8/8/16 8/8/16

Design Your VRA Conference Branding!

VRA Members,Need a project to put your visual mind to? The VRA Board invites you to participate in a design contest for the 2017 VRA Conference visual branding. The winning design will be used on the 2017 Conference website and print materials. Our conference branding in the past has consisted of logos, banners, or both (see examples below). We are leaving it flexible for you to be creative with your designs. The design may include original artwork, a photo, or a hybrid. Designs should be representative of Louisville, i.e. the skyline, waterfront, or things Louisville is known for (horses, baseball, bourbon, or arts scene, etc.).SpecificationsDimensions: 3000 pixels on the long side, 300 dpiPreferred file format: TIFFFile size limit: 25MBRequired textual content: VRA 34 / Louisville KY / 2017Optional content: "Unbridled Opportunities" / March 28-April 1, 2017You may submit as many entries as you like, and we encourage you to involve students with an interest in attending the conference, even if they are not currently VRA members. The VRA Board will select a design and the winner will receive attribution on the 2017 conference website, as well as a $50 discount on 2017 Conference registration OR, if the winner is unable to attend the conference, a $50 discount on next year’s membership.Designs should be submitted to: melanie.clark@ttu.eduSubmission deadline: September 2, 2016Winner announced: September 9, 2016VRA reserves the right to make minor modifications for various print formats.Examples from past conferences:

Melanie ClarkArchitecture Image LibrarianArchitecture LibraryTexas Tech University806-834-5377melanie.clark@ttu.edu

6/29/16 6/29/16

Message from the VRA President: New appointments and Executive Board activities

I hope you are all well and enjoying the first days of summer. I’m emailing to let you know what the VRA Executive Board has been up to since our annual conference in Seattle.We are pleased to announce the following new Task Forces and appointments:VRA Strategic Plan Task Force:The Board has appointed Jolene de Verges, Southern Methodist University, and Elaine Paul, University of Colorado, Boulder to co-Chair the Strategic Plan Task Force (SPTF) as well as the following members to work with them on the SPTF :

Heidi Eyestone, Carleton College
Sarah Gillis, Worcester Art Museum
Beth Wodnick Haas, Princeton University
Billy Kwan, New York School of Interior Design
Meghan Musolff, University of Michigan
Molly Tighe, Chatham University

The charge and timeline:Beginning with a review of the 2008 VRA Strategic Plan, the data gathered by the ARLIS/NA - VRA Joint Task Force on Professional Standards Criteria, and the 2016 final report of the Professional Status Task Force, the Task Force will provide a status assessment and proceed to make recommendations for initiatives going forward. The Task Force will focus on the areas of: programs and services, membership, technology, financial structure, organization and governance, and leadership in the field.Initiatives will be developed according to the following criteria:– achievable within a 5 year period to commence in January 2018– include measurable activities and tasks– provide an estimated chronology of eventsRecommendations will take the form of a written report that will be delivered to the Executive Board by June 30, 2017. The report will then be presented to the VRA membership at the 2018 annual conference.Online Learning Task Force:The Board has appointed Marsha Taichman, Cornell University, to chair the Online Learning Task Force (OLTF) as well as the following members to serve on the OLTF:Betha Whitlow, Washington UniversityStephen Patton, Indiana State UniversityMarie Elia, University of BuffaloJasmine Burns, Indiana UniversityChris Strasbaugh, Ohio State UniversityThe charge and timeline:Beginning with an environmental scan of online learning approaches in similar organizations, such as the Art Libraries Society of North America, the Music Library Association, the Special Library Association, a review of the 2016 Professional Status Task Force report, and a brief report from the President’s April 2016 leadership webinar, the Task Force will identify the various factors for consideration relating to VRA's pursuit of online professional development opportunities. These will support the professional development needs of our members, provide new benefits of membership, serve as outreach to potential new members, offer a potential source of Association revenue, and further establish VRA as an authority on a variety of digital content issues. In its investigations, the Task Force will confer with various stakeholders, including the Education Committee, the VRA Foundation, the Executive Board in general and the Vice President for Conference Program in particular, as well as the VRA membership. The Task Force will offer at least two additional pilot webinars, from which it can assess and document successes and challenges. In its final report, to be delivered to the Executive Board by January 31, 2017, the Task Force will provide a set of recommendations for proceeding with this initiative. The factors addressed will include:

technical considerations for the GoToMeeting platform and other potential complementary software
mechanisms for soliciting and selecting relevant content and instructors; frequency of offerings; low-cost budget models with potential fee structures, if any
means of assessment
methods of coordinating educational content within VRA and VRAF, such as annual and regional conferences, regional workshops, and SEI
recommendations for models of ongoing Association oversight

Social Networking Coordinator:I’d like to extend sincere thanks to Stephanie Beene for the energy and time that she invested over the past year as our Social Networking Coordinator. I know that many members appreciated information that she posted about conference news, events, etc. in our social networking environments. Stephanie has stepped down from the position, and I am pleased to announce and welcome Kate Thornhill, Oregon Health and Science University, as our newly appointed Social Networking Coordinator. Kate will be stepping into that role as of July 1, 2016.The charge:Engage in outreach for VRA by following the Visual Resources Association’s Social Media Plan to efficiently and regularly post relevant, informative, or eye-catching content to the various Web 2.0 sites in which VRA participates (currently Twitter and Facebook).Membership Services CoordinatorLise Hawkos has renewed her contract with the VRA for FY2017. We are pleased to be able to continue this relationship with Lise and are grateful for the time she invests in supporting our members.A summary of Board member activities:Some of you may have heard from the Board through response letters to your annual reports, which document the activities of Chapters, Committees, Task Forces, Liaisons, Appointees, etc. All Board members share in the effort of responding to these reports, and we are truly inspired by the work that is happening as a result of our your time and dedication to your professions and the VRA.Speaking of dedication and time, I would like to thank my fellow Executive Board members for their remarkable commitment to both VRA and the profession. We have been meeting weekly online and monthly via conference calls to address a wide range of Association business. While attending to a large number of organizational issues, each Board member has also been busy focusing on the specific duties associated with his or her position.Following the annual conference, Secretary Jasmine Burns transcribed and condensed notes from the Board’s two annual meetings, our joint VRA/VRAF Business meeting, and our joint VRA/ARLIS-NA Business meeting in Seattle into our official minutes. This is no small task, considering that the VRA Board business meeting alone spanned 17 hours over the course of two days. Jasmine also worked to revise our mid-year report template so that we are able to better track leadership changes. Reports were due on June 15th, so Jasmine is in the process of organizing them so that Board members can access and review them efficiently before we conduct our Mid-year Board meeting.Vice President for Conference Program, Chris Strasbaugh, administered post-conference surveys for attendees and non-attendees. Chris is using the results of that survey to plan conference content that will meet your professional development needs. The 2017 Annual Conference will be held at the Louisville Marriott Downtown in Louisville, Kentucky from March 29th-April 1st. You may have seen Chris’ call for proposals on VRA-L. Chris also distributes this to other affiliated and like-minded associations, so ideas for a great conference are being generated as we speak. There’s still time to submit a proposal, but the deadline is approaching quickly. Please don’t be shy about proposing your content ideas by July 5th, 2016.Vice President for Conference Arrangements, Ryan Brubacher, has been working with both the Louisville Marriott staff and Tom Costello, our conference destination consultant, to address logistics surrounding the VRA mid-year board meeting (July 25-27th, 2016) and the annual conference (March 29 – April 1, 2017). Ryan also coordinated the renewal of Tom’s contract with the VRA, for which we are grateful. Tom does extensive work in collaboration with Ryan to investigate and secure venue options for our annual conferences as well as communicate with hotel staff about our needs during the conference. An investigation of potential 2018 conference venues is currently underway.Public Relations Communications Officer, Melanie Clark, has been working diligently with Heather Rayl, Website Content Manager, to keep our website functional and up-to-date. Melanie has updated org email addresses for various VRA leadership positions and managed numerous projects for various groups in Basecamp, the Association’s project management software. Melanie will be updating the VRA web soon to reflect the new appointments mentioned above.Treasurer, Jeannine Keefer, has processed many conference expense payments and requests for reimbursements. She has been working to close the current FY2016 budget and prepare FY2017 budget. Jeannine has also coordinated the contract renewal of our Accountant, Eileen Xethelis (CFO Consulting Partners LLC), who provides valuable consulting services for the VRA. Jeannine also serves as a member of the Financial Advisory Committee and communicates as needed with members of the VRA Foundation about financial and fundraising matters.Past President, Elaine Paul, has worked with past presidents Maureen Burns and Jolene de Verges on updating the Organizational Policies and Procedures Manual and (as previously mentioned) will co-chair the SPTF with Jolene de Verges. Elaine has been an invaluable source of information and guidance for me in transitioning into my role as President.Up next…

The Board will receive the Professional Status Task Force report on June 30th, and we look forward to reviewing and using it as a tool to assess member and non-member professional needs and help us think about benefits that we can offer current and prospective members. This report will be useful to many of our committees for various reasons, and we look forward to sharing it with all of you soon.
As always, we strive to address membership recruitment and retention. We will continue work with the Membership Committee and with the Membership Services Coordinator on outreach activities relating to this year’s membership renewal campaign. VRA’s leaders met online in April to discuss the Association’s identity and how we all can effectively communicate this with others and connect it to the work we are doing. The ideas and concerns that we share are important to address as we think about the health of the Association and our professional roles. I would like to offer periodic online discussions with VRA leaders, and the Board is also investigating ways to bring this discussion forward at a broader scale—perhaps during the annual conference.
The dialog about the cultivation and efficiency of leadership within VRA will remain a priority. While online and conference discussions with leaders have been important, we are thinking creatively about how to make it easier for new members to learn about and become involved in the VRA. Ideas are emerging around how this might be formatted as a conference event, and we will provide more information about that in the next months.
We will continue the ongoing focus on outreach to and collaboration with other organizations in the coming year. We are working again this year with the DLF and CLIR to coordinate another cross-pollinator grant that would support a VRA member’s attendance to 2016 DLF conference and a DLF member’s attendance to the 2017 VRA conference. I will update you on that is more information becomes available.
Fundraising for the Association, our annual conference, and the vital travel awards program is an ongoing topic. We will work with the Development Committee, the Travel Awards Committee, and the VRA Foundation to continue harmonizing our various fundraising activities, and to develop new strategies for raising money for VRA and travel awards.
The publishing and communications program for the Association is also an area of continued focus. We encourage submissions from all of you, and you can review the guidelines here: http://online.vraweb.org/vrab/submguide.html . Currently, access VRA Bulletin content is a member-only benefit for the duration of a 6 month embargo period, after which the content is made available openly. The Board will be reviewing this model with Maureen Burns (Content Editor) and Hannah Marshall (Production Editor) within the upcoming months. It is important to re-evaluate from time-to-time how we make information about the work we do accessible to each other and others beyond the VRA.

We on the Board now turn our attention to the mid-year Board meeting in Louisville next month, and this begins our focused planning for the 2017 conference. We wish you a happy, healthy, and productive summer. Please do not hesitate to contact us (or me personally) with questions or concerns:board@vraweb.org jennifer.w.green@dartmouth.eduSincerely,Jen Green, VRA President

6/14/16 6/14/16

2016 Awards Committee Survey

The VRA Awards Committee invites you to participate in a brief survey; your responses will help us to identify worthy potential recipients of VRA's prestigious awards—the Nancy DeLaurier Award and the Distinguished Service Award. You will find both descriptions and a list of previous recipients on our web site. Here is the link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N6PRM5K. This survey will be active until June 22.This is your opportunity to let us know about professional colleagues, teachers, and mentors who deserve recognition. Remember, the potential award recipient need not be a member of VRA; however, the nomination must be submitted by a VRA member or members. If you are willing to serve as a moderator or co-moderator or a writer of a letter in support of a nomination, please tell us.Thank you so much for participating in this survey. Your responses will be put to good use.On behalf of the Awards Committee: Linda Callahan, Erin McCall, Lise Hawkos, Jodi Hoover, Martine Sherrill, Marsha TaichmanMargaret N. WebsterChair, VRA Awards CommitteeVisual Resources ConsultantDirector Emerita, Knight Visual Resources FacilityCornell University109 Iroquois RoadIthaca, NY 14850 Website: http://sites.google.com/site/imintegPhone: 607 351-5124Email: mnw3@cornell.edu

6/14/16 6/14/16

VRA Annual Conference - CFP

The Visual Resources Association’s 34th Annual Conference will be held in Louisville, Kentucky from Wednesday, March 29^th, through Saturday, April 1st^, 2017, in the Louisville Marriott Downtown hotel. The theme for the Louisville conference is unbridled opportunities. Please mark your calendars.Proposals are now being solicited for the 2017 program case studies, papers, posters, sessions, special interest/user groups, and workshops. All proposals are welcome. Click here to go to the conference proposal form.The quality of conference content depends upon YOUR ideas and contributions, so let those creative juices flow. Past conference schedules show the diversity of ideas and witty titles. We've noted some areas of concentrated interest and listed topics suggested by conference goers to get you thinking or you can use your imagination to propose ideas which expand our outlook. If there is an area of concern or interest that you feel has not been adequately addressed, please participate in this process by submitting a proposal. Moderators may put out calls for presenters within a proposed topic before or after the submission of a proposal. The VRA Executive Board will be looking for articulate and concise submissions with lists of presenters, when applicable.Data Wrangling - we can’t escape it, we can only tame it

Perspectives on cataloging
Linked open data
Embedded metadata
Data visualization
Copyright, copy-left and copy-wrong

Projects - whether cutting edge or managing the basics we want to hear about your work

Stories of success or stories of failure
Stories that are still being told

The Workplace - from workflows to work woes, what’s going on at the office that you could share

Cross departmental boundaries and language barriers
Tales and tips of digitization and workflows
Changing spaces, new spaces, and makerspaces
Institutional collaboration
Museums and archives

Expanding VR - how is your job growing, or where would you like to see VR go next?

Adventures in GIS
Alternative careers and new opportunities in the field
The social media spectrum
Digital humanities
Archives and analog materials
Issues in marketing, copyright, and licensing
Digital repository development and management

A session is a maximum 90 minute moderated session with 3 to 4 speakers at 15 to 20 minutes each followed by a facilitated brief question and answer period.A workshop is a 2, 3 or 4 hour workshop to develop skills and experience in the field of visual resources, preferably with hands-on activities.A paper is an individual idea submission, which will be reviewed for possible grouping into a session.A special interest/user group is a 60 to 90-minute informal facilitated group discussion on topics related to a specific community within VRA.A case study is detailed information about an individual, small group, or project, generally including the accounts of subjects themselves. Moderators are encouraged to submit proposals. Individual case study proposals will be reviewed for possible groupings similar to the session format.Questions about the proposal process and the various presentation formats included in the VRA Conference program can be directed to me at strasbaughvra@gmail.com.The proposal deadline is Wednesday, July 5, 2016. I look forward to hearing from you!Chris Strasbaugh

4/29/16 4/29/16

VRA-SAH Survey Available Until May 9

The VRA and the Society of Architectural Historians are partnering on a project to salvage and process collections of 35mm slides of architectural value and interest. This survey will help identify potential institutional partners. Please take a moment to read more about the project here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BJ6RBMBThe survey closes May 9. If you have any questions, please contact Jackie Spafford

4/29/16 4/29/16

VRA Executive Board Elections - Nominations Sought

NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR 2016 VRA EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTIONSThree key positions on the VRA Executive Board come vacant at the 2017 annual conference:

President-Elect
Vice President for Conference Program
Secretary

The Nominating Committee is actively seeking nominations for these positions. Running for office is an excellent way to serve the Visual Resources Association, get to know more of your colleagues in the field, and give yourself an opportunity to grow professionally. If you are interested in serving on the VRA Executive Board please feel free to contact any previous or current officer; they would be happy to share their experiences and reflections of their time in office. The Committee encourages members to place themselves, or other qualified individuals, in consideration for nomination by contacting the Chair or any member of the Committee.The VRA Bylaws provide additional information about the terms and duties of each officer position.Thank you,VRA 2016 Nominating CommitteeJolene de Verges, Southern Methodist University (Co-Chair)Steven P. Kowalik, Hunter College (Co-Chair)Elaine Paul, University of Colorado, Boulder

3/22/16 3/22/16

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

3/18/16 3/18/16

VRA President's Post Conference Letter

Hello, VRA colleagues --

I was thrilled to see many of you in Seattle for the 3rd Annual VRA + ARLIS/NA Joint Conference. This year’s joint conference exposed us to cutting-edge information, inspiring ideas, and opportunities to collaborate with colleagues beyond the VRA. I, personally, left the conference feeling saturated with new ideas and perspectives to pursue in my work, and I hope that you did as well. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to experience both VRA and ARLIS communities jointly; two organizations that engage in rich conversations, share ideas openly, and adapt quickly to change.

Before I launch into the daunting task of acknowledging and reflecting on the impressive qualities of this year’s joint conference and conference participants, I’d like to remind you all that the attendees’ post-conference evaluation survey is open ( https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BPL99TV )and will remain open until March 31st, 2016. The Executive Board encourages everyone to take just a few moments to share feedback, which will be vital to planning future conferences.

First and foremost, I want to thank all members of the Joint Conference Planning Committee for the collegial and efficient ways that they worked across both VRA and ARLIS/NA to ensure a successful conference. Their collaborative perspectives and working relationships set the tone for all conference planning and arrangements. I will mention many of them by name throughout the course of this message, but for a more complete list of those involved in making this joint conference happen, please visit the joint conference website.

Honoring our members.

Our annual conference gathering gives us the opportunity to personally honor colleagues for distinguished achievement and outstanding career contributions to the field of visual resources and image management.

Congratulations go to this year’s joint recipients of The Nancy DeLaurier Award: VRA Core 4.0 creators Kevin Esmé Cowles, Janice Eklund, Benjamin Kessler, and Trish Rose-Sandler. Their groundbreaking work developing VRA Core 4.0 and the accompanying metadata schema has made a huge impact on colleagues working in a variety of disciplines both nationally and internationally. In her letter of support for the recipients, Elisa Lanzi writes, “I’ve just returned from the Digital Library Federation conference. I love the fact that VRA Core 4.0 is mentioned in presentations right alongside Dublin Core. Trish, Jan, Ben, and Esme made that happen by signing on for the long haul and applying brilliant and strategic thinking to improve access to cultural heritage content.” During their acceptance speech, Trish gave a special thanks many members who’ve contributed to VRA Core 4.0 and also recognized the diligent work of VRA Core Oversight Committee members. Trish, Jan, Ben, and Esme have exhibited particular leadership, expertise, determination, and vision to ensure that the talented contributions of many are focused and sustained.

For her many years of remarkable dedication, leadership, and service to both VRA and ARLIS/NA and to the visual resources and library professions, VRA and ARLIS/NA presented this year’s Distinguished Service Awards to Ann Baird Whiteside. In addition to serving as President of both organizations, Ann has been an initiator and leader on numerous projects such as CCO, SAHARA, and VRA Core 4.0 and has made significant contributions to ARTstor’s Shared Shelf Platform. Ann has also worked effectively across multiple disciplines and organizations. In her letter of support, Jolene de Verges comments, “As a leader in both ARLIS/NA and VRA, Ann has built bridges between the visual resources professional and traditional librarianship. She chaired the ARLIS/NA-VRA Joint Conference Task Force which led to a set of recommendations for streamlining the process of planning all future joint conferences between the two organizations.”

Many thanks to the Nominating Committee, chaired by Margaret Webster, and to the nominators for their work in ensuring that these contributions to the field have been formally recognized and celebrated.

The recipients of the 2016 Travel Awards, along with the generous donors who have made these awards available, were recognized this year during the Annual Business Meeting. A total of 10 awards were given out in support of attendance at this year’s conference. The Travel Awards Committee, led by Co-Chairs Vicky Brown and Jeannine Keefer, reviewed the applications and coordinated fundraising with the Development Committee, co-chaired by Barbara Brenny and Marie Elia. Our deep appreciation for the generosity of donor sponsored travel awards goes to Kathe Hicks Albrecht and the anonymous donor who supports the “New Horizons” travel award fund. Last, but certainly not least, VRA is grateful that members like you support the Luraine Tansey Educational Fund Awards. It is heartwarming to see so many of us helping both new and veteran members attend and benefit from our annual conferences.

Absorbing new content and ideas.

The Seattle program was engaging and diverse. It emerged from 95 submitted paper or session proposals, resulting in 39 sessions; 15 submitted workshop proposals, resulting in 6 workshops: 55 submitted poster proposals, resulting in 40 posters, and 11 SIG/SUG meetings. Topics included digital humanities, visual literacy, geospatial and visualization projects, image rights and reproductions, new technologies, museum education, environmental design, makerspaces, e-book publishing, materials education and research, diversity within our professions, RDF and LOD, crowdsourcing, cataloging, archives, visualization, open access, and more. Additionally, there were a number of productive organizational and chapter meetings held in Seattle.

Our deep thanks go to our Vice President for Conference Program, Chris Strasbaugh, for his outstanding work as he co-coordinated the program and schedule in collaboration with Program Committee Co-Chairs Dan McClure (ARLIS/NA), Denise Hattwig(ARLIS/NA) and Mar González Palacios (AASL, ARLIS/NA); to the Education Committee, co-chaired by Beth Wodnick Haas, Ryan Brubacher (past) and Marsha Taichman (present), for their invaluable contributions toward programming; and to the many presenters, instructors, and moderators who offered such timely, relevant, and forward-thinking content. Your knowledge and experiences should be disseminated to an international audience. I hope that if you presented at the conference that you will consider taking that presentation to the next level by publishing it as an article for the VRA Bulletin (http://online.vraweb.org/).

Sarah Bergmann, design thinker and founder of the Pollinator Pathway, spoke during Convocation and shared thought-provoking perspectives on how the plight of the honey bee inspired her to consider symbiotic relationships and the importance of building and maintaining pathways to support these relationships. While Sarah’s consideration of bees inspired her to build pathways that connect city dwellers to existing green spaces, her work inspired us to think about the benefits that might be realized when we build connections across disciplines and professional organizations. Sarah’s talk was a compelling way to draw our 3rd Annual Joint conference to an end.

Enjoying the venues and the city.

Joint Conference co-chairs, Josh Polansky and Alan Michelson deserve a standing ovation for the time, enthusiasm, and thought that they each invested in this joint conference. Josh and Alan really went above and beyond in many ways to ensure that conference attendees had a positive and enriching experience in Seattle.

Sessions, workshops, speakers, meetings, and social excursions involving scheduling, AV, catering, or all of the above ran seamlessly during our entire time at The Westin Seattle Downtown. There were many others involved in the joint conference planning process who deserve our thanks when it comes to our comfort at the Westin and around Seattle, including Past-Presidents Elaine Paul (VRA) and Kristen Regina (ARLIS/NA), Local Arrangements Chairs, Cindy Abel Morris (VRA) and Traci Timmons (ARLIS/NA). Special thanks also go to Robert Kopchinski, ARLIS/NA Executive Director, who exhibited remarkable skill coordinating, communicating, and managing a variety of conference needs and requests from both VRA and ARLIS/NA. And, of course, all of the staff at The Westin deserve recognition for their gracious service.

The city of Seattle was an added bonus alongside the excellent conference program. The Joint Conference Co-Chairs and Local Arrangements Co-Chairs helped develop tours and call attention to the city’s many fine museums, restaurants, and shopping venues, as well as offered attentive and thoughtful support and advice to attendees during the conference. From the Welcome Reception at the Seattle Art Museum to the Convocation Reception at the Seattle Public Library attendees had opportunities to explore many of the highlights that Seattle has to offer (rain or shine). Thank you to volunteers who assisted in leading these tours.

Secretary Jasmine Burns worked collaboratively with ARLIS/NA members Tad Suzuki and Suzanne Rackover to coordinate numerous registration desk volunteers, prepare conference badges and bags, and be simply hospitable during the entire conference. Thank you to all who volunteered their time to create such a welcoming and informative resource for attendees.

Past Public Relations and Communications Officer John Trendler worked with Sarah Seymore to create the conference website (http://www.arlisna-vra.org/seattle2016/index.php)

Past Treasurer Allan Kohl contributed his attention and wisdom to the joint conference budget, and as always, exhibited great care in his stewardship of the Association’s finances.

Being a new member or a first-time attendee.

Past Presidents, Kristen Regina (ARLIS/NA) and Elaine Paul (VRA) welcomed conference newcomers at the New Members and First-Time Attendees Reception, which was planned and facilitated by both VRA and ARLIS Membership Committees. Hors d'oeuvres and beverages were served while volunteer members from both organizations introduced a matchmaking activity that supported mingling and network building.

Karen Bouchard took the lead this year to offer conference mentors for those interested in connecting with a new colleague at the conference. This is a program that the VRA offers each year. If you are a new member who has yet to find your niche in VRA, please know that all committee chairs welcome inquiries about their work, and there are many opportunities to become involved (httpS://vraweb.org/about/committees/). You do not need to be an expert from the start; you simply need a willingness to learn and contribute. You will find that the rewards exceed the investment many times over. Please feel welcome to reach out to me as well.

Thanking our sponsors for their support.

Development Committee co-chair, Barbara Brenny, worked with ARLIS/NA Joint Conference Development Coordinators Clayton Kirking, Suzanne Rackover, and Jane Carlin to communicate closely with our conference sponsors, who provided very generous support, without which we could not offer such outstanding programming and venues. Our deep gratitude goes to our sponsors, donors, and friends for their ongoing generosity. For a complete list of all joint conference sponsors and the levels at which they contributed, please visit the conference website’s Sponsors page.

Finally, annual conferences and joint conferences would not exist without the participation of attendees. This year’s attendance exceeded our expectations, which enriched this opportunity for us to meet and share knowledge, build connections with one another, and help shape the direction of our profession. Whether or not you were able to join us in Seattle, I hope to reconnect with as many of you as possible next year in Louisville, Kentucky.

With sincere thanks,

Jen Green

p.s. There was a professional photographer at the conference who snapped many shots. These images will be shared with the VRA Board soon, and then we can find a way to share them with you. If you took photos at the conference, feel free to join the VRA Flickr Events group and post them at https://www.flickr.com/groups/vra_events/pool/. There is also a VRA Flickr Group to share images of more general interest. If you took photographs while touring Seattle or other parts of Washington, feel free to post them here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/visualresources/pool/

12/17/15 12/17/15

VRAF Regional Workshop: Visual Literacy: Learning to Look and Looking to Learn

Visual Literacy: Learning to Look and Looking to Learn

VRAF Regional WorkshopUniversity of California BerkeleyFebruary 26th, 2016Session 1: 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Berkeley Art MuseumSession 2: 2:00 p.m.-4:45 p.m., Visual Resources Center, 308A Doe LibraryThe Visual Resources Association Foundation is pleased to announce that registration for Visual Literacy: Learning to Look and Looking to Learn is now live! This workshop will be held at University of California Berkeley on February 26th, 2016, one of two workshops being offered in the first year of the VRAF Regional Workshop Program. This workshop will be hosted by the Visual Resources Center in the History of Art Department at UC Berkeley, and is open to image management professionals, image users, and the broader information and educational community. The VRAF is grateful to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for their generous support of this new opportunity.Part one of this workshop will focus on visual literacy skills and pedagogical approaches by exploring objects at the new Berkeley Art Museum. In part two of the workshop, participants will discuss and develop ways to implement their own visual literacy program at their institutions, and learn how staff, students and faculty can use digital archives, art objects, and other primary sources in developing visual literacy skills.InstructorVisual Literacy: Learning to Look and Looking to Learn will be taught by Jessica Sack, the Jan and Frederick Mayer Senior Associate Curator of Public Education at the Yale University Art Gallery. During her fifteen years in the field of museum education, Jessica has developed training programs in visual literacy for information professionals, teachers, faculty, and students.RegistrationThe fee for the workshop is $75 for either the morning or afternoon session, or $125 for the full day. To register or learn more about Visual Literacy: Learning to Look and Looking to Learn, visit http://vrafoundation.org.s119319.gridserver.com/index.php/projects/visual_literacy_regional_workshop/If you have questions about registration, feel free to contact Betha Whitlow, VRAF Director, bwhitlow@wustl.edu For questions about the University of California Berkeley venue, please contact Lynn Cunningham, Curator of Visual Resources, lynncunningham@berkeley.edu.

Joan La Barbara performing her "Circular Song" on our plush circle.

A photo posted by BAMPFA (@bampfa) on Mar 14, 2014 at 7:57pm PDT

12/17/15 12/17/15

VRAF Regional Workshop: Exhibit, Instruct, Promote: An Introduction to Omeka for Digital Scholarship

Exhibit, Instruction, Promote: An Introduction to Omeka for Digital Scholarship

VRAF Regional Workshop Hunter College, City University of New YorkFebruary 19th, 2016 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.The Visual Resources Association Foundation is pleased to announce that registration for Exhibit, Instruct, Promote: An Introduction to Omeka for Digital Scholarship, is now live! This workshop will be held at Hunter College, City University of New York, on February 19th, 2016, one of two workshops being offered in the first year of the VRAF Regional Workshop Program. This workshop will be hosted by the Judith and Stanley Zabar Art Library, and is open to image management professionals, image users, and the broader information and educational community. The VRAF is grateful to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for their generous support of this new opportunity.Omeka is a rich, open-source web publishing tool with a diverse array of functions for digital scholarship projects. For information professionals, faculty and students, Omeka can provide an easy way to publish and share digital content, as well as serve as a platform for building online exhibitions as academic and/or student projects. In this full-day workshop, participants will be provided with a comprehensive overview of both Omeka.net (hosted) and Omeka.org (installed on a server) and case studies that demonstrate the use of Omeka in a variety of contexts, ranging from providing access to digital collections to projects that engage students in the learning process. While focused on Omeka, this workshop also will touch on other similar tools used for digital scholarship (such as Scalar) and offer practical information for planning digital projects.InstructorExhibit, Instruct, Promote will be taught by Meghan Musolff, Special Projects Librarian for Library IT at the University of Michigan Library. As part of her role, Meghan coordinates the U-M Library’s implementation of Omeka for the creation and presentation of online exhibits.RegistrationThe fee for Exhibit, Instruct, Promote is $125. To register or learn more about the workshop, visit http://vrafoundation.org.s119319.gridserver.com/index.php/projects/omeka_for_digital_scholarship_regional_workshop/If you have questions about registration, feel free to contact Betha Whitlow, VRAF Director, bwhitlow@wustl.edu. For questions about the Hunter College venue, please contact Steven Kowalik, Art Librarian, Judith and Stanley Zabar Art Library, skowalik@hunter.cuny.edu

12/14/15 12/14/15

Visual Resources Librarian or Digital Library Practitioner? Reflections on the 2015 DLF Forum

This Forum Update was provided by Andrea Schuler, Visual Resources Librarian for Islamic Architecture, MIT Libraries, Aga Khan Documentation Center.Ms. Schuler is the first recipient of the VRA + DLF Cross-Pollinator Fellowship, and attended the 2015 Digital Library Federation Forum. Her blog post, on the Digital Library Federation blog, describes her experiences at the Forum.

11/30/15 11/30/15

Support the VRA – Shop Cyber Monday on Amazon!

Greetings All,Amazon is offering some truly amazing deals this week. How about a 42 piece set of Rubbermaid storage containers for all of those holiday leftovers? Why not buy a DC Comics Wonder Woman Apron or a Cat Playpen for everyone on your shopping list?Remember, a percentage of your purchase will go directly to the VRA. Just use the links located in the Support Us section located on the lower right side of the Association’s homepage.Happy Shopping!Barbara Brenny and Marie EliaCo-Chairs, VRA Development Committee

10/20/15 10/20/15

VRA Travel Awards Available - Apply Today!

We are delighted to announce that VRA Travel Awards are available for attendance at the 2016 joint VRA/ARLIS conference in Seattle, Washington March 8-12. The deadline for receipt of applications will be Monday, November 9, 12pm EST. The list of recipients will be announced on the VRA listserv the week commencing December 7.A preliminary conference schedule with a listing of workshops and sessions will be available soon. Information about registration and travel is already available on the conference site. http://www.arlisna-vra.org/seattle2016/hotel.phpBefore you apply, PLEASE READ "Travel Awards Rules, Guidelines, and Tips” for VRA Travel Awards Applicants, and "Types of Travel Awards."The application is available in the Travel Committee's page, and directly here. You do not need to be a member of the VRA to apply for a travel award, but please note that upon winning an award an applicant who is not a member of VRA must purchase a membership. Please also note that award checks are distributed at the conference and as such, recipients will not have access to those funds ahead of the conference to set against travel expenses.In order to allow funding to go further, Tansey awards will be distributed according to financial need i.e. full awards (up to $850) may be given to some, whilst lower amounts may be awarded to others with partial institutional/ other support. N.B. Travel Awards are only intended to assist people's attendance at the conference, so you should be prepared to seek funding from elsewhere.For 2016, we are fortunate to have generous financial support from sponsors and funds provided by the membership including:* Two New Horizons awards of $850 each. These awards are aimed at members in the following categories: solo VR professionals, part-time VR professionals, geographically isolated VR professionals, VR professionals in smaller institutions, and/or first-time attendees* A New Horizons student award of $300, for a full-time student enrolled in an accredited degree program and considering a career in visual resources* Kathe Hicks Albrecht award of $850* Tansey fund awards ranging from $250 to $850 eachMore awards may become available and will be announced on this listserv. Also, stay tuned and watch VRA-L and the VRA website for further details about the conference. Please email if you have any questions not answered by the documents noted above.So don't delay - apply today!We look forward to receiving your applications,Vicky Brown & Jeannine KeeferCo-Chairs, VRA Travel Awards Committee

10/12/15 10/12/15

VRA annual election and candidates

Dear VRA colleagues,The VRA annual election of officers will take place online, November 1-30, 2015. Members will receive an e-mail on Nov. 1 with instructions for accessing the ballot. Instructions will also be posted on the VRA website.The three offices open for next year are Vice President for Conference Arrangements, Public Relations and Communications Officer, and Treasurer. You can find the announcement of the candidates at httpS://vraweb.org/elections/, including their bios and statements of goals. Please join The Executive Board in thanking these colleagues for volunteering to be candidates for the positions.We would also like to extend our thanks to the Nominating Committee: Jolene de Verges (Chair), Marcia Focht, and Steven Kowalik.In accordance with the Bylaws, the Nominating Committee has the discretion to put forward either two opposing candidates for a given office, or to put forward a single candidate for a given office. In either case, a vote by the membership is required. Please vote to show your support for the candidates and participate in the governance of the Association.Thank you in advance for your participation in the very important election process.Elaine PaulPresident, Visual Resources Association

10/7/15 10/7/15

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

10/7/15 10/7/15

VRA Professional Status Survey Now Available.

You are invited to participate in the 2015 Visual Resources Association (VRA) Professional Status Survey . The purpose of the 2015 Visual Resources Association (VRA) Professional Status Survey survey is to gather information that will assist VRA in understanding recent changes in the profession, improving membership benefits to serve current members and attract new ones, and advocating for the profession.You should participant in the survey if you work with or have worked with or are planning to work with: Image Media [Digital Images, Slides, Photographs, Film/Video, Multimedia, PDFs]As a: Cataloguer / Curator / Librarian / Archivist / Instructor/ Instructional Designer / IT Specialist / Digital Media Specialist / Photographer / Vendor / Support StaffAnd/ or with expertise or responsibilities in any of these areas:Collection Development / Collection Management / Database Management / AV Support / Tech Support / Instructional or Research Support / Metadata / Administration / Rights and Reproductions / Graphic Design / Social Media / Web DevelopmentYou should take the survey if the above describes you even if you are a student, unemployed, or retired. There are questions that will be relevant you.For those who responded to previous VRA Professional Status Surveys, the 2015 edition has been streamlined and updated to reflect changes in image management and related professions. Survey questions ask who you are, where you work, what you personally do in your position, what services your unit provides, and your needs for professional development. For those who work with collections, there is a section with questions specific to collection management. Respondents will be directed to answer sections of the survey appropriate to their situations based on responses to questions. The survey will take 10 to 30 minutes to complete.The Survey is here: http://z.umn.edu/vraprofstatussurveyThe survey will close at 11:59 pm, Friday, October 30.If you experience technical difficulties with the survey please contact Rebecca Moss at mossx014@umn.edu.Thank you for participating!The VRA Professional Status Task ForceJen Green and Macie Hall, Co-chairs

9/4/15 9/4/15

VRA summer update

Dear VRA colleagues,As the days grow shorter and the evenings become increasingly crisp (for those of us in the the northern hemisphere!), I am writing to update you on a few VRA developments from this summer.First I want to first express deep gratitude to my fellow Executive Board members Jasmine Burns, Jen Green, Allan Kohl, Cindy Abel Morris, Chris Strasbaugh, and John Trendler for their ongoing dedication to the Association. In addition to performing specific tasks associated with their positions, throughout the year Board members address a broad array of issues relating to VRA operations, membership, professional engagement and advocacy, communications and outreach, and publications. Board members, all volunteers, are committed to advancing the interests of our profession and our members, and I am constantly amazed by their unwavering energy.Mid-year meetingThe Board met in Seattle for our mid-year meeting in July. We addressed the annual operating budget, long-range financial planning, and considered the overall state of the Association. A significant and routine part of this annual meeting is reviewing mid-year reports from officers and various appointees, task forces, committees, and chapters. We are now in the process of sharing our formal responses to these reports. In the meantime, we extend our sincere thanks with every VRA member who serves the Association. As always, there are wonderful developments underway at both international and regional levels. While these activities are documented in annual reports and posted for members’ access on My VRA (MemberClicks), one of the Board’s goals in the coming months is to facilitate more regular, year-round sharing of news from these various entities within the Association.2016 Seattle ARLIS/NA + VRA Joint Conference planning and websiteAs part of the ARLIS/NA + VRA Joint Conference advisory team, Board members also met in Seattle this July with ARLIS/NA leaders and members of the Joint Conference Implementation Team, led by Co-Chairs Alan Michelson and Josh Polansky. I’m very pleased to say that the conference planning process is proceeding smoothly under Alan’s and Josh’s excellent leadership, and details relating to the program and local arrangements are coalescing into an exciting set of offerings that you won’t want to miss.The conference website is now live at http://www.arlisna-vra.org/seattle2016/. The program will be published soon, and registration will open in December. More information is forthcoming, but for now, mark your calendars for March 8-12, 2016! Consider scheduling your arrival so that you can register for the THATCamp digital humanities unconference scheduled for March 8. Also, note that the annual meeting of the Association of Architecture School Librarians (AASL) will be held March 11-13 at our conference hotel, The Westin Seattle, with plans for some reciprocal cross-listed programming of interest to joint conference attendees. For those wishing to attend the entire AASL conference, we’ll share registration information when it becomes available.VRA endorsement of CAA's Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual ArtsThe VRA Intellectual Property Rights Committee and the VRA Executive Board have carefully reviewed CAA's Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts, which I am pleased to announce that VRA has endorsed. You can find the letter to CAA leadership from the VRA Executive Board, including the VRA IPR Committee's response here: httpS://vraweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/VRA_Response_CAACode_20150903.pdf.This is an opportune time to remind you all about VRA’s own Statement on the Fair Use of Images for Teaching, Research, and Study. An excellent model of community standards in the application of fair use, the Statement is well suited for sharing with colleagues and others at your institution, such as students and legal counsel.Working group investigating webinars and online workshopsVice President for Conference Arrangements Cindy Abel Morris has assembled a working group to investigate online learning opportunities to be offered by VRA, such as webinars and workshops. In addition to Cindy, the group includes various representatives from VRA and the VRA Foundation: Anna Bernhard (past VREPS Co-Coordinator), Melanie Clark (Membership Committee Chair), Marie Elia (VREPS Co-Coordinator), Jen Green (President-Elect), Jen Kniesch (past Web Technology Coordinator), Beth Wodnick Haas (Education Committee Co-Chair), Denise Massa (instruction expert), Stephen Patton (Communications Technology Advisor), Elaine Paul (President), Molly Schoen (VREPS Co-Coordinator), Chris Strasbaugh (Vice President for Conference Program), John Trendler (Public Relation and Communications Officer), and Betha Whitlow (VRA Foundation Board representative). We hope to offer a pilot webinar this fall; stay tuned for details.Joint VRA and VRAF Task Force on Development and FundraisingVRA has partnered with the Visual Resources Association Foundation to create a Joint VRA and VRAF Task Force on Development and Fundraising, with a charge to develop a strategy and a road map for identifying, planning, and implementing a portfolio of fundraising and developing initiatives for both VRA and VRAF. Billy Chi Hing Kwan (VRAF) and Marie Elia (VRA) are serving as co-chairs, with members Barbara Brenny, Chris Strasbaugh, Christine Hilker, and Linda Reynolds.Dissolution of the Greater Philadelphia ChapterFollowing a five-year period inactivity within the Greater Philadelphia Chapter, the Board has voted to dissolve the chapter. While this is a regrettable development, the reality is that the critical mass of VRA members needed to sustain a chapter did not exist in the area. Fortunately, depending on their locations VRA members in Central and Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Southern New Jersey can join the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, or Greater New York Chapters.Best regards,ElainePresident, Visual Resources Association

7/8/15 7/8/15

Survey Summary from Slide and Transitional Media Task Force

In late 2014, the Slide and Transitional Media Task Force conducted a survey about the state of slide collections. The survey summary contains quantitative data as well as responses to open-ended questions.More resources from the Task Force coming soon.

7/2/15 7/2/15

Call for Applications - VRAF Internship Award

The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) invites applications for the third Kress Foundation funded Internship in visual resources and image management.You can find information about the application process and relevant deadlines here - note that applications are due July 31, 2015.We are grateful to VREPS for providing a current list of institutions that are offering internships in visual resources and image management. We hope that this list will be useful to VRAF internship applicants; however, applicants may propose other appropriate internship sites.We look forward to receiving your applications. Please forward this message to others who might be interested. Finally, I am happy to answer questions about the internship should you have them.All the best, MargaretMargaret N. WebsterVRAF Director & Chair, Internship Award CommitteeVisual Resources ConsultantDirector Emerita, Knight Visual Resources FacilityCornell University109 Iroquois RoadIthaca, NY 14850

6/16/15 6/16/15

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot? – Shop Amazon for Smoking Deals and Support the VRA!

Be prepared for the heat as the temperatures sizzle! Look no further than Amazon.com for ways to cool down. How about a 30-Inch Industrial Grade Floor Fan to blow your cares away? If something more genteel is your speed, try a High Quality Lady’s Girl’s Vintage Retro Flower Lace Handheld Folding Fan.If you can take the heat and want to be the envy of your neighborhood, why not purchase a Stainless Steel Gas Grill Over 6 Feet Wide? Or move your living room in the great outdoors with a 7-Piece Patio Wicker Furniture Set. Don’t forget to protect the little ones from blood-thirsty insects with a Jolly Jumper Insect Bug Net.Remember, a percentage of your purchase will go directly to the VRA. Just use the links located in the Support Us section located on the lower right side of the Association’s homepage.Happy Almost Summer!Barbara Brenny and Marie EliaCo-Chairs, VRA Development Committee