VRA Quarterly Newsletter | Summer 2022

Summer 2022 Association News

New Membership Fees

This April the VRA introduced new, reduced membership rates to lower barriers to membership. The following rates went into effect May 1st: 

Student, Retired, Unemployed, and New Member = $50

Individual = $100

VRA Advocate = $150

Institutional = $250

Visit MyVRA to renew or join.

VRA-VRAF Merger Update

On January 19, 2022, the Visual Resources Association (VRA) and Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) merged into a single 501(c)(3) and assumed the name Visual Resources Association. Treasurer Ann McShane has been working to merge VRA and VRAF's finances with help from the former Treasurers, Membership Services Coordinator, Financial Advisory Committee, and Accountant. This work is ongoing, but means VRA will start the new fiscal year with shared bank accounts and book-keeping. Over the next several months, they will work through duplicative bills and workflows to help save VRA money going forward. Thank you to everyone who has offered their time and expertise in this process. If you would like to help shape the financial priorities of our combined VRA, contact Andreas Knab for information about joining the Financial Advisory Committee.  

Conference Update

The Board is currently exploring options for the next VRA conference, including shifting the time of year the conference is held. Data from the 2022 post-conference survey indicated that having the conference at another time of year would increase the likelihood of participation for one-third of non-attendee respondents and not decrease the likelihood of participation for all other respondents. Be on the lookout for more information soon! 

Board Office Hours

The Board has instituted monthly VRA Board Office Hours on the fourth Friday of every month from 10-11 a.m. Pacific (1-2 p.m. Eastern). Office Hours are an opportunity for members to meet the Board, ask questions, brainstorm, and engage. Members receive regular reminders of upcoming Office Hours.  

VRA Core 4.0 Chinese Translations

The Visual Resources Association Cataloging and Metadata Standards Committee (CaMS) is excited to share a Chinese translation project for VRA Core 4.0, a data standard for the description of works of visual culture as well as the images that document them. The project team of CaMS members and library professionals from American institutions, led by Xiaoli Ma, worked with bilingual scholars and practitioners in the U.S., Taiwan, and P.R. China to develop these translations. 

Summer Educational Institute (SEI)

SEI 2022 concluded on Friday, June 24. 50 new attendees have graduated from SEI’s curriculum, which offers a comprehensive introduction to the entire digital lifecycle for professionals who manage cultural heritage and visual information. We were pleased to offer nine curricular workshops taught by nine expert instructors on a range of topics from copyright to ethics and accessibility, project management and digitization, metadata and critical cataloging, and digital preservation and DAMs. SEI 2023 will again be held virtually, and the SEI Implementation Team will be recruiting new team members later this summer! 

VRA Project Grant Awarded

The Penn State School of Theatre Fashion Archive has been chosen to receive the 2022 VRA Project Grant. Established in 2012, the Fashion Archive features an array of clothing and other ephemera including fashion magazines, pattern books, personal memorabilia in the form of photos and correspondences, and advertisements. With these funds, the school will complete an initial inventory of the Archive, a crucial first step in making these valuable resources available to a wider audience.  

Conference Materials Available Online

Select slide decks from the 2022 Conference are available on the VRA’s Slideshare account. The keynote address by Ashley Minner, “Repatriating the Archives: An Urban ‘Reservation’ Reunion,” is available on the VRA Vimeo channel.  

2021 Annual Reports and 2022 Annual Business Meeting

Annual reports from Executive Board officers, appointees, committees, and chapters as well as minutes from the 2022 Annual Business Meeting are available to members via the MyVRA portal.  

Leadership Updates

VRA Bulletin Content Editor

Sara Schumacher was appointed to the position of VRA Bulletin Content Editor. The VRA Bulletin is a journal of professional practice documenting the research, ideas, projects, activities, and history of the Visual Resources Association as well as the broader work of information professionals in image management. Sara has editorial experience and has been an active member of the VRA, most recently serving on the Executive Board as Vice President for Conference Program from 2019 to 2021.  

VREPS Co-Chair

Allie Scholten was elected Co-chair of the Visual Resources Emerging Professionals and Students group (VREPS). Allie is the Digital Collections Manager at the University of Chicago. If you would like to get involved with VREPS, contact Allie and her Co-chair Karissa Hurzeler at vreps@vraweb.org.  

Current Opportunities

VRA Internship Award

We are currently accepting applications for the ninth VRA Internship Award in visual resources and image management. This internship is generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and provides financial support for graduate students and recent graduates preparing for a career in visual resources and image management. The award grants $3,000 to support a period of internship in archives, libraries, museums, visual resources collections in academic institutions, or other appropriate contexts. It also provides $1,000 for professional development, and a one-year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association. 

Executive Board Openings

The VRA Executive Board is seeking volunteers for four Board positions: President-Elect, Secretary, Junior Director of Events and Initiatives, and Grants Officer. Executive Board Officers are elected by the Board. Candidates are needed by Fall 2022. Terms of office will begin in Spring 2023 following a period of shadowing the current officers. Benefits of serving on the Board include complimentary membership and conference registration. Contact board@vraweb.org to find out more.  

Upcoming Events

VREPS Virtual Social Hour

July 8 at 4pm PST/7pm ESTDrop by our Virtual Social Hour to meet other students and new professionals and to hear about VREPS and our upcoming events and opportunities! Share about your experience in the field or come with any questions about the field of visual resources. Contact vreps@vraweb.org for Zoom info.