September 2024 - VRA Board Buzz 🐝

Greetings!

Can you believe we’re more than halfway through September already? And just a few weeks away from VRA 2024 Minneapolis! I know for many of us, this is often the busiest time of year. Because of that, I’ll try my best to keep this month’s Board Buzz short and sweet.

When I look back at my professional development, it all started with VRA. I joined as an MLIS student in 2016 on the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Molly Schoen!). The first time I ever presented a poster was at the Louisville conference in 2017, and as a recent graduate, I had the chance to digitize 100+ years of records and ephemera from Detroit’s Scarab Club thanks to a VRA grant. After a few years sitting on the sidelines of VRA during a shift in my career, last year I rejoined and jumped headfirst into conference planning halfway through the process for VRA 2023 San Antonio after my belated appointment to the Executive Board as Jr. Director for Events & Initiatives. It was baptism by fire, but I enjoyed the challenge. Now, as the main conference planner for VRA 2024, I like my role most of all because it’s a way to help create opportunities for our attendees, much like the ones I benefited from earlier in my professional journey. 

I am so proud of what the Conference Planning Team has accomplished this year. We set high standards for ourselves, and they have paid off. I also want to give a huge thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal to the conference, as well as the many volunteers, presenters, and moderators who ensure everything runs according to plan. Without your hard work (and behind-the-scenes form wizardry via Membership Coordinator Lise Hawkos) there is no conference.

VRA 2024 Minneapolis Conference Planning Team:

• Maria Nuccilli, Senior Director for Events & Initiatives | Wayne State University

• Molly Schoen, Junior Director for Events & Initiatives | Fashion Institute of Technology

• Nadine McAllister, Officer & Conference Experience Liaison | Brown University

• Emily Smith, Public Relations & Communications Officer | Oakland Museum of California

• Meghan Rubenstein, Technology Advisor | Colorado College

• Otto Luna, Co-Chair, Education Committee | University of New Hampshire

• Amy McKenna, Co-Chair, Education Committee | Williams College

• Ann McShane, Conference Experience Planning Group | Emory University

• Margaret McKee, Conference Experience Planning Group | The Menil Collection

• Allan Kohl, Conference Experience Planning Group | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

I also want to recognize all the work that goes into making this program fully hybrid: apart from a few events, all conference programming will be livestreamed for remote attendees, and several sessions have both in-person and remote presenters. Despite sitting in Teams and Zoom meetings most days of the week, I must admit that before I got involved in hybrid conference planning, I didn’t realize the amount of work (or the amount of money) it takes to pull off, especially for a small organization like VRA. On the flipside, many in our profession have faced reduced or eliminated professional development budgets in recent years, and offering a virtual option is one way to make attendance accessible (in more ways than one). Please know that these are important considerations as we consider what a sustainable model for Annual Conferences can be going forward. Whatever your reason is for participating remotely, we are honored that you choose to dedicate time to our conference. Thank you, and we hope to see you on this year’s Slack channel!

For on-site attendees, I encourage you to take advantage of the social opportunities, meals, and coffee breaks we have integrated into this year’s program. Check out Sched for events like Dine-Arounds, the newly-added Members Night Out, and Meet at Mia. Also not to be missed are the conference kickoff festivities at Tuesday’s Welcome Reception, and the triumphant return of the VRAffle at Wednesday’s Community Happy Hour.

Full disclosure: I get that networking, especially when you’re new to an organization, can feel weird or intimidating. I happen to be an extrovert, but four years into the pandemic I can still feel out of practice, and often battle imposter syndrome. Whatever your career stage or capacity for in-person social events, please know that VRA is intended to be a friendly, welcoming space for members both new and seasoned. Old pros, go out of your comfort zone – it is up to us to invite people in. Our conference is truly what we make it!

Here's the part in the email where I ask you to think about how you can get involved with VRA in the next year. We have four Executive Board positions opening up in 2025: President Elect, Secretary, Grants Officer, and Jr. Director of Events & Initiatives. A formal call will be going out before the upcoming conference, and the current board encourages members of all experience levels to consider self-nominating for any open position. If you’re looking for a smaller commitment, there are plenty of other opportunities: you could join a committee, sign up to be a mentor, submit an article to the VRA Bulletin, or get involved in next year’s conference.

In close, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in making VRA 2024 Minneapolis possible, from the dedicated planning team to all of our contributors, sponsors, and attendees. Your support and participation are what make our community so special, and I can’t wait to see the connections and opportunities that will emerge at this year’s event. Whether in person or virtually, I look forward to sharing the experience with you in just a few short weeks!

See you in Minneapolis,

 Maria Nuccilli

Senior Director for Events & Initiatives

VRA Happenings & Reminders

Registration for the VRA 2024 Annual Conference is still available!

The conference will be held October 8–10, 2024, at the Embassy Suites in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, MN. VRA 2024 follows a single-track hybrid conference model. If you missed out on our hotel block, we have compiled a list of other hotels in the area. Check out the conference website for more information. The program is available on Sched, with full descriptions of each session. If you’ve never been to Minneapolis, the Attendee Guide is a good place to start learning about the local area.

Announcing the 2024-2025 VRA Project Grant

VRA is pleased to invite applications for the 2024-2025 VRA Project Grant. Applications are accepted September 16 – November 1, 2024. The Project Grant awards up to $4,000 to support projects in the field of visual resources and image management. A complete description of the Project Grant and application instructions are available on our website.

Register for the Next VRA Online Regional Workshop: "How to Sustainably Utilize Drones for Research and the Classroom," Sept 27th 12-4:30PM EDT

The next workshop of the VRA 2024 Workshop Season is coming soon! Check out the full description on our website and register here. If you have any questions, please send an email to the Regional Workshop Implementation Team at vraf.rwit@gmail.com.

New for this season: VRA members will receive a nearly 25% discount on all of our workshop registration fees! For online workshops, the VRA member rate is $50 and the non-member rate is $65.

VRA Bulletin 50th Anniversary Edition Out Now!

The 50th Anniversary Edition of the VRA Bulletin (VRAB) is now available. This special edition celebrates 50 years of VRAB and all of the editors, advisors, and authors who have contributed to its legacy.