Call for VREPS Participants, VRA Milwaukee 2014

Do you have an idea to present at a VREPS session during VRA 2014 Conference  in Milwaukee?We’re looking for participants in two separate sessions, one about new directions for visual resource professionals and the other about transforming VRC into teaching and learning centers. Each of the sessions will have 3-4 speakers who will be expected to speak for about 15-20 minutes with time for questions and answers.After we hear from you we’ll propose the sessions for Milwaukee 2014. The deadline is July 15th!! We want to hear from interested participants by the 12th so we can put it all together!!What we need from you: Simply your name and the title/subject of your presentation                    Below are the descriptions of the two sessions:–Working Title: New Frontiers in Visual Resources ManagementAbstract:As the use of images to document and share becomes an increasingly vital component of many academic fields and professional arenas, new opportunities for professionals with visual resources skills are emerging in non-traditional environments. This session will explore the challenges, successes, and pitfalls of curating and managing images outside the traditional art history context. Case studies will discuss various image environments including commercial, academic, and non-profit environments.–Working Title: The Teaching Turn: From Static Collections to Dynamic Learning CentersAbstract:Much of the business of creating and disseminating images has moved away from individual academic departments and isolated image collections toward centralized cross-discipline departments. This has left many visual resource centers looking for new ways to engage users and support the educational goals of their institutions. One way centers are meeting these new challenges is by transforming from being a storage silo for physical slide collections to being a collaborative learning space where students and faculty alike can come to work on projects and refine imaging and videography skills. As many resource centers make this move toward more teaching and learning, the physical spaces and skill sets of employees have also shifted. This session will examine case studies of visual resource centers programming that is directed to teaching imaging skills and how this new role is shifting their profile within their institutions. If you have questions or a proposal idea contact Anna Bernhard at anna.bernhard@colostate.edu or Heather Lowe at HLowe@csusb.edu