VRA 2021 Early Bird Registration Open!
VREPS & EAC: Investing in Yourself and Your Career
VREPS & EAC Community Hour: Investing In Yourself and Your Career
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 2:00-3:00 pm EST/ 11:00am-12:00pm PST
VREPS and EAC are teaming up to co-facilitate a roundtable discussion about advocating for yourself in a new or changing role and identifying skills which visual resources emerging or job-seeking professionals might need in future positions. We’ll discuss various methods on how to learn new skills or freshen up existing skills, either on your own time and dime or using limited funds. We’ll discuss how to advocate for yourself when given more responsibilities or different responsibilities due to layoffs or the switch to a virtual work environment. We’ll also explore ways to find free or low-cost professional development opportunities and how to hone your skills while experiencing virtual fatigue. VREPS x EAC Community Hour doc
VRA 2021: Call for Proposals
Call for proposals for the VRA 2021 Conference! Accepting papers, workshops, discussion sessions, and SIGs! All proposals are due by July 27th. Submit here: surveymonkey.com/r/cfpvra2021Img Source: NARA, ID: 26335507
VRA/VRAF Joint Solidarity Statement
The VRA and VRAF condemn all violence, and acts of racism, including police brutality, against Black people, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Unacknowledged structural, institutionalized, and legislated racism can no longer be tolerated. Our Black colleagues, their lives, their work, and their sense of belonging to this community matter. As a members’ organization (VRA) and a foundation (VRAF), 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. We have an obligation to do the work necessary to live up to this mission. Inclusion requires that we acknowledge the intergenerational history and persistence of systemic racism and actively work to counter racism and its lethal effects. We must disrupt the roles that our institutions and practices play in perpetuating injustice and racism by asking what we need to change in hiring and promotions, in curricula, in collecting policies, in description of materials, and in making our knowledge and materials accessible. We must acknowledge that the leadership and membership of VRA and VRAF is disproportionately white and that writing this statement does not resolve long-standing injustices. We must also examine ways in which our organizations can advocate meaningfully and concretely for equity and justice. It is incumbent on us to support people who work in the field by advancing the perspectives of people who have been marginalized by fostering open forums for discussion and ensuring that people of color fill leadership positions, working to dismantle the effects of structural racism in our varied professions, and taking stands against racism and racist practices when we see them. Far from being neutral, visual assets and the institutions and people that provide access to them have a great deal of power to shape and reinforce power structures. A key part of our work as visual assets and cultural heritage professionals is to address ways in which our practices must change to challenge and dismantle, rather than support or permit, white supremacy.The VRA and the VRAF call on all our colleagues to move forward with action and purpose just as we will ourselves. We implore you to reexamine your own practices and policies as individuals, as committees, and as local chapters. We, the VRA and VRAF board members, acknowledge that we need to make measurable changes in the structure of our organizations and are committed to undertake this work.What members of VRA can do:
- Join the Equitable Action Committee (newly established in November 2019) - Fill out the application here
- Sign up to be a mentor and/or Peer reviewer for resumes and cover letters - httpS://vraweb.org/opportunities/mentorship/ (the mentor application form is paused at the moment)
- Support the hiring, retention, and promotion of your BIPOC colleagues - Watch ARLIS/NA’s webinar on the Recruitment, Retention, and Experiences of Art Library Professionals
- Question your language of cataloging - Register to attend EAC’s Community Hour on Critical Cataloging on Wednesday, June 24, 2020
- Propose, facilitate, and support workshops/sessions for VRA 2021 that will prompt the difficult conversations we all need to have - Submit a proposal here
Donation Links:
- Official George Floyd Memorial Fund
- Black Lives Matter
- Black Visions Collective
- National Bail Fund Network or local bail funds across the US
- American Civil Liberties Union
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- We Here
Resources for Self-Education:
- Anti-racism Resource List for White People
- Social Justice and Museums Resource List
- Anti-Racist Educational Reading & Viewing Lists
- Dear White People, This Is What We Want You To Do
- For Our White Friends Desiring to Be Allies
- Research-based Solutions to Stop Police Violence (Twitter thread)
- Articles:
- Courses + Curriculums:
- Recruiting and Retaining Librarians from Underrepresented Minoritized Groups - Library Juice Course ($175) July 6 - August 2
- Allyship, Anti-Oppression Practices, and Building Inclusive Libraries - Library Juice Course ($175) August 3 - August 30
- Cultural Competence for Librarians - Library Juice Course ($175) September 7 - October 4
- Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race and Racism–from Ferguson to Charleston
Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) announces the Winter 2020 Professional Development Grant Recipient
The Board of Directors of the Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to announce the Winter 2020 VRAF Professional Development Grant in the amount of $1000 to Meghan Lyon, a MSLIS Student Graduate Assistant at the Pratt School of Information's Semantic Lab, and a NYARC Web Archiving Fellow at the Frick Art Reference Library.Meghan Lyon, plans on utilizing the funds to attend the 2020 Society for American Archivists (SAA) National Conference, which will be in Chicago, Illinois from August 3-8, 2020. Lyon will be a co-presenter at a session titled, "Digital Access and preservation in Artists' Archives: Challenges, Strategies, and Solutions". She will be discussing research regarding the ontology development that supports the Semantic Lab Wikibase, otherwise known as DADAlytics, a prototype toolchain that converts text-based content from images to knowledge graphs. The intention is to make a publicly accessible and community driven DADAlytics toolchain along with the research datasets created by the Semantic Lab and place them on their Wikibase and Github instances.The VRAF Professional Development Grant Program reflects the broad mission of the VRAF to support professional development in the field of visual resources and visual information management. The grant can be used to participate in a professional development opportunity of the grantee’s choosing (such as a conference, symposium, workshop, online education), or to enroll in relevant research activities (such as hands-on field work or a site visit for scholarly purposes). For more information about the VRAF, the VRAF Professional Development Grant, and other VRAF programs, please visit vrafoundation.org.On behalf of the VRAF Board of Directorsvrafoundation@gmail.comvrafoundation.orgtwitter.com/vrafoundationfacebook.com/visrafoundation/
Scholarships available for SEI 2020!
The Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) and the Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF), along with the SEI 2020 Implementation Team, are pleased to announce the Samuel H. Kress Foundation Scholarships for the 2020 Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management (SEI), to be held June 23-26, 2020 at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
The Samuel H. Kress Foundation is once again generously funding six scholarships for SEI 2020. This intensive workshop is designed to serve a wide range of information professionals eager to learn about best practices and new technologies and/or update job skills in the realm of digital collections management, as well as to provide significant networking and professional development opportunities. The comprehensive curriculum seeks to address the requirements of today's cultural heritage information professional, including hands-on and lecture modules presented by expert instructors. SEI provides new professionals, current library school students, and mid-career professionals from a wide range of related fields the opportunity to stay current in an ever-evolving digital landscape. Museum professionals, archivists, visual resources professionals, digital librarians, art and architecture librarians, digital project managers, current and recent graduate students, and others in related fields are all encouraged to attend.
Details:
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The six Kress Scholarship recipients will each receive $1000 towards the cost of SEI.
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Kress Scholarship applications are due by Monday, March 9, 2020.
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Recipients will be notified no later than Monday, March 30, 2020.
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Each Kress Scholarship recipient will be required to write a report detailing how they benefitted from SEI and the scholarship upon completion of SEI 2020.
Instructions:
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Submit a resume or curriculum vitae and a cover letter (no longer than two pages) describing the effect attending SEI would have on your studies and/or your career.
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All applications will be evaluated by three SEI co-chairs based on the criteria established for the award (including current or future career goals as well as financial need) and any additional directions from the Kress Foundation staff.
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Submit your application materials via e-mail in a single document (PDF preferred), using the following file naming convention: LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_KRESS2020 to SEI 2020 Senior Co-Chair Courtney Baron at courtney.baron@louisville.
edu.
Best wishes,Courtney Baron, SEI 2020 Co-Chaircourtney.baron@louisville.eduBridget Madden, SEI 2020 Co-Chairbridgetm@uchicago.edu
The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) announces the 2019-20 Regional Workshop series
The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to announce the 2019-20 Regional Workshop series:
November 22, 2019: Beyond Licenses: Integrating Creative Commons, RightsStatements.org, and Traditional Knowledge into Permissions Practices at the University of Denver with instructor Anne Young, Head of Rights and Reproductions, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Newfields.
March 13, 2020: Can We Do That?: Intellectual Property Rights and Visual Media at Occidental College Library with instructor Cara Hirsch, Deputy Head of Legal and Business Affairs at The Virtual Reality Company.
May 22, 2020: Collaborating Across the Institution: Creating Professional Partnerships to Support Cultural Heritage at the University of Michigan Library with instructor Jackie Spafford, Images Resources Curator, University of California, Santa Barbara.
May 29, 2020: From Project to Product: Effective Project Management and Strategic Planning at the University of Toronto Mississauga with instructor Shyam Oberoi, Chief Digital Officer, Royal Ontario Museum.
In the 2019-20 season, we’re delighted to expand the Regional Workshop program in two important ways. The host applications were open to international institutions for the first time and we received several strong international applications. The University of Toronto Mississauga will host the inaugural international VRAF Regional Workshop with veteran instructor Shyam Oberoi’s new project management and strategic planning workshop.
The “propose your own workshop” option was exercised by the University of Denver in their host application. The Regional Workshop team has matched their request with instructor Anne Young, who can delve into a deeper understanding and utilization of Creative Commons licenses, RightsStatements.org, and Traditional Knowledge labels with collection objects to expand existing permissions practices at galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs). Join us for the first workshop of the 2019-20 season on Nov. 22, Beyond Licenses: Integrating Creative Commons, RightsStatements.org, and Traditional Knowledge into Permissions Practices. Register today to save your spot!
The Regional Workshop Implementation Team welcomes your questions, comments, and feedback at vraf.rwit@gmail.com and looks forward to the exciting developments of the 2019-20 season! This workshop series reflects the VRAF mission to promote scholarship, research, education, and outreach in the fields of visual resources and image management. The VRAF is grateful to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for their continued support of this exciting opportunity to partner with cultural heritage and educational institutions.
Sincerely,
The current members of the RWIT:
Beth Haas, VRAF Director
Sonya Coleman, VRAF Workshop Coordinator
Meghan Rubenstein, VRAF Senior Workshop Liaison
On behalf of the VRAF Board of Directors
vrafoundation@gmail.com
vrafoundation.com
https://twitter.com/vrafoundation
https://www.facebook.com/visrafoundation/
Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) Announces 2019 Fall Professional Development Grant Recipient
The Board of Directors of the Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to present the Fall 2019 VRAF Professional Development Grant in the amount of $1000 to Malkia Okech, Augmented Reality Developer for the Penn & Slavery Project, Penn Libraries Digital Scholarship, UPENN, Philadelphia, PA.
Malkia Okech, plans on utilizing the funds to participate and develop her skills with a 4 day workshop with African Digital Heritage in Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya, Africa. She will be assisting in the planning, presenting and collaborating on a workshop, "Creating Interactive Digital Assets", which is part of a Skills4Culture series, with the goal of training museum professionals and general cultural heritage practitioners in Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya. The goal of the program is to situate digitization efforts within contemporary museum practice in Kenya, and train attendees in 3D digitization of artifacts, guiding them through a workflow that they can replicate within their respective institutions. Okech recently worked on a digital exhibition Memory Keepers. After her return from Kenya and before the exhibition closes in March, she hopes to develop a workshop, as similar to Creating Interactive Digital Assets, around digital visualization as a memory preserving method.
The VRAF Professional Development Grant Program reflects the broad mission of the VRAF to support professional development in the field of visual resources and cultural heritage information management. The grant can be used to participate in a professional development opportunity of the grantee’s choosing (such as a conference, symposium, workshop, online education), or to enroll in relevant research activities (such as hands-on field work or a site visit for scholarly purposes). For more information about the VRAF, the VRAF Professional Development Grant, and other VRAF programs, please visit vrafoundation.com
On behalf of the VRAF Board of Directors
Call for applications: VRA Foundation Internship Award, 2019-2020
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The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to invite applications for the sixth VRAF Internship Award in visual resources and image management. This internship is generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.
The VRAF Internship Award provides financial support for graduate students and recent graduates preparing for a career in visual resources and image management. The award grants $3,000 to support a period of internship in archives, libraries, museums, visual resources collections in academic institutions, or other appropriate contexts. It also provides $1,000 for professional development, and a one-year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association.
Candidates should apply after developing a project with a specific collection and prospective supervisor. Priority will be given to applicants who submit projects that support art historical or related visual cultural heritage research and scholarship. The VRAF Internship Award Committee favors opportunities in which the intern may integrate skills acquired during the course of his or her academic training to manage a project from beginning to end, with the host institution receiving needed help in making valuable but hidden cultural collections visible. Projects that would not occur without funding for an intern may be given special consideration. A complete description of the internship and application instructions are available at: https://vrafoundation.com/internship-award/.
Applications are due on August 2, 2019. The award recipient for 2019-2020 will be announced on August 26, 2019.
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Time is running out! Registration for SEI 2019 closes Friday, April 12
Time is running out! Registration for SEI 2019 closes on Friday, April 12, and we only have 10 spots left. Don't miss your chance--register today at https://seiworkshop.org/registration/
SEI 2019 will be held at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, from June 4-7, 2019.
A joint program between the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) and the Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF), the Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management (SEI) provides information professionals with a substantive educational and professional development opportunity focused on digital image management. SEI 2019 will present an overview of the digital life cycle, allowing attendees to “get their feet wet” in a broad range of topics, including:
• Project Design
• Intellectual Property
• Digitization
• Digital Preservation
• Metadata
• DAMs, Digital Curation, and Digital Repositories
• Instructional Design and Outreach
SEI is a fantastic learning and networking opportunity for professionals interested in creating and maintaining sustainable digital collections of cultural heritage materials, including librarians, archivists, museum curators, visual resources librarians, and graduate students. The workshop offers participants the chance to meet colleagues from various institutions who are facing similar challenges. Faculty and students share ideas and solutions to these challenges and make lasting professional connections.
For more information on SEI 2019, visit our website: seiworkshop.org
Have questions? Please feel free to contact one of our co-chairs:
Lesley Chapman (lchapman@colgate.edu)
Courtney Baron (courtney.baron@emory.edu)
Follow SEI on Facebook and Twitter: @seiworkshop
2019 VRA Foundation Professional Development Grant: Call for Applications
The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for the VRAF Professional Development Grant program. This program offers two $1000 grants yearly. This grant can be used to support conference participation, enroll in a workshop, for an online education opportunity, or for research activities. For consideration, please submit your application by Friday, February 22, 2019, 11:59pm Pacific Time. If you have any questions about the VRAF Professional Development Grant or the application process, and to submit your application go here: https://goo.gl/forms/mLrZCo7VdQrup3nf2 or please contact the VRAF Board of Directors at vrafoundation@gmail.com. To obtain further details about the VRAF, the VRAF Professional Development Grant, and other VRAF programs, please visit vrafoundation.com. The recipient of the 2019 VRAF Professional Development grant will be announced by Friday, March 1, 2019, and must be used before March 1, 2020.
Purpose:
The purpose of the VRAF Professional Development grant is to support professional development in the field of visual resources and cultural heritage information management. The grant can be used to participate in a professional development opportunity of the grantee’s choosing (such as a conference, symposium, workshop, online education), or to enroll in relevant research activities (such as hands-on field work or a site visit for scholarly purposes). Priority will be given to applications that include participation at a conference (giving a paper, teaching a workshop, chairing a committee, etc.); research that shows promise to lead to publication or contributes to the visual resources and cultural heritage information management community; or to applications that can demonstrate that the receiving the opportunity will have a broader benefit to an institution or region. Please note that recipients of the award are required to submit a report outlining how the award contributed to his or her professional development within 30 days following the event.
Eligibility:
- Applicants should have a professional interest in visual resources and cultural heritage information management, and may include retirees, the currently unemployed, or students seeking educational and training opportunities in support of broad access to cultural information.
- Membership in the Visual Resources Association is not required.
- Statements of financial need will be strongly considered.
Acceptable Uses of Award Money:
- Transportation costs to and from the event venue
- Registration fees or tuition
- Required course materials (e.g., work books, DVDs)
- Lodging
- Meals – including meals in transit to and from the educational event
- Research expenses
Grant monies may not be used to cover indirect costs (a percentage of grant money taken by the grantee’s institution to cover perceived overhead)
Application Criteria:
- A goals statement outlining the opportunity, how it will benefit your work, and any potential contributions this opportunity may allow you to make beyond your own professional development.
- A comprehensive budget and breakdown of your proposed travel, lodging, meal, and other expenses. When costs are estimated, please explain (e.g., “roundtrip airfare on United as determined via Expedia search”; my lodging costs reflect an estimate for a shared room). If your institution requires you to use a specific airline, or has set a corporate airfare rate, please note this in the comments section. Be as clear and complete as possible about other funding support you will receive or are applying for, such as from your home institution, or other grants and awards.
- Your resume/curriculum vitae
Application:
Please submit an online application to be considered for a VRAF Professional Development Grant.
On behalf of the VRA Board of Directors
vrafoundation@gmail.com
vrafoundation.com
https://twitter.com/vrafoundationhttps://www.facebook.com/visrafoundation/
Scholarships available for SEI 2019
The Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) and the Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF), along with the SEI 2019 Implementation Team, are pleased to announce the Samuel H. Kress Foundation Scholarships for the 2019 Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management (SEI), to be held June 4-7, 2019, at the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque.
The Samuel H. Kress Foundation is once again generously funding six scholarships for SEI 2019. This intensive workshop is designed to serve a wide range of information professionals eager to learn about best practices and new technologies and/or update job skills in the realm of digital collections management, as well as to provide significant networking and professional development opportunities. The comprehensive curriculum seeks to address the requirements of today's cultural heritage information professional, including hands-on and lecture modules presented by expert instructors. SEI provides new professionals, current library school students, and mid-career professionals from a wide range of related fields the opportunity to stay current in an ever-evolving digital landscape. Museum professionals, archivists, visual resources professionals, digital librarians, art and architecture librarians, digital project managers, current and recent graduate students, and others in related fields are all encouraged to attend.
Details:
- The six Kress Scholarship recipients will each receive $833 towards the cost of SEI.
- Kress Scholarship applications are due by Friday, February 8, 2018.
- Recipients will be notified no later than Friday, March 8, 2018.
- Each Kress Scholarship recipient will be required to write a report detailing how they benefitted from SEI and the scholarship upon completion of SEI 2019.
Instructions:
- Submit a resume or curriculum vitae and a cover letter (no longer than two pages) describing the effect attending SEI would have on your studies and/or your career.
- All applications will be evaluated by three SEI co-chairs based on the criteria established for the award (including current or future career goals as well as financial need) and any additional directions from the Kress Foundation staff.
- Submit your application materials via e-mail in a single document (PDF preferred), using the following file naming convention: LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_KRESS2019 to SEI 2019 Senior Co-Chair Lesley Chapman at lchapman@colgate.edu.
SEI registration will open January 14, 2019.
VRAF Announces 2018-2019 Internship Award Recipient
The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) Board of Directors announces the 2018-2019 VRAF Internship Award in visual resources and image management. This award was generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.Adelaide McComb, of Louisville, Kentucky, is the winner of the VRA Foundation’s sixth Internship Award. She will receive $3,000 to work a minimum of 200 hours with the Lakota Dream Museum & Monument (https://www.lakotadream.org/). This is a new cultural center in Rapid City, South Dakota, and the first Indigenous-owned museum in the historic Black Hills. Its mission is to provide an accurate interpretation of The Great Plains tribes through documented resources, artifacts, and local historians with the intention to instill knowledge, a strong sense of identity, and hope into the Lakota and all Native people. In addition to a growing collection of religious and sacred objects, its programs include Lakota language revitalization, internships, workforce development, educational scholarships, small business loans, and more.Adelaide is pursuing curatorial studies and non-profit management graduate degrees at the University of Louisville. The objective of this internship is to create a database that captures the historical, visual, and culturally significant aspects of the museum’s artifacts. She will work with archeologists, anthropologists, and historians at the Lakota Dream Museum, and with semantic database experts at Semantic Arts on the software platform and ontology design. Her past experience as a software consultant has given Adelaide a comprehensive understanding of database management. This opportunity will allow her to learn the significance of cultural preservation, heritage, revitalization, and how data affect the way this information is shared. Her academic instruction in curatorial studies will provide guidance in collection exhibitions and visual resource management. Adelaide’s proposal includes a plan for Native youth to eventually receive training in visual resources and image management under the guidance of curatorial and anthropological staff, thus ensuring best practices while enabling community members to gain valuable skills and participate directly in this revitalization of their culture.Adonis Saltes, Chief Executive Officer of the Lakota Dream Museum & Monument, states “under direction from Spiritual Leaders, we elected to not hide our culture. We choose to allow visitors to view personal items which well-known leaders relied upon for strength and direction. They serve to remind us of Lakota who sought protection and direction during the challenging years of their lives…With many experts putting their minds together to help these items continue for generations to come, the historical, curatorial, and cultural context for these objects will help us preserve the culture of the Great Plains. This will be a great opportunity for Lakota Dream to move forward and prosper.”The Foundation is pleased to support the education and practical training of emerging professionals through this internship award. The VRAF Internship Award Committee received excellent applications for many fascinating and important projects this year, which made the selection process difficult. The Internship Award Committee (Linda Callahan, Beth Haas, Carolyn Lucarelli, Maria Nuccilli, and Elaine Paul, Chair) appreciates the careful thought that went into every proposal. We are grateful to the Kress Foundation for its assistance and for recognizing the potential of this award to foster the next generation of visual resource professionals.The VRAF Internship Award is part of the Foundation's mission to advance awareness of important issues for effective digital information management (including intellectual property and copyright); encourage the application of professional standards, innovative technology, and metadata cataloging protocols; and to facilitate workplace training. VRAF supports a range of educational offerings to help ensure that such information reaches a diverse, global audience. For more information about the Visual Resources Association Foundation, its mission and projects, as well as giving opportunities, please visit www.vrafoundation.com, or read the latest issue of our annual report at https://vrafoundation.files.wordpress.com/2018/06/vraf20162017ar.pdf.