatives will be developed according to the following criteria:– achievable within a 5 year period to commence in January 2018– include measurable activities and tasks– provide an estimated chronology of eventsRecommendations will take the form of a written report that will be delivered to the Executive Board by June 30, 2017. The report will then be presented to the VRA membership at the 2018 annual conference.Online Learning Task Force:The Board has appointed Marsha Taichman, Cornell University, to chair the Online Learning Task Force (OLTF) as well as the following members to serve on the OLTF:Betha Whitlow, Washington UniversityStephen Patton, Indiana State UniversityMarie Elia, University of BuffaloJasmine Burns, Indiana UniversityChris Strasbaugh, Ohio State UniversityThe charge and timeline:Beginning with an environmental scan of online learning approaches in similar organizations, such as the Art Libraries Society of North America, the Music Library Association, the Special Library Association, a review of the 2016 Professional Status Task Force report, and a brief report from the President’s April 2016 leadership webinar, the Task Force will identify the various factors for consideration relating to VRA's pursuit of online professional development opportunities. These will support the professional development needs of our members, provide new benefits of membership, serve as outreach to potential new members, offer a potential source of Association revenue, and further establish VRA as an authority on a variety of digital content issues. In its investigations, the Task Force will confer with various stakeholders, including the Education Committee, the VRA Foundation, the Executive Board in general and the Vice President for Conference Program in particular, as well as the VRA membership. The Task Force will offer at least two additional pilot webinars, from which it can assess and document successes and challenges. In its final report, to be delivered to the Executive Board by January 31, 2017, the Task Force will provide a set of recommendations for proceeding with this initiative. The factors addressed will include:

• technical considerations for the GoToMeeting platform and other potential complementary software
• mechanisms for soliciting and selecting relevant content and instructors; frequency of offerings; low-cost budget models with potential fee structures, if any
• means of assessment
• methods of coordinating educational content within VRA and VRAF, such as annual and regional conferences, regional workshops, and SEI
• recommendations for models of ongoing Association oversight

Social Networking Coordinator:I’d like to extend sincere thanks to Stephanie Beene for the energy and time that she invested over the past year as our Social Networking Coordinator.  I know that many members appreciated information that she posted about conference news, events, etc. in our social networking environments.  Stephanie has stepped down from the position, and I am pleased to announce and welcome Kate Thornhill, Oregon Health and Science University, as our newly appointed Social Networking Coordinator.  Kate will be stepping into that role as of July 1, 2016.The charge:Engage in outreach for VRA by following the Visual Resources Association’s Social Media Plan to efficiently and regularly post relevant, informative, or eye-catching content to the various Web 2.0 sites in which VRA participates (currently Twitter and Facebook).Membership Services CoordinatorLise Hawkos has renewed her contract with the VRA for FY2017. We are pleased to be able to continue this relationship with Lise and are grateful for the time she invests in supporting our members.A summary of Board member activities:Some of you may have heard from the Board through response letters to your annual reports, which document the activities of Chapters, Committees, Task Forces, Liaisons, Appointees, etc. All Board members share in the effort of responding to these reports, and we are truly inspired by the work that is happening as a result of our your time and dedication to your professions and the VRA.Speaking of dedication and time, I would like to thank my fellow Executive Board members for their remarkable commitment to both VRA and the profession. We have been meeting weekly online and monthly via conference calls to address a wide range of Association business. While attending to a large number of organizational issues, each Board member has also been busy focusing on the specific duties associated with his or her position.Following the annual conference, Secretary Jasmine Burns transcribed and condensed notes from the Board’s two annual meetings, our joint VRA/VRAF Business meeting, and our joint VRA/ARLIS-NA Business meeting in Seattle into our official minutes. This is no small task, considering that the VRA Board business meeting alone spanned 17 hours over the course of two days. Jasmine also worked to revise our mid-year report template so that we are able to better track leadership changes. Reports were due on June 15th, so Jasmine is in the process of organizing them so that Board members can access and review them efficiently before we conduct our Mid-year Board meeting.Vice President for Conference Program, Chris Strasbaugh, administered post-conference surveys for attendees and non-attendees. Chris is using the results of that survey to plan conference content that will meet your professional development needs. The 2017 Annual Conference will be held at the Louisville Marriott Downtown in Louisville, Kentucky from March 29th-April 1st.  You may have seen Chris’ call for proposals on VRA-L.  Chris also distributes this to other affiliated and like-minded associations, so ideas for a great conference are being generated as we speak.  There’s still time to submit a proposal, but the deadline is approaching quickly.  Please don’t be shy about proposing your content ideas by July 5th, 2016.Vice President for Conference Arrangements, Ryan Brubacher, has been working with both the Louisville Marriott staff and Tom Costello, our conference destination consultant, to address logistics surrounding the VRA mid-year board meeting (July 25-27th, 2016) and the annual conference (March 29 – April 1, 2017). Ryan also coordinated the renewal of Tom’s contract with the VRA, for which we are grateful.  Tom does extensive work in collaboration with Ryan to investigate and secure venue options for our annual conferences as well as communicate with hotel staff about our needs during the conference. An investigation of potential 2018 conference venues is currently underway.Public Relations Communications Officer, Melanie Clark, has been working diligently with Heather Rayl, Website Content Manager, to keep our website functional and up-to-date. Melanie has updated org email addresses for various VRA leadership positions and managed numerous projects for various groups in Basecamp, the Association’s project management software. Melanie will be updating the VRA web soon to reflect the new appointments mentioned above.Treasurer, Jeannine Keefer, has processed many conference expense payments and requests for reimbursements. She has been working to close the current FY2016 budget and prepare FY2017 budget.  Jeannine has also coordinated the contract renewal of our Accountant, Eileen Xethelis (CFO Consulting Partners LLC), who provides valuable consulting services for the VRA.  Jeannine also serves as a member of the Financial Advisory Committee and communicates as needed with members of the VRA Foundation about financial and fundraising matters.Past President, Elaine Paul, has worked with past presidents Maureen Burns and Jolene de Verges on updating the Organizational Policies and Procedures Manual and (as previously mentioned) will co-chair the SPTF with Jolene de Verges. Elaine has been an invaluable source of information and guidance for me in transitioning into my role as President.Up next…

• The Board will receive the Professional Status Task Force report on June 30th, and we look forward to reviewing and using it as a tool to assess member and non-member professional needs and help us think about benefits that we can offer current and prospective members.  This report will be useful to many of our committees for various reasons, and we look forward to sharing it with all of you soon.
• As always, we strive to address membership recruitment and retention. We will continue work with the Membership Committee and with the Membership Services Coordinator on outreach activities relating to this year’s membership renewal campaign. VRA’s leaders met online in April to discuss the Association’s identity and how we all can effectively communicate this with others and connect it to the work we are doing.  The ideas and concerns that we share are important to address as we think about the health of the Association and our professional roles.  I would like to offer periodic online discussions with VRA leaders, and the Board is also investigating ways to bring this discussion forward at a broader scale—perhaps during the annual conference.
• The dialog about the cultivation and efficiency of leadership within VRA will remain a priority. While online and conference discussions with leaders have been important, we are thinking creatively about how to make it easier for new members to learn about and become involved in the VRA.   Ideas are emerging around how this might be formatted as a conference event, and we will provide more information about that in the next months.
• We will continue the ongoing focus on outreach to and collaboration with other organizations in the coming year. We are working again this year with the DLF and CLIR to coordinate another cross-pollinator grant that would support a VRA member’s attendance to 2016 DLF conference and a DLF member’s attendance to the 2017 VRA conference.  I will update you on that is more information becomes available.
• Fundraising for the Association, our annual conference, and the vital travel awards program is an ongoing topic. We will work with the Development Committee, the Travel Awards Committee, and the VRA Foundation to continue harmonizing our various fundraising activities, and to develop new strategies for raising money for VRA and travel awards.
• The publishing and communications program for the Association is also an area of continued focus.  We encourage submissions from all of you, and you can review the guidelines here: http://online.vraweb.org/vrab/submguide.html . Currently, access VRA Bulletin content is a member-only benefit for the duration of a 6 month embargo period, after which the content is made available openly. The Board will be reviewing this model with Maureen Burns (Content Editor) and Hannah Marshall (Production Editor) within the upcoming months.  It is important to re-evaluate from time-to-time how we make information about the work we do accessible to each other and others beyond the VRA.

We on the Board now turn our attention to the mid-year Board meeting in Louisville next month, and this begins our focused planning for the 2017 conference. We wish you a happy, healthy, and productive summer. Please do not hesitate to contact us (or me personally) with questions or concerns:board@vraweb.orgjennifer.w.green@dartmouth.eduSincerely,Jen Green, VRA President 

VRA Professional Status Survey Now Available.

You are invited to participate in the 2015 Visual Resources Association (VRA) Professional Status Survey . The purpose of the 2015 Visual Resources Association (VRA) Professional Status Survey survey is to gather information that will assist VRA in understanding recent changes in the profession, improving membership benefits to serve current members and attract new ones, and advocating for the profession.You should participant in the survey if you work with or have worked with or are planning to work with: Image Media [Digital Images, Slides, Photographs, Film/Video, Multimedia, PDFs]As a: Cataloguer / Curator / Librarian / Archivist / Instructor/ Instructional Designer / IT Specialist / Digital Media Specialist / Photographer / Vendor / Support StaffAnd/ or with expertise or responsibilities in any of these areas:Collection Development / Collection Management / Database Management / AV Support / Tech Support / Instructional or Research Support / Metadata / Administration / Rights and Reproductions / Graphic Design / Social Media / Web DevelopmentYou should take the survey if  the above describes you even if you are a student, unemployed, or retired. There are questions that will be relevant you.For those who responded to previous VRA Professional Status Surveys, the 2015 edition has been streamlined and updated to reflect changes in image management and related professions. Survey questions ask who you are, where you work, what you personally do in your position, what services your unit provides, and your needs for professional development. For those who work with collections, there is a section with questions specific to collection management. Respondents will be directed to answer sections of the survey appropriate to their situations based on responses to questions. The survey will take 10 to 30 minutes to complete.The Survey is here: http://z.umn.edu/vraprofstatussurveyThe survey will close at 11:59 pm, Friday, October 30.If you experience technical difficulties with the survey please contact Rebecca Moss at mossx014@umn.edu.Thank you for participating!The VRA Professional Status Task ForceJen Green and Macie Hall, Co-chairs

Survey Summary from Slide and Transitional Media Task Force

In late 2014, the Slide and Transitional Media Task Force conducted a survey about the state of slide collections. The survey summary contains quantitative data as well as responses to open-ended questions.More resources from the Task Force coming soon.