Visual Resources Association Foundation Announces 2014 Professional Development Grant Winners
The Board of Directors of the Visual Resources Association Foundation is pleased to announce the presentation of its 2014 VRAF Professional Development Grants to Mark Pompelia, Rhode Island School of Design, and Courtney Baron, University of Georgia. The amount of each award is $850.00.Mark Pompelia, recipient of the grant for Established Career Professional, is Visual + Material Resource Librarian at the Fleet Library, Rhode Island School of Design, in Providence, RI. He will use the award to support his participation at the October 2014 conference of the Art Libraries Society of Australia and New Zealand in Auckland, NZ. He will speak in the session titled, Steady as She Goes: Images and the Visual Resources Association: Preserving the Past while Embracing the Future, organized by VRA colleagues Victoria Brown of Oxford University, UK, and Jennifer Brasher of Griffith University Queensland College of Art Library, Queensland, Australia. Mark’s talk will focus on the “expanded definition of visual resources at the Rhode Island School of Design,” which “has come to include all non-text-based collections and services for RISD’s twenty-two departments and administrative offices of the President, Alumni Affairs, Graduate Studies, and Global Partners and Programs.” Proposed by the new VRA International Chapter, this session was inspired by enthusiasm for the opening session at the 2014 VRA conference in Milwaukee, moderated by Mark, which had a similar theme. This is the first time a VRAF Grant has been awarded to an American attending an international conference, exemplifying the Foundation’s commitment to reaching a diverse and global audience with educational offerings in the field of visual resources and image management.Courtney Baron, recipient of the grant in the Emerging Professional category, serves as the new Visual Resources Curator in the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. She is also working toward her MLIS degree at Valdosta State University, focusing on art and academic librarianship, with the anticipation of finishing in the spring of 2015. Courtney will use the grant to support her participation at the 2015 Visual Resources Association Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. As a first-time VRA conference attendee, Courtney expects to bring back “much needed connections, tools, and ideas” to her home institution. Among the topics she is eager to learn more about are “the changing and growing responsibilities of the visual resources professional, re-envisioning the physical space of visual resources libraries, and supporting the digital humanities.” She would also like to see what collection management systems other professionals are using, since her goals at the University of Georgia include selecting and implementing a new database for their image collection, as well as an institutional archive for their School of Art. Courtney states that although the VRA listserv “has been an invaluable resource” in her pursuit of information about these and other topics, she knows that she “could learn and absorb much more at the annual VRA conference. I know I will put the experience of attending VRA to good use.”The purpose of the VRAF Professional Development Grant is to support professional development in the field of visual resources and image management. In recognition of the differing professional development needs for an emerging professional and an established career professional, two awards are funded annually. Please visit vrafoundation.org for more information.The mission of the VRA Foundation is to advance knowledge in the field of visual resources and image management and to provide educational and training opportunities in support of broad access to cultural information in the digital age. The Foundation advances awareness of important issues for digital information management; encourages the application of professional standards, innovative technology, and metadata cataloging protocols; facilitates workplace training; and promotes awareness of intellectual property rights and copyright issues. The VRA Foundation supports a range of educational offerings to help ensure that such information reaches a diverse and global audience.
Call for 2015 Nominations: the Visual Resources Association Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award
Dear Colleagues, Yes, this is a busy time of year, but the Awards Committee hopes that you will consider developing a nomination packet for a very worthy colleague. We are prepared to help you accomplish this task. A heartfelt thanks to those of you who completed our Mini-survey in June. The information you provided is valuable, indeed. Thank you. Call for 2015 Nominations: the Visual Resources Association Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award Each year the Visual Resources Association’s Awards Committee encourages worthy nominations from the membership for the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) and the Nancy DeLaurier Award (NDL). The DSA honors an individual who has made an outstanding career contribution to the field of visual resources and image management. The NDL, named for one of the pioneers of the visual resources profession, honors either a single individual or a group of visual resources professionals for distinguished achievement in the field. “Achievement” is measured by immediate impact, and may take the form of published work, oral presentation, project management, software development, technology application, web site creation, or other outstanding effort or project. Although nominations for the DSA and the NDL are initiated by Visual Resources Association members, the nominees need not be members of the organization. A nomination dossier should consist of a cover letter from the nominator(s) describing the nature of the achievement, the candidates’ curriculum vitae, and supporting letters and documentation. Electronic nominations via e-mail or a file hosting service such as Dropbox™ are preferred; nomination dossiers are due November 3, 2015. Members of the VRA Awards Committee, upon reviewing submitted dossiers, may recommend one recipient for the Distinguished Service Award and up to two individual recipients or a single group recipient of the Nancy DeLaurier Award in any given cycle. Recommendations are subject to approval by the VRA Executive Board. All nomination dossiers will be retained in the Association Archives. We strongly encourage co-nominators, and the members of the Awards Committee are prepared to offer help and advice. For more information including a list of previous award recipients, please visit the Awards page on the VRA website. We invite you to nominate a worthy colleague for one of these prestigious VRA awards. If you plan to prepare a nomination dossier, please let me know so that I can coordinate the process. With best regards,Margaret N. WebsterChair, VRA Awards Committee
Call for 2015 Nominations: the Visual Resources Association Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award
Each year the Visual Resources Association’s Awards Committee encourages worthy nominations from the membership for the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) and the Nancy DeLaurier Award (NDL). The DSA honors an individual who has made an outstanding career contribution to the field of visual resources and image management. The NDL, named for one of the pioneers of the visual resources profession, honors either a single individual or a group of visual resources professionals for distinguished achievement in the field. “Achievement” is measured by immediate impact, and may take the form of published work, oral presentation, project management, software development, technology application, web site creation, or other outstanding effort or project.
Although nominations for the DSA and the NDL are initiated by Visual Resources Association members, the nominees need not be members of the organization.
A nomination dossier should consist of a cover letter from the nominator(s) describing the nature of the achievement, the candidates’ curriculum vitae, and supporting letters and documentation. Electronic nominations via e-mail or a file hosting service such as Dropbox™ are preferred; nomination dossiers are due November 3, 2015. Members of the VRA Awards Committee, upon reviewing submitted dossiers, may recommend one recipient for the Distinguished Service Award and up to two individual recipients or a single group recipient of the Nancy DeLaurier Award in any given cycle.
Recommendations are subject to approval by the VRA Executive Board. All nomination dossiers will be retained in the Association Archives.
We strongly encourage co-nominators, and the members of the Awards Committee are prepared to offer help and advice. For more information including a list of previous award recipients, please visit the Awards page on the VRA website.
We invite you to nominate a worthy colleague for one of these prestigious VRA awards. If you plan to prepare a nomination dossier, please let me know so that I can coordinate the process.
With best regards,
Margaret N. WebsterChair, VRA Awards Committee
Call for Applications: 2014-2015 Visual Resources Association Foundation Internship Award
Award Description:The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) Internship Award provides financial support for graduate students preparing for a career in visual resources and image management. The award grants $4,000 to support a period of internship in archives, libraries, museums, visual resources collections in academic institutions, or other appropriate contexts. The recipient will receive a stipend of $3,000 for 200 hours completed at host site. A professional development component of $1,000 supports conference attendance or attendance at the Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management. The recipient will receive a one year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association.For consideration, please submit your application by Wednesday, July 31, 2014, 11:59 Pacific Time. If you have any questions about the VRAF Professional Development Grant or the application process, please contact Margaret N. Webster, mnw3@cornell.edu. The recipient of the VRAF Internship Award will be announced by Wednesday, September 12, 2014.Award Amount: The VRAF Internship Award will provide a stipend of $3,000.00 to the intern. Half of the award will be granted prior to the internship, with the remainder granted upon completion of the internship and receipt of a letter to the Chair of the VRAF Internship Committee signed by the internship supervisor and the intern stating that the 200 hours have been completed. If the recipient is not a US citizen, the VRAF is required by the IRS to withhold a percentage of this award.A professional development component of $1,000 is available to support attendance at the national VRA conference, other appropriate conferences, or the Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management. The recipient will be reimbursed upon submission of receipts and documentation. The recipient will receive a one year complimentary student membership in the VRA. The award recipient will be formally recognized during the Awards ceremony at the VRA conference). The grant is for use between September 12, 2014 and September 11, 2015.Eligibility: Applicants should be students currently enrolled in, or having completed within the last 12 months, a graduate program in library or information science, art history, architectural history, architecture, visual or studio art, museum studies, or other applicable field of study may apply for this award. Applicants must have completed at least 10 credits of their graduate coursework before the application deadline, or demonstrate an equivalent combination of coursework and relevant experience.Acceptable Uses of Professional Development Money:A professional development component of $1,000 is available to support attendance at the national VRA conference, other appropriate conferences, or the Summer Educational Institute for Image Management. The recipient will be reimbursed upon submission of receipts and documentation. The award recipient will be formally recognized during the Awards ceremony at the VRA conference.Application Deadline and Decision Announcement:Applications for the 2014-2015 are due Wednesday, July 31, 2014.The award decisions will be publicly announced on Wednesday, September 12, 2014.Guidelines and Application Procedures:http://vrafoundation.org.s119319.gridserver.com/index.php/grants/internship_award/How to Apply:To apply for the award, please submit the following:1. A current resume.2. A current transcript [this does not need to be issued directly from the institution].3. An essay of up to 300 words addressing the applicant’s professional goals, expectations of the internship experience, and any skills or background that might benefit visual resources. A brief description of the proposed project is desirable.4. The names of two professional or scholastic references with address, telephone numbers, and email addresses.5. Recommended, but not required: Host institution and contact information of internship supervisor.Application materials in electronic form are preferred and should be submitted as a single PDF file to:Margaret N. WebsterVisual Resources ConsultantPhone: 607-257-3365Email: mnw3@cornell.edu
Mini Survey for 2015 Distinguished Service and Nancy DeLaurer Awards
The VRA Awards Committee seeks your help in identifying this year's nominees and their nominators. We invite you to submit a very brief mini-survey to help us identify potential nominees and nominators: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/awards_comm. Please complete and submit your survey by July 7, 2014.Each year the Visual Resources Association's Awards Committee encourages worthy nominations from the membership for the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) and the Nancy DeLaurier Award (NDL). The DSA honors an individual who has made an outstanding career contribution to the field of visual resources and image management. The NDL, named for one of the pioneers of the visual resources profession, honors either a single individual or a group of visual resources professionals for distinguished achievement in the field. "Achievement" is measured by immediate impact, and may take the form of published work, oral presentation, project management, software development, technology application, web site creation, or other outstanding effort or project.Although nominations for the DSA and the NDL are initiated by Visual Resources Association members, the nominees need not be members of the organization.A nomination dossier should consist of a cover letter from the nominator(s) describing the nature of the achievement, the candidates’ curriculum vitae, and supporting letters and documentation. Electronic nominations via e-mail or a file hosting service such as Dropbox™ are preferred; nomination dossiers are due November 3, 2015. Members of the VRA Awards Committee, upon reviewing submitted dossiers, may recommend one recipient for the Distinguished Service Award and up to two individual recipients or a single group recipient of the Nancy DeLaurier Award in any given cycle.Recommendations are subject to approval by the VRA Executive Board. All nomination dossiers will be retained in the Association Archives.We strongly encourage co-nominators, and the members of the Awards Committee are prepared to offer help and advice. For more information including a list of previous award recipients, please visit the Awards page on the VRA website.
Thank you for your help in identifying worthy recipients of VRA's distinguished awards. Please consider nominating a worthy colleague for one of these prestigious VRA awards.
All the best,
Margaret WebsterChair, VRA Awards Committee
Travel Award Application - 2014 Conference in Milwaukee, WI
APPLY HEREThe Visual Resources Association offers several awards to assist member attendance at the VRA Annual Conference. Several Tansey Awards are offered each year along with Corporate Travel Awards, New Horizon awards, named individual donor awards, Top-Up awards and student awards. (Please see Types of Awards and announcements on VRA-L for more information.) Selection of recipients is determined by the Travel Awards Committee. The goal of the Travel Awards Program is to encourage and support conference attendance by both new members/conference attendees and veteran members/attendees.The Tansey Travel Award program was started in 1993 with initial funding by Luraine Tansey. She won the Distinguished Service Award that year and requested that her travel expenses reimbursement be used to assist other VRA members with their professional development. This became the seed of the fund, further supplemented when she sent in her first retirement checks (one from teaching art history, and another much smaller one from slide librarianship). The total was matched by the VRA and the Tansey Travel Award Fund was born. The Travel Award Committee, formed in 1993, presented the first five awards of $400 each to VRA attendees of the 1994 New York City conference.The Tansey awards are now funded through fundraising events, VRA member donations, and other VRA funds. Full Tansey awards are now up to $850 each; in addition there are Top-Up awards available up to $599 intended for applicants who have partial institutional funding, and awards for International members of $1,000. There are several corporate sponsors who have funded awards in the past (2013 sponsors were Archivision, Davis Art Images, Gallery Systems, and Saskia, Ltd.). The Travel Awards Committee is very grateful to all of these sponsors. For 2013, two anonymously donated New Horizons awards of $850 and a New Horizons student award of $300 were awarded. In addition, several individual VRA members have sponsored named awards, for example the Kathe Hicks Albrecht Award and the Joseph C. Taormina Memorial Award.The Travel Awards Committee especially encourages applications from new members/first time conference attendees, veteran members who have not had funds to attend conferences, international members, solo, isolated, and part-time VR professionals, students considering careers in visual resources, and any member actively participating in the conference who lacks sufficient funding to attend.Travel Award Recipients Since the Founding of the ProgramTravel Award InformationTravel Award Rules, Guidelines, and TipsAwards Committee