February 2025 - VRA Board Buzz 🐝

Greetings from the VRA Executive Board! 

Spring is nearly here. May this season of renewal bring you fresh beginnings. 

This year the Board has been busy with new recruitments. We are currently in the process of filling a Membership Software Implementation Manager position along with several Board member roles. 

Feel free to reach out to us if you come across any positions that align with your career goals or interests. Regardless of the hiring outcome, it’s a great opportunity to showcase your passion, build confidence, and refine your interview skills. Plus, as we get to know you better, we’ll actively look for future opportunities to collaborate. 

We will officially announce our decisions on Thursday, March 27th, during the Annual VRA Midyear Business Meeting. Look for an official invitation coming soon. All are invited to join us! At the event, I will give a brief speech on the State of the Association, followed by presentations from committee chairs on their activities. You will also have the chance to meet the new Board members and appointees. It will be a great opportunity to get to know the organization better. 

Thank you!

Xiaoli

VRA Open Calls, Reminders, and Announcements

VRA 2025 Call for Proposals is Now Open!

The Visual Resources Association invites proposals for our 2025 Annual Conference, to be held at the Porter Hotel in Portland, OR, October 7–9, 2025. The submission deadline is Friday, March 14, 2025, at 11:59 pm PDT.

View the full call for proposals here. Whether you are a current member or a potential attendee, we encourage you to reflect on your experiences, ideas, and expertise. Please direct any questions about the submission process to VRA’s Directors for Events & Initiatives at initiatives@vraweb.org

VRA Membership Software Implementation Manager: Deadline Extended

The Visual Resources Association (VRA) is looking for a paid part-time temporary Membership Software Implementation Manager to help us transition to a new membership management software. You can read more about the position and how to apply on our website. The deadline to apply has been extended to next Thursday, February 27th.

Announcing the 2025 VRA Professional Development Grant 

VRA is pleased to invite applications for the 2025-2026 VRA Professional Development Grant. Applications are accepted February 3 – March 14, 2025. You can read more about the application process on our website.

Apply for an SEI Scholarship by March 10th

The Summer Educational Institute for the Digital Stewardship of Visual Information is now accepting applications for 25 Samuel H. Kress Foundation scholarships to attend the 2025 Summer Educational Institute for Digital Stewardship of Visual Information (SEI), taking place virtually June 16-27, 2025. Learn more about the program and how to apply on the SEI website.

VRA Bulletin Winter 2024 Edition Out Now!

The Winter 2024 issue of the VRA Bulletin (VRAB) is now available. This issue seeks to tackle how we, as digital humanists, archivists, librarians, and otherwise find solid ground to work from as we face an onslaught of precarity exacerbated by systemic injustice.

December 2024 - VRA Board Buzz 🐝

Happy Holidays! 

As the year draws to a close, let's take a moment to congratulate ourselves on a job well done in 2024! It's also the perfect time to reflect on the past year, and to look ahead to a new year and fresh perspectives.

 Let's begin with the conference. This year's event was fantastic, and we received positive feedback on aspects like the hotel accommodations and the programming, as well as suggestions of how we can do better in certain areas next year. For the next conference, the Board and the Conference Planning group will certainly strive to maintain the high standards we've set while addressing the areas that need improvement. Meanwhile, the Board is also considering a larger question: does our conference model ensure the sustainable growth of the organization?

 Since resuming in-person conferences, VRA has provided a hybrid model to accommodate members with varying circumstances and preferences. However, the hybrid format requires significant coordination and resources. As highlighted in the August entry of the Board Buzz, the annual conference remains VRA's largest expense, and the virtual portion of the conference accounts for the majority of our AV bill. 

 Budget aside, to continue offering a hybrid conference that meets the needs of both in-person and virtual attendees, we urgently need volunteers to help plan and run the hybrid portion of the event. Without strong volunteer support, we will not be able to offer a hybrid option in 2025. If you’re passionate about ensuring the accessibility and inclusivity of VRA’s conferences, we encourage you to step forward now to help make the hybrid experience possible. We will have a separate call for volunteers in early January, but feel free to reach out to the conference planning team at initiatives@vraweb.org before then if you are interested in supporting the hybrid option.

 Since the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of new conference models have emerged across our field. Some organizations now hold two conferences annually: one in person and one completely virtual. Within these organizations, some opt for differing content between the virtual and in-person conferences, while others maintain similar content for both. Additionally, some organizations experiment by alternating between in-person and virtual conferences each year. What insights can VRA gain from these examples?

 Much has changed in the past four years. Many institutions have reduced travel budgets, and some members have become accustomed to meeting virtually. However, we have all experienced the ways in which virtual meetings can not fully replace in-person interactions. Moreover, the spontaneous networking opportunities and camaraderie that arise during in-person conferences are invaluable. How can VRA effectively support both virtual and in-person communications while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the organization? We welcome any thoughts you may have.

 Next, let’s discuss membership management. Under the leadership of Ann McShane, the former VRA Treasurer, and with contributions from Lise Hawkos, our long-term Membership Coordinator; Emily Smith, the current Public Relations and Communication Officer; and Wen Nie Ng, a VRA member since 2022, the Task Force has completed its goal and identified more cost-effective solutions for platforms to manage VRA's membership. You can read their report here. The Board extends its deep appreciation for their efforts, which have established a solid foundation for planning the transition from the current platform to the new one. Stay tuned for more information about this transition.

Indeed, there is a lot happening within VRA, including awarding scholarships and grants, and holding our ever-successful Summer Educational Institute and Regional Workshop Program. Behind the scenes in every area of our organization, there are passionate individuals dedicated to keeping VRA running smoothly. We invite you to consider joining us and becoming part of this dynamic team. Below is the current self-nomination call for Board positions.  

As always, please don’t hesitate to share ideas or thoughts with the Board. We can be reached at board@vraweb.org

We love hearing from you!

Relish the wonderful holiday season,

Xiaoli

VRA Call for Self-Nomination

The VRA is still seeking volunteers for two Board positions. Terms of office will begin in Spring 2025 following a period of shadowing the current officers. Benefits of serving on the Board include complimentary membership, conference registration, as well as reimbursement for VRA-related travel. Hour-long board meetings currently occur on a monthly basis, with longer meetings at mid-year and the annual conference. Please find descriptions of the open roles below and see if one of them might be right for you! Self-nomination is encouraged. 

President-Elect - The President-Elect serves one year as President-Elect, followed by a two-year term as President of VRA. During their term as President-Elect, they learn from the current President, work on special projects, and become familiar with the non-profit structure of VRA. The President sets the tone for VRA’s activities during their term, leading board meetings and adjudicating votes on issues.

Officer - The Officer is a special board appointment made to run projects outside the general duties of named board roles. This role is explicitly defined loosely, meant to be given a responsibility to fit the current moment. For the 2025–2026 term, we envision this role as primarily working with the Directors for Events and Initiatives to help plan the annual VRA conference. This might entail coordinating tours and events, researching local attractions, and other projects as needed.

This is a great opportunity to practice leadership skills while working with a remarkable team to support a global community. If you are interested, please contact board@vraweb.org for more information by Friday, January 10th.

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. 

August 2024 - VRA Board Buzz

Ciao! How’s your August? Is it a busy time? 

Have you ever been curious about how the Board manages VRA’s finances? 

As mentioned on the History page of VRA website, VRA emerged from meetings of visual resource curators in the late 1960s. Since its inception, VRA has been dedicated to uniting professionals with specialized technical expertise and knowledge in areas such as art making, art history, museum practices, and cultural studies, to support each other and develop best practices. VRA supports a highly select group of cross-disciplinary professionals who explore topics that extend beyond the scope of established groups like libraries, archives, museums, and digital asset management organizations.

As a non-profit organization, VRA is primarily funded by membership dues, donations, and investment earnings. Currently, membership dues alone do not cover the costs of essential services we offer to our community, including awards, grants, workshops, publications, and more.

Each spring, the Board reviews the budget plan prepared by the Treasurer, making decisions based on the previous year’s expenses and requests from committees and groups. Naturally, current financial trends play a significant role in shaping these decisions. The Board aims to keep expenses reasonably low, directing funds to key areas that sustain VRA’s operations and special projects. While budget requests to support members’ initiatives are welcomed, the Board remains cautious to avoid jeopardizing VRA’s financial stability. It’s a balancing act.

The annual conference is always the largest expense for VRA. Costs include, but are not limited to, a hotel contract that includes equipment and room rentals as well as food and beverages and as well as fees for invited speakers. Although increasing registration fees significantly is an option, the Board believes it is essential to keep the conference affordable. Balancing these factors can be challenging, but ensuring the success of this annual event remains a top priority.

One important aspect of the conference is sponsorships. The Board greatly appreciates the support of conference sponsors, whose contributions alleviate financial pressure and enhance the conference program. Potential sponsors, if you have yet to complete your sponsorship, don’t worry! There are still sponsorships available for VRA 2024.

Additionally, the Board frequently explores alternative strategies to alleviate conference expenses. If you have ideas to help improve the conference, please consider joining the Conference Experience Planning Group or running for the board. The two Director for Events and Initiatives positions switch off every other year, so there is always room to get involved!

Despite the many uncertainties the Board faces, one thing is clear: your participation in the conference is valuable to both the visual resources profession and the VRA as an organization. With the 2024 conference just about two months away, there's still time to plan your trip. VRA exists to facilitate connections and growth among members who share similar professional passions, so don’t miss this annual opportunity to strengthen your network and deepen your connections with colleagues. 

If conferences feel out of reach, join us for a workshop instead, or take part in a community hour with the Equitable Action Committee. Every way you engage with the community makes a difference for both you and the organization. 

I hope this message offers insight into how the Board manages the conference finances. If you’re interested in more detailed financial information and specific money figures, please refer to the Treasurer’s Report for the fiscal year 2022 and 2023 by Ann McShane, or feel free to reach out to the Board. If you have ideas to assist the Board with this aspect of work, consider joining the Financial Advisory Committee also led by Ann. I also want to thank Ann and Will Fenton, our past and current Treasurers, for sharing their knowledge with me on this topic. 

Best,

Xiaoli 

Special thanks goes to this year’s conference sponsors: 

JSTOR (ITHAKA) — Platinum Sponsor

ExLibris, Part of Clarivate — Gold Sponsor

vrcHost — Bronze Sponsor

VRA Happenings & Reminders

VRA 2024 Annual Conference Early Bird Registration Ends Soon!

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. Register before September 6th to take advantage of reduced Early Bird registration rates. 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 Travel Awards Recipients!

The VRA Travel Awards Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of Travel Awards for the 2024 VRA conference in Minneapolis, MN. The application pool this year was strong and we are pleased to be able to fund eleven excellent applications. Check out the full list of recipients on the VRA blog.

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. 

July 2024 - VRA Board Buzz

Hi there—Happy Summer! I hope you have a fantastic summer that's just right—not too hot, rainy, or dry. 

Is now a good time to reflect on why you joined VRA? I joined to learn more about the field and to develop useful skills. To achieve that goal, I joined committees. VRA has about 10 committees and special interests groups, covering quite a few areas, and the details are here. 

I joined the VRA Core Oversight Committee, now merged into Cataloging and Metadata Standard Committee (CaMS), because I was interested in knowing more about VRA Core, the metadata structure standard developed by this very community back in 1996. In its fourth version, VRA Core is an internationally recognized metadata standard for describing works of visual culture and their surrogates, the media files created through digitization to represent the works in the digital realm. For decades, VRA Core has been integrated into schemes and tools to record cultural objects and related media files. The primary document, VRA Core 4.0 Element Description and Tagging Examples was first made available in English, followed by Italian, Greek and Chinese. 

Another metadata standard developed by this community and published in 2006 is Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO). Also internationally recognized, CCO guides the creation of record field content for cultural artifacts, such as those in visual culture. VRA Core and CCO complement each other: VRA Core provides guidance on the overall metadata schema, including which fields to include in cataloging environments and the sources of controlled vocabularies for some fields, while CCO focuses on specific tasks, such as forming titles when they are unknown and handling unknown creators. Though they work marvelously together, VRA Core and CCO can also be applied individually when developing or modifying metadata guidelines for specific projects.

Now, 28 years after the first version of VRA Core was released and 18 years since CCO was published, two sub-committees at CaMS are working parallelly to expand and update both VRA Core and CCO. Isn't that exciting? 

The work began a year ago, and this year, both sub-committees have made significant progress. VRA Core subcommittee have completed the review of VRA Core, identifying areas for expansion to enhance accessibility features, facilitate geographic location tagging and multiple language support. The VRA Core 5.0 draft scheme is coming out, potentially, for the community review before it is finalized. CCO, being a much larger document, requires more time to review, and the focus is to identify the areas that should be updated in response to widely-adopted cataloging approaches and newly established practices in critique cataloging. Preliminary planning has been done and the review is in process at a steady speed. The two subcommittees are currently discussing how to present the upcoming updates in an intuitive manner. At the same time, they are considering applying for major grants to cover expenses on  professionals and services if needed. 

If you want to join them, it’s not too late! The CCO subcommittee especially needs more participants. CaMS sent out emails to ask for volunteers last Friday. Feel free to approach CaMS now for this opportunity. Please contact the whole committee at vra-cams@googlegroups.com. Use “CCO Review Volunteer” as the Subject Line. 

Joining the committee is a fantastic opportunity to develop new skills, expand your network, and contribute to something bigger than yourself. In this case, you'll not only become more familiar with established metadata standards, but also play a key role in integrating the latest advancements of many fields into these standards, benefiting users worldwide. 

BTW, CaMS will have a new co-chair -- Grant Mandarino. Grant currently works for Providence Archives in Seattle as Visual Resources Archivist. He holds an MLIS from Simmons University and a PhD in Art History from the University of MIchigan. Starting August, he will work with CaMS’ long-term chair Leah Constatine to co-lead CaMS starting August. Leah has led CaMS solely for a few years. She has not only established effective communication within the committee but has also sustained major initiatives and facilitated the committee's growth. Kudos to Leah! As Leah transitions to the role of co-chair and later a committee member, Grant and Leah are now actively recruiting another co-chair to begin in 2025. Another opportunity knocks! :)

Best,

Xiaoli Ma

President

Visual Resources Association

VRA Happenings & Reminders

VRA 2024 Annual Conference Registration is Open Now!

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. Register now to take advantage of reduced Early Bird registration rates. Check out the conference website for more information. The program is available on Sched, with full descriptions of each session.

VRA Awards Nominations Open until July 26th

The VRA Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the 2024 Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award. These awards exist to honor outstanding efforts and people in visual resources that may otherwise go unrecognized. The dossiers for the Awards are due by Friday, July 26th, and should be sent to: vra.awards@gmail.com.

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. 

VRA Regional Workshop Season

The VRA is pleased to announce its 2024 Workshop Season! Check out the full schedule 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.

June 2024 - Introducing VRA "Board Buzz"

Hello all, I am Xiaoli.

Summertime Salutations!

To start, I am thrilled to introduce (again) our new executive Board that formally started in April 2024. Each member brings unparalleled passion and innovative ideas to our organization. Will Fenton, Treasure, brings in rich experience in professional organization treasury management. Meanwhile, Emily Smith, Public Relations and Communication Officer, possesses the right skill sets to craft a well-rounded strategy, fostering connections among members and facilitating resource sharing (this newsletter is one product of this strategy). Jon Cartledge, Secretary, and Liz Gadelha, Grants Officer, have been valuable members of the Board for several years. Jon has meticulously organized all Board files and consistently provided valuable insights from past Board communications to aid decision-making. Liz has efficiently optimized grants management processes and led the selection of grant applications following the merger of VRA and VRAF. Jon and Liz, not only do they support the Board in their respective functional areas, but they also connect the current Board with the past Boards through their knowledge about VRA’s history and traditions. Lastly, we are fortunate to have an outstanding planning team on the Board. This team is headed by Maria Nuccilli, Senior Director for Events and Initiatives, supporting her are Molly Schoen, Junior Director for Events and Initiatives and Nadine McAllister, Officer. They worked tirelessly, collaborating with hotels, institutions, individuals and VRA groups to organize this upcoming conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 8-10, 2024. (Check out the program and register soon to secure the Early Bird Registration.)

This year, we received numerous excellent proposals. To select and then to organize them into a coherent conference was daunting, but the Education Committee willingly undertook this challenge. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Committee for their dedication and hard work. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Allan Kohl for his help. As a Minneapolis local, he has provided unwavering support to the conference planning team, ensuring that the conference comes together, and on schedule. Thank you, Allan Kohl! 

Further exciting news: a new task force has been established! 

Led by our past Treasure Ann McShane, joined by our long-term membership coordinator Lise Hawkos (the lady who contacted you when you first joined VRA) and the current Public Relations and Communication Officer, Emily Smith, this task force, named as Membership Services Software Task Force, will evaluate various membership management software options to identify a more cost-effective solution for managing VRA membership. Currently VRA uses MemberClicks to manage membership, and VRA has used it for many years. With technology advances daily, it’s essential to explore whether there are better, more cost-effective options available. Save a little, gain a lot. We look forward to the task force’s report to be presented during the conference. The group meets every Thursday at 4-4:45 EDT/3-3:45 CDT/2-2:45 MDT/1-1:45 PDT. If you are interested in this type of work, join the task force. Contact Ann at ann.mcshane@emory.edu.  

 That’s all from me for now. 

The new Board looks forward to working with all of you. This year’s annual conference will surely be exceptional, and the registration is now open! Please join the Membership Services Software Task Force!

Best,

Xiaoli Ma

President, Visual Resources Association

VRA Happenings & Reminders

VRA 2024 Annual Conference Registration is Open Now!

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. Register now to take advantage of reduced Early Bird registration rates. Check out the conference website for more information. The program is available on Sched, with full descriptions of each session.

VRA 2024 Call for Posters

The VRA Conference Planning Committee welcomes applications for in-person poster presenters at the conference. Unfortunately, at this time there is no virtual option for posters. The poster session will be held Wednesday, October 9, 4:30 p.m. CDT. Submit you poster via this form. The application deadline is Monday, July 8, 11:59 p.m. PDT.

VRA Travel Awards Submissions Open until July 8th

We are delighted to announce that VRA Travel Awards are available for attendance at the 2024 VRA conference in Minneapolis. Applications can be submitted via this form by Monday, July 8, 11:59 pm EDT​. The list of recipients will be announced on the VRA listserv the week of July 31. Contact our committee at travelawards@vraweb.org with any questions.

VRA Awards Nominations Open until July 26th

The VRA Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the 2024 Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award. These awards exist to honor outstanding efforts and people in visual resources that may otherwise go unrecognized. The dossiers for the Awards are due by Friday, July 26th, and should be sent to: vra.awards@gmail.com.

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. 

VRA Regional Workshop Season

The VRA is pleased to announce its 2024 Workshop Season! Register now for our popular Events Made Easy workshop, July 11th & 12th 3-5pm EST both days. Full workshop details and registration links are available on the website. 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.