VRA Honors VRA Core 4.0 Developers Esme Cowles, Ben Kessler, Trish Rose-Sandler, and Jan Eklund with 2015 Nancy DeLaurier Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETHE VRA HONORS ESMÉ COWLES, JAN EKLUND, BEN KESSLER, AND TRISH ROSE-SANDLER WITH 2015 NANCY DELAURIER AWARDMarch 18, 2016 -¬- The Visual Resources Association is pleased to announce Esmé Cowles, Jan Eklund, Ben Kessler, and Trish Rose-Sandler as the 2015 of the Nancy DeLaurier Award in recognition of their groundbreaking work in developing VRA Core 4.0 and the accompanying XML schema. The award was presented by Johanna Bauman and Maureen Burns at the third ARLIS/NA + VRA joint conference convocation ceremony held in Seattle, Washington on Friday, March 11, 2016.The Nancy DeLaurier Award, named for one of the pioneers of the visual resources profession, annually honors a visual resources professional 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, website creation, or other outstanding effort. Johanna Bauman observed, “as a data structure standard, VRA Core 4.0 now stands along Cataloging Cultural Objects and the Getty Vocabularies in receiving official recognition with the receipt of this DeLaurier Award, and the colleagues primarily responsible for this standards trifecta have now been fully acknowledged.”The many letters of support for the VRA Core 4.0 nomination highlight the distinction of this accomplishment. Marcia Zeng remarked, “VRA Core 4.0 has charted a patch to transcent the information silos of past systems by facilitating the construction of interoperable and sharable data…The impact of VRA Core 4.0 is so significant that virtually all ALA accredited library and information science programs now teach it.”In Trish’s acceptance speech she noted: "Our goal with Core 4 was to provide a data structure that was both modular and flexible so that it could easily be adapted to … changes and the recent RDF expression of the Core indicates its inherent versatility." She continues with a warning, “…a data standard is not just something you publish and walk away from if you really want to see it survive and thrive. It is a living, breathing thing that has to be actively sustained.”The members of the VRA Awards Committee are: Margaret Webster (Chair), Linda Callahan, Lise Hawkos, Jodi Hoover, Erin, McCall, Martine Sherrill, Marsha Taichman, and John Trendler (Awards Committee Board Liaison).About the Visual Resources AssociationThe Visual Resources Association (VRA) is a multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to furthering research and education in the field of image and media management within the educational, cultural heritage, and commercial environments. The Association is committed to providing leadership in the visual resources field, developing and advocating standards, and offering educational tools and opportunities for the benefit of the community at large. VRA implements these goals through publication programs and educational activities.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::VRA Core on the WebVRA Core Schemas and Documentation (Library of Congress Official Site)VRA Core Support Pages
VRA Core RDF Ontology Available for Review
A working group setup through the VRA Core Oversight Committee (Core OC) has released an initial draft of a VRA Core RDF Ontology. The RDF Ontology is based on the Core 4.0 XML Schema and is available along with an XLST stylesheet that will convert VRA Core 4.0 compliant XML in RDF. Representing a VRA Core description in RDF allows for exposing rich VRA Core metadata as Linked Data, so that the descriptions may be widely shared and interact with other Linked Data resources on the Web, such as the ongoing project to release the Getty Vocabularies as linked open data. Together, these tools will allow museums, libraries and archives to increase exposure of their content online, allowing people to more easily find relevant images of cultural heritage objects, sites, and subjects.The Ontology, XSLT conversion stylesheet as well as example records can be found on GitHub at the following link https://github.com/mixterj/VRA-RDF-Project). The Ontology can be viewed here http://purl.org/vra/.Comments and questions are welcomed. Please feel free to submit them over the VRA Core listserv, which you can join at this link http://listserv.loc.gov/listarch/vracore.html, on the GitHub repo page or email them directly to Jeff Mixter (mixterj@oclc.org).Working Group members:Jeff Mixter, Software Engineer, OCLCRebecca Guenther, Metadata Specialist at Rebecca Guenther ConsultingTrish Rose-Sandler, Data Analyst, Center for Biodiversity Informatics, Missouri Botanical GardenMichael Dulock, Metadata Librarian, University of Colorado Boulder LibrariesEsme Cowles, Software Engineer, UC San Diego Libraries::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::VRA Core on the WebVRA Core Schemas and Documentation (Library of Congress Official Site)VRA Core Support Pages
New VRA Core 4.0 Introduction document available
The VRA Core Oversight Committee (Core OC) is pleased to announce the availability of a new document - VRA Core 4.0 Introduction (dated 10.28.2014)This document replaces the Introduction document created in 2007 which has now been renamed How to convert Version 3.0 to Version 4.0 and moved to Previous Versions/4.0.Our goal with the new document was to create a very focused and succinct overview of the 4.0 version that is more appropriate for people encountering the standard for the first time.The new document is available from the VRA Core Schemas and Documentation page at http://www.loc.gov/standards/vracore/schemas.html::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::VRA Core on the WebVRA Core Schemas and Documentation (Library of Congress Official Site)VRA Core Support Pages
VRA Core Website Receives a 4.5 out of 5 Rating from the Technical Services Quarterly
In a "Tech Services on the Web" review from the December 2013 issue of Technical Services Quarterly the VRA Core website received a rating of 4.5 out of 5. The review praised the website for providing "a veritable treasure trove of implementation examples, presentations, and other important information for those thinking of using or who have already implemented VRA."Eustis, J. (2013). Tech Services on the Web: Visual Resources Association's VRA Core; Eustis, J. (2013). Tech Services on the Web: Visual Resources Association's VRA Core; http://www.loc.gov/standards/VRAcore. Technical Services Quarterly, 30(4), 441-442.. Technical Services Quarterly, 30(4), 441-442.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::VRA Core on the WebVRA Core Schemas and Documentation (Library of Congress Official Site)VRA Core Support Pages
VRA Core Copyright and Licensing Information Available
The licensing terms and conditions for using the VRA Core Schema and Documentation in software, computer applications, and publications are now available at: http://core.vraweb.org/pdfs/VRACoreLicensing.pdf.We are pleased to make the schema available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::VRA Core on the WebVRA Core Schemas and Documentation (Library of Congress Official Site)VRA Core Support Pages
Introduction to VRA Core Webinar Hosted by NEDCC - 10/30/2013
October 30, 2013
Introduction to VRACore
12:30 pm Eastern (1 hr)$45Registration deadline: October 29, 2013Maximum class size: 95Class level: BeginnerInstructor: Frances Harrell, NEDCC Preservation SpecialistLocation: Live "Brown Bag" SessionThis live webinar offers a deeper exploration of VRACore, providing information on its history and uses, and resources for further investigation. Participants will become familiar with the VRACore element set for describing works of visual culture. Best practices for implementation will be covered as well. The webinar builds upon concepts discussed in the Introduction to Metadata webinar, but can be taken as a standalone course.
Logistics
45 Minute Session plus15 Minutes for QuestionsFor more information go here: http://www.nedcc.org/preservation-training/training-calendar::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::VRA Core on the WebVRA Core Schemas and Documentation (Library of Congress Official Site)VRA Core Support Pages
VRA Core 4.0 to Linked Data Conversion
VRA Forms Advisory Group for the VRA Core
The VRA Board has appointed the following individuals to serve two-year terms in the Advisory Group to the VRA Core Oversight Committee.(April 2012/April 2014):
- Johanna Bauman, Pratt Institute (Co-Chair)
- Trish Rose-Sandler, Data Analyst, Center for Biodiversity Informatics, Missouri Botanical Garden (Co-Chair)
- Esme Cowles, Software Engineer, UC San Diego Libraries
- Rob Detlefs, Director, Strategic Initiatives at Gallery Systems
- Rebecca Guenther, Metadata Specialist at Rebecca Guenther Consulting, (formerly Senior Networking and Standards Specialist at Library of Congress (LC)
- Elisa Lanzi, Director of Imaging Center, Smith College
- Kelcy Shepherd, Head of Digital Programs, Amherst College
- Dustin Wees, Director of Metadata and Cataloging, ARTstor\
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VRA Core Survey Analysis Now Available
An analysis of the VRA Core Survey which was conducted from February-March of 2010 is now available. This analysis gives insight into the needs of current and potential users of the VRA Core and will help guide its future direction.Link to Survey Results.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::VRA Core on the WebVRA Core Schemas and Documentation (Library of Congress Official Site)VRA Core Support Pages
VRA Core 4.0 Implementation Registry Now Available
As part of the feedback received from the Core survey there is now a VRA Core Implementation Registry available. The registry provides an opportunity for current and potential users to view publicly available implementations of the standard. If you would like to add your collection to the registry please contact Trish Rose-Sandler (trosesandler@gmail.com)::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::VRA Core on the WebVRA Core Schemas and Documentation (Library of Congress Official Site)VRA Core Support Pages