Announcing Our New VRA Bulletin Editors

It is the great pleasure of the VRA Executive Board to announce the appointment of not just one editor, but two editors to the VRA Bulletin team. First, we welcome a familiar face to a new role. After three years serving the VRA Bulletin as Production Editor, Hannah Marshall will be stepping into the role of Content Editor. Second, we are most pleased to welcome Amy Lazet to the Bulletin as Production Editor. Both terms will officially begin January 2019 with a period of shadowing and training this fall. We wish to thank all members who considered joining the Bulletin team.The Bulletin is experiencing an exciting time of growth with recent peer-review options and an upcoming transition to open access. The Board is most grateful to current Content Editor Maureen Burns for over four years of service and leadership with a vision to the future, including an attention to detail that will ensure a smooth transition this fall.Congratulations to Hannah and Amy and the journal itself whose future is in very good hands!

ArLiSNAP/VREPS 2018 Virtual Conference: Call for Proposals

VREPS (Visual Resources Emerging Professionals and Students group) and ArLiSNAP welcome proposals from students and new professionals with an interest in art librarianship or visual resources management to present their work at our 2018 Virtual Conference:

New Media Challenges and Solutions for Art Information Professionals

New media art, objects, and scholarly projects in the digital realm are challenging our traditional definitions and methodologies for collection, preservation, and research as information professionals. As the scope for new media continues to expand, how are we defining, describing, and cataloging new media objects? How are we preparing for and anticipating storage and conservation needs? How do we respect artist intent and support scholarly research around these born-digital objects?

We invite proposals that share research and projects featuring new media in art librarianship and visual resources management for our annual virtual conference, an opportunity for emerging professionals to present in a supportive and engaging space while connecting with other students and early career librarians across North America.

The webinar will take place on Saturday, October 13th at 1PM CST. Submit your proposal via our Google Form to apply.

Proposals are due by Friday, August 31st. You must also be available to participate in a short practice session with the webinar software in the evening on Thursday, October 4. If you have any questions, please email the ArLiSNAP Conference Planning Liaison, Michelle Wilson.

VRAF Regional Workshops: Call for Host Site Applications

The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to announce that it is accepting host applications for the VRAF Regional Workshop Program for 2018-2019. Thanks to the continued generous support from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, this program will allow the VRAF to continue to realize its mission to promote scholarship, research, education, and outreach in the fields of visual resources and image management.For the 2018-2019 program, the VRAF will support four workshops for up to $3000 each, including an instructor stipend and travel expenses, a stipend for the local organizer, catering, and other minor expenses incurred by the host institution.  The VRAF will provide significant logistical support, including locating a qualified instructor and managing registration. With the VRAF Regional Workshop Grant, host institutions will be able to offer a workshop without the burden of developing it from within, and provide valuable programming not only to their local constituents, but also to their broader region. This opportunity is open to Visual Resources Association (VRA) Chapters, VRA affiliates, related information management organizations, museums, libraries, and academic institutions. For a reasonable registration fee, the workshops will provide an immersive experience on a single topic, framed in a manner that is relevant to digital asset management professionals, users of cultural heritage information, and the larger information community.Applications will be accepted to host one of the following workshops:

• Can We Do That?: Intellectual Property Rights and Visual Media
• Collaborating across the Institution: Creating Professional Partnerships to Support Cultural Heritage
• Documenting Cultural Heritage: Strategies and Spaces for Digital Capture
• Exhibit, Instruct, Promote: An Introduction to Omeka for Digital Scholarship
• Learning to Look and Looking to Learn: A Workshop on Visual Literacy
• Managing Digital Content
• Metadata and Management of Cultural Heritage Digital Media: From Fundamental to Future Trends
• Moving Images: The Basics and Beyond
• The International Image Interoperability Framework: What is it, and how can I use it?
• Something Mappy This Way Comes: An Introduction to Digital Mapping Technologies
• Python for Beginners

We will also consider applications in which the host site proposes its own workshop topic. Please review the description of the VRAF Regional Workshop Program as well as the VRAF Mission Statement prior to confirm that your proposed workshop fits within both the program’s parameters and the larger goals of the VRAF.To conform to the guidelines of our Samuel H. Kress grant, workshops must be held by June 2019.  For more information about the VRAF Regional Workshop Program, visit https://vrafoundation.com/regional-workshops/. To apply, visit https://vrafoundation.com/apply/. If you have additional questions about the program, please contact VRAF Director Beth Haas, bwodnick@princeton.edu. The deadline for application is Friday, August 24^th at 11:59 a.m. PDT.

Member Benefit: VRA Year Round Mentor Program

Did you know one of the benefits of VRA membership includes networking and professional guidance opportunities through the Year Round Mentor Program? Keep reading ...Year Round Mentor ProgramThis fun and collegial program matches mentors (VRA members for 3 years or more who are reasonably well acquainted with the Association) with mentees (any VRA member seeking new connections within the Association or professional guidance from peers), at any time during the year.How does it work?Mentees: Your mentor will contact you via phone or email. If living close by, your mentor may make arrangements to meet you in person, if that is possible. Your mentor will talk to you about the local VRA chapter (if there is one in the area), and invite you to the chapter meetings. Your mentor will make introductions, make you feel welcome to the Association, and answer questions or provide guidance on matters related to visual resources concerns that they feel qualified to counsel on.Mentors: Contact your mentee via phone or email. If living close by, make arrangements to meet them in person, if that is possible. Talk about the local VRA chapter (if there is one in the area), and invite your mentee to the chapter meetings. Make introductions, make them feel welcome to the Association, and answer questions or provide guidance on matters related to visual resources concerns that you feel qualified to counsel on.How long does it last?While we hope that many mentors will form lasting professional associations with their mentee, the mentoring commitment can be understood to consist of a few phone calls to field questions, a face to face meeting if that is possible, and invitations and introductions at local chapter meetings or at the Annual Conference. This type of commitment can be discharged within 1 to 6 months depending upon the schedule of the local chapter or Annual Conference.How do I sign up?Potential Mentors and Mentees are asked to complete a questionnaire. This will assist the Mentor Coordinator in making the best match possible. The first priority will be to match members within the same local chapter. Members outside the area of a local chapter will be matched with the next best suitable member.Mentee Applicationhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSO8QbvVCO7qNZe1nv6D_TDZrrexKp5aTNNpY5kBrwDLCgrA/viewform?c=0&w=1Mentor Applicationhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbjx3zSat8Uaw5bqzUxhUoksGzgRNlZv2mb65Xu1QkXdF3kg/viewform?c=0&w=1For more information, visit httpS://vraweb.org/opportunities/mentorship/

Reminder: VRA Los Angeles 2019: Call for Proposals

The Visual Resources Association’s 2019 Annual Conference will be held in Los Angeles, California, from Tuesday, March 26th, through Friday, March 29th, 2019, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles Downtown. Please mark your calendar.Proposals for papers, sessions, special interest/user groups, and workshops are now being solicited for the 2019 program. All proposals are welcome.Click here to access the conference proposal form.

• A paper is an individual idea submission, which will be reviewed for possible grouping into a session. Your ideas, whether they come to us alone or in a group, are equally valued in the Board's proposal and selection process.
• A session is a maximum 60-minute moderated panel, usually consisting of no more than 3 presenters each, speaking for 15 to 18 minutes, followed by a brief facilitated question and answer period. If you feel your session topic requires more time, consider dividing it into two sessions, consisting of a Part I and a Part II.
• A special interest/user group is a 60-minute informal, community -driven, facilitated group discussion on topics related to a specific segment of the VRA membership.
• A workshop is a 2, 4, or 8-hour workshop to develop skills and experience in the field of visual resources, preferably with hands-on activities.

The proposal deadline is Friday, August 3rd, 2018. Program submissions received after this date will not be considered for the 2019 conference.The quality of conference content depends upon YOUR ideas and contributions, so let those creative juices flow. Perusing some of the past conference schedules will show you the range of topics presented in previous years and may inspire your proposal. Use suggested topics compiled from post-conference survey responses (see below) or 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, 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, but submissions without presenter lists are encouraged as well.Suggested topics:

• Active Learning
• Archives
• Cataloging Cultural Objects
• Coding - PHP, Python, SQL, etc.
• Commercial partners
• Copyright/Intellectual Property
• Corporate Visual Resources careers
• Data Visualization
• Digital Asset Management
• Digital Humanities
• Digital publishing
• Diversity/Inclusion
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF)
• Imaging - Workflow and organization
• Maps - GIS, Omeka and Neatline, Storymaps
• Metadata - Assessment, standards, structures, and tools
• Moving images and sound
• Non-Academic careers
• Pedagogy/Teaching
• Photogrammetry
• Photoshop
• Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI)

Questions regarding the proposal process and the various presentation formats included in the VRA Conference program can be directed to Jacob Esselstrom, the VRA Vice President for Conference Program.Again, the proposal deadline is Friday, August 3rd, 2018. We look forward to hearing from you!

VRA Members at EVA Conference in Florence, Italy

Three VRA members, Marcia Focht from SUNY Binghamton, Maureen Burns of Archivision, and Andreas Knab of vrcHost, had papers accepted for the Electronic Visualization in the Arts (EVA) Florence conference in May 2018. Marcia introduced this international audience to some of the work of the VRA’s Data Standards Committee in a presentation entitled, “Maximizing Metadata: Embedded Metadata Tools.” Although Andreas was unable to attend in person, he partnered with Maureen on the following presentation, “Instant Architecture: Hosted Access to the Archivision Research Library with Built-In Image Management and Presentation Tools.” All of the EVA presenters’ papers were published through the Firenze University Press and are available for purchase in hard copy or through an open access downloadable PDF.The EVA Florence conference brought together about 100 speakers and participants to exchange ideas, spotlight initiatives, and share experiences on current trends in international arts computing and cultural heritage sector developments. Sponsored by an impressive array of Italian government, industry, foundation, and university entities--from the Associazione Beni Italiani Patrimonio Mondiale Unesco to Fratelli Alinari Idea to the Universita di Firenze--scholars and professionals came from as far afield as Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Turkey, the UK, and USA, with strong representation from the various regions of Italy. There was quite a mixture of material presented from art historical research to museum trends to commercial products.  Following the conference, Marcia and Maureen connected with Visual Resources Association International Chapter members who also attended EVA--Lavinia Ciuffa from the American Academy in Rome and Spyros Koulouris of I Tatti in Florence--to visit the extensive and historic archives, libraries, and grounds of Bernard Berenson's Tuscan villa (now a Harvard Research Center) and Palazzo Grifoni, housing the Photothek des Kunsthistorischen Instituts in Florenz--Max Planck Institut (over 600,000 photographs). Dr. Ute Dercks provided an in-depth tour of the Photothek and it was fun to see that shelf order still matters for the analog collections. Their online exhibits and digital database are also impressive. It might be hard to find a more beautiful and peaceful corner of the world than Villa I Tatti. Spyros was a gracious host, both in Florence, where we had a traditional Tuscan meal at an osteria together after the conference, and up in the surrounding hills, generously sharing his time and expertise to provide us with an informative tour of the library and photo archive as well as a picture-postcard lunch with a view.

Call for Applications: VRA Foundation Internship Award, 2018-2019

The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to invite applications for the sixth VRAF Internship Award in visual resources and image management. This internship is generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.The VRAF Internship Award 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.Candidates should apply after developing a project with a specific collection and prospective supervisor. Priority will be given to applicants who submit projects that support art historical or related visual cultural heritage research and scholarship. The VRAF Internship Award Committee favors opportunities in which the intern may integrate skills acquired during the course of his or her academic training to manage a project from beginning to end, with the host institution receiving needed help in making valuable but hidden cultural collections visible. Projects that would not occur without funding for an intern may be given special consideration. A complete description of the internship and application instructions are available at: https://vrafoundation.com/internship-award/.Applications are due by August 6, 2018. The award recipient for 2018-2019 will be announced on August 27, 2018.

Apply to Be the Next VRA Bulletin Content Editor

Are you interested in developing leadership skills in digital publishing and open access?

The Executive Board is now accepting applications for the position of Content Editor for the VRA Bulletin.  All members are encouraged to consider this important role for the VRA, especially if you have a background or strong interest in editorial work, writing, open access, and/or electronic publishing.  The Bulletin is published twice per year and the Content Editor is compensated $750 per issue.

The term will officially commence in January 2019, upon completion of Volume 45, by our current VRA Bulletin Content Editor Maureen Burns.  The candidate for Content Editor will have the opportunity to shadow and train with Maureen this fall in preparation for the transition in the new year.  Maureen has done a superb job, leaving a legacy that includes implementing peer-review and laying the groundwork for open access, and the board wishes to express our most sincere gratitude. The Content Editor will also have the advantage of partnering with the VRA Bulletin Production Editor, currently Hannah Marshall, and working closely with peer reviewers and copy editors.

The mission of the VRA Bulletin is to serve the membership of the VRA by providing a professional forum for the discussion and dissemination of ideas and information directly related to the field of visual resources. It 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. Articles authored by members of the Association and like-minded information professionals from outside VRA, cover a wide range of topics including: digital imaging and digital projects; cataloging and classification systems; historical collections and archives; digital humanities; data standards; education and professional development; intellectual property rights and copyright; library systems; collection development; digital curation and preservation; visual literacy and instruction; and, professional standards and ethics.

A detailed charge and characteristic duties and responsibilities of the position follow below.  To apply, please send a statement of interest and a short resume, highlighting your relevant education, experience, and any publications to Amy McKenna (info@vraweb.org) and/or Stephen Patton (VRA.Patton@gmail.com).  Queries about the position may also be sent to Stephen or Amy, or directly to Maureen Burns (moaburns@gmail.com).

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, July 18.

Thank you for considering this vital and rewarding position.

Amy McKenna, VRA Public Relations and Communications Officer

Stephen Patton, VRA President

Content Editor, VRA Bulletin

Charge: To solicit and select news articles, professional information, and manuscripts for publication and to manage content uploaded to the electronic journal system. Partners with the Production Editor to plan and supervise the preparation and publication of the VRA Bulletin in electronic form.Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities:The VRA Bulletin Content Editor is appointed by and reports to the VRA Executive Board. The term of appointment is four years and any change in term is subject to Board approval. The term may be renewed or reduced by the Board. The VRA Bulletin Content Editor works in conjunction with the Production Editor.General

• In partnership with the Production Editor, plan and supervise the preparation and publication of the electronic VRA Bulletin.
• Develop and maintain editorial staff, peer reviewers, and occasional guest editors.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with Executive Board, Production Editor, Membership Services Coordinator, and serves as member of the informal Publications Special Interest Group.
• Maintain VRA Bulletin editorial working files related to content.

Editorial

• Define and develop the content of the publication.
• Send out calls for content at least two times a year.
• Solicit and select articles, professional information, and manuscripts for publication.
• Work with editorial staff to review content and ask authors for revisions or copy editing.
• Make final decisions on the content for each issue.
• Oversee the progress of materials for publication, including editing for style, content, and organization.
• Write publication copy as needed.
• Communicate with the Production Editor on content readiness.

Administration 

• Prepare the Mid-Year and Annual reports for the Executive Board with the Production Editor and include any budgetary information and requests.
• Work with the Executive Board to keep the electronic journal current with trends in electronic scholarship.

VRA Bulletin Special Issue on Scope Drift

Volume 44 Issue 2 of the Visual Resources Association Bulletin is now available to members upon log in. This is a special issue on the topic of Scope Drift. In project management, "scope drift" describes the continuous expansion of the requirements, mission, and objectives of a project. In the field of visual resources, the drifting of professional scope can be both a force driving innovation and an indicator of change.The goal of organizing this special issue was to gather examples of scope drift as a constructive force that allows individuals and teams to leverage the breadth of their skills, cultivate opportunities, and effectively fulfill their professional and organizational mission in unexpected ways.In this issue:

• Translating Visual to Textual Resources: Editorial and Technological Support for Electronic Publishing by Maureen Burns
• Scope Drift? More of a Sharp Turn: Visual Resources Director One Day, Architecture Librarian the Next by Cynthia G. Frank
• Drifting with Professional Scope by Jen Green
• Designing for Scope, Embracing Drift: Customizing Metadata with Open-source Software and Grassroots Efforts by Carolyn J. Lucarelli and Thomas Swindle
• When Drift becomes Current: Collaborating to Expand Beyond the Visual by Mēgan Oliver and Kimberly Detterbeck
• Scope Shift: Cultivating Opportunity and Building Constituencies: Forays in Copyright, Fellowships, and Internships by Sonja Sekely-Rowland

If you are interested in publishing in the VRA Bulletin, please don't hesitate to review our submission guidelines or to reach out to the Content Editor, Maureen Burns. The next issue will be turned around quickly--deadline July 10th--and will include any Philadelphia conference content or other offerings with a plan to be published later in the Summer. We accept a wide variety of article types and now offer peer review. If you have any interest in being a reviewer, please contact us directly.Thank you to everyone who responded so enthusiastically to the Scope Drift themed issue.With best regards,Hannah MarshallVRA Bulletin Guest Content & Production EditorVisit the VRA Bulletin Dashboard:   

Nominations Sought for 2018 VRA Executive Board Elections

Three key positions on the VRA Executive Board will be on the ballot for the Association’s election this coming November:

• 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 Nominating Committee encourages members to place themselves, or other qualified individuals, in consideration for nomination by contacting the Chair or any member of the Committee.  Also, please feel free to contact any Committee member with any questions you may have regarding the nomination process.

VRA is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Applicants from underrepresented communities and with diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

The VRA Bylaws provide additional information about the terms and duties of each officer position.

Thank you,

VRA 2018 Nominating Committee

Allan T. Kohl, Minneapolis College of Art and Design (Chair)Krystal Boehlert, University of California, RiversideElaine Paul, University of Colorado, BoulderChris Strasbaugh, Ohio State University

VRA Los Angeles 2019: Call for Proposals

The Visual Resources Association’s 2019 Annual Conference will be held in Los Angeles, California, from Tuesday, March 26th, through Friday, March 29th, 2019, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles Downtown. Please mark your calendar.Proposals for papers, sessions, special interest/user groups, and workshops are now being solicited for the 2019 program. All proposals are welcome.Click here to access the conference proposal form.

• A paper is an individual idea submission, which will be reviewed for possible grouping into a session. Your ideas, whether they come to us alone or in a group, are equally valued in the Board's proposal and selection process.
• A session is a maximum 60-minute moderated panel, usually consisting of no more than 3 presenters each, speaking for 15 to 18 minutes, followed by a brief facilitated question and answer period. If you feel your session topic requires more time, consider dividing it into two sessions, consisting of a Part I and a Part II.
• A special interest/user group is a 60-minute informal, community -driven, facilitated group discussion on topics related to a specific segment of the VRA membership.
• A workshop is a 2, 4, or 8-hour workshop to develop skills and experience in the field of visual resources, preferably with hands-on activities.

The proposal deadline is Friday, August 3rd, 2018. Program submissions received after this date will not be considered for the 2019 conference.The quality of conference content depends upon YOUR ideas and contributions, so let those creative juices flow. Perusing some of the past conference schedules will show you the range of topics presented in previous years and may inspire your proposal. Use suggested topics compiled from post-conference survey responses (see below) or 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, 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, but submissions without presenter lists are encouraged as well.Suggested topics:

• Active Learning
• Archives
• Cataloging Cultural Objects
• Coding - PHP, Python, SQL, etc.
• Commercial partners
• Copyright/Intellectual Property
• Corporate Visual Resources careers
• Data Visualization
• Digital Asset Management
• Digital Humanities
• Digital publishing
• Diversity/Inclusion
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF)
• Imaging - Workflow and organization
• Maps - GIS, Omeka and Neatline, Storymaps
• Metadata - Assessment, standards, structures, and tools
• Moving images and sound
• Non-Academic careers
• Pedagogy/Teaching
• Photogrammetry
• Photoshop
• Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI)

Questions regarding the proposal process and the various presentation formats included in the VRA Conference program can be directed to Jacob Esselstrom, the VRA Vice President for Conference Program.Again, the proposal deadline is Friday, August 3rd, 2018. We look forward to hearing from you!

VRA is now on Instagram

The official Instagram of VRA is up and running!  You can help increase visibility of the Visual Resources Association by following, liking, and sharing content from our Facebook, Twitter (@VisResAssn) and now Instagram (@VisResAssn).  If you’d like to submit content to the VRA Instagram page, please contact Kendra Werst, VRA Social Networking Coordinator, at socialcontrib@vraweb.org.  For quick reference, see our updated social media icons at the bottom of this page.

VRA Philadelphia 2018: Presentations now available on SlideShare

Still thinking about those outstanding sessions you saw in Philadelphia or wishing you could have been able to attend?  Over 25 presentations from the VRA 2018 annual conference are now available on SlideShare:https://www.slideshare.net/VisResAssoc/presentations.  With many thanks to Jacob Esselstrom, Vice President for Conference Program, for coordinating the collection of presentation files.

Betha Whitlow: Recipient of the 2018 VRA Distinguished Service Award

The Awards Committee of the Visual Resources Association is delighted to announce that Betha Whitlow, visual resources curator at Washington University in St. Louis, is the 2018 recipient of the Association’s Distinguished Service Award. She was nominated for this award by Maureen Burns, Meghan Musolff, and Marlene Gordon. Betha has just stepped down as a member of the Board of Directors of the Visual Resources Association Foundation after serving two terms from 2014-2018. As a director, Betha developed and implemented the VRA Foundation’s highly successful Regional Workshop program. From 2010 to 2013 she served as a co-chair of the ARLIS/NA-VRA Summer Educational Institute (SEI). Betha is a committed advocate for educational initiatives that support visual resources professionals.The remarks of her nominators, Meghan Musolff and Maureen Burns, as well as Betha’s acceptance comments are now online at: httpS://vraweb.org/about/committees/awards-committee/vra-awards-recipients/

VRAF Regional Workshop: IIIF in Austin, Texas, May 11, 2018

The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to announce its fourth workshop, the last in the series being offered during the 2017-2018 VRAF Regional Workshop Program.  Registration is now live for The International Image Interoperability Framework: What Is it and How Can I Use It? workshop, to be hosted by the University of Texas at Austin and held on May 11, 2018. This day-long workshop is open to cultural heritage professionals, the information, museum, and educational communities, and anyone interested in visual culture. The VRAF is grateful to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for its continued support of this exciting opportunity to partner with cultural heritage and educational institutions.

Access to image-based resources is fundamental to research, scholarship and the transmission of cultural knowledge. Digital images are a container for much of the information content in the web-based delivery of images, books, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, scrolls, single sheet collections and archival materials. Yet much of the Internet’s image-based resources are locked up in silos, with access restricted to bespoke, locally built applications. The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) is a set of shared application programming interface (API) specifications for interoperable functionality in digital image repositories. The IIIF is comprised of and driven by a community of libraries, museums, archives, software companies and other organizations working together to create, test, refine, implement and promote the IIIF specifications. This workshop will provide a clear and thorough understanding of what IIIF is, how it works and how it can be applied to enhance image access and resource sharing.

“The International Image Interoperability Framework: What Is It and How Can I Use It?” workshop will be taught by Ben Brumfield and Sara Carlstead Brumfield of Brumfield Labs.  Ben and Sara have been working with IIIF for years, participating and presenting in IIIF groups on discovery and manuscripts, and leading workshops for museums and libraries. Their technical projects include building IIIF support into FromThePage, a manuscript transcription software and developing Pontiiif, an IIIF manifest search engine.

To learn more and register for the workshop visit https://vrafoundation.com/iiif_utaustin/.

The fee for this day-long workshop is $125.

For questions about The University of Texas at Austin venue, contact Sydney Kilgore (skilgore@austin.utexas.edu) or Elizabeth Schaub (eschaub@austin.utexas.edu).

For questions about registration or the workshop, contact Beth Haas, VRAF Director, bwodnick@princeton.edu.

VRA Philadelphia 2018: Event Photos

Conference attendees are invited to upload their photographs from Philadelphia to the Visual Resources Association Events group in Flickr.  Visit https://www.flickr.com/groups/vra_events/ to join the group, upload your photos, and browse some amazing photos that just might include you!  When you request to join the group, please indicate your affiliation with the VRA (current member, former member, member of an affiliated organization, etc.).Please assist the VRA in documenting our past, current, and future conferences, meetings, and other events.  Add your favorite photos and let them go down in history!

VRA LA 2019: Save the Date

Start making your plans now for the next annual conference.  You won't want to miss VRA LA 2019, March 26-29 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Los Angeles Downtown. 

Cataloging and Metadata Survey Report Released

The Cataloging and Metadata Survey (fielded between February 22 and April 7, 2017), developed by the survey working group of the Visual Resources Association (VRA) Data Standards and VRA Core Oversight Committees, has been completed. The working group prepared this report summarizing the findings, conclusions, and next steps. The survey's main objectives were to:

1. understand the scope of cataloging and metadata practice of visual resources professionals,
2. evaluate the use and satisfaction with the VRA Core data standard, and
3. determine how the VRA can best support the needs of cataloging and metadata professionals in the future.

We believe the findings will be of interest to the members of the VRA and to the profession in general as both continue to evolve. We thank all 157 respondents who participated in the survey. If you have any comments or questions about the report, please contact Zoe Waldron We will be publishing the report in the VRA Bulletin and any added feedback will be welcome to help develop further analysis for that article.

Boon or Bane? The Four Fair Use Factors vs. The 10% Rule

Although most of us who work in libraries and museums would like to have an exact rule to follow regarding Fair Use, nowhere in the U.S. Code is an actual, quantitative number given for determining if a use is fair. The four factors of Fair Use, as defined in the Code, Section 17, § 107 (LINK) are as follows:(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.Although some cite the 10% rule as a factor, this number in fact comes from the “Agreement on Guidelines for Classroom Copying in Not-For-Profit Educational Institutions with Respect to Books and Periodicals (Classroom Guidelines)” (LINK) which are simply that - guidelines written by individuals, some representing education, and some industry. Indeed, the understandings reached in the “Guidelines” were not adopted by Congress. Furthermore, the “...not more than 1,000 words or 10% of the work, whichever is less” commonly cited is intended to serve as a “safe harbor” for educators who are hesitant to make their own assessments of fair use. The courts have stated that “...the purpose of the Guidelines was to state the minimum and not the maximum standards of educational fair use” (emphasis added) (LINK). The 10% rule, therefore, was designed to serve as a guide or suggestion for educators but is not a definitive statement and, according to the District Court of Georgia, Atlanta Division, the “absolute cap” of the “Guidelines” is “not compatible with the language and intent of § 107” (LINK).Fair use, on the other hand (as defined in § 107), is far from formulaic - in fact, the decision in the case of Cambridge University Press et al v. Carl V. Patton, et al (LINK) (the case over the Georgia State University e-reserves) was overturned by the Court of Appeals because the lower court was found to have applied the four fair use factors in a mathematical way, i.e. by applying equal weight to each factor. Instead, fair use must be determined on a case-by-case basis, rather than acting as a formula which can be applied without discrimination to all instances of reuse of copyrighted material that lay claim to being fair use.Fair use allows us to make judgements about what is an appropriate use of copyrighted material, potentially providing more freedom than the directives of the “Guidelines.” By utilizing fair use, copyrighted material can be used in teaching, parodies, criticism, and more, in potentially broader and more appropriate ways. While case law on fair use is more abundant for textual sources than images, the VRA’s own “Statement on the Fair Use of Images in Teaching, Research and Study” states that the use of images in these contexts “should be consistent with fair use” (LINK, p 8).Although there is a certain security in having a precise percentage which can be established through numerical means, it is also constraining to not have any flexibility - for example, if a book has 100 pictures and a teacher wants to use eleven images in a classroom, being able to weigh if the use is fair against the four factors is a more reasonable response than to flatly state that the rule is ten images, no more. Again, the “Statement on the Fair Use of Images” says that, "Although one factor cited in the fair use statute is the amount of a copyrighted work being used in relation to the work as a whole, use of substantial portions of a copyrighted work – or an entire work – should not preclude a finding of fair use in a classroom or research context...the educational context matters, and even if the entire work is used, and even if the underlying work is not transformed through the addition of substantial new content, these uses, within the academic context, should be fair ones” (p 10). Maybe that eleventh image contains the heart of the argument the teacher is making, perhaps showing an overall view, of which the previous pictures were simply details; with the 10% rule, we would never know and would be lost amongst the trees, unable to see the forest clearly.Amy LazetVisual Resources Specialist, College for Creative Studies, DetroitLinks (in order of appearance):17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use“Agreement on Guidelines for Classroom Copying in Not-For-Profit Educational Institutions with Respect to Books and Periodicals”Cambridge University Press v. Becker et al (2012)Court of Appeals: Cambridge University Press et al v. Carl V. Patton, et al (2014)“Visual Resources Association: Statement on the Fair Use of Images for Teaching, Research and Study”

Fair Use Week is Coming!

It's that time of year again - Fair Use Week! This February 26 - March 2, the IPR committee will once again be "taking over" the VRA's social media to promote Fair Use Week and provide additional resources for those interested in learning more. You can help increase visibility of this important concept by following, liking, and sharing content from Twitter (@VisResAssn) and Facebook.If you have thoughts or know of resources related to Fair Use that you would be willing to share, let Lael Ensor-Bennett (lensor@jhu.edu) or Margaret McKee (mmckee@menil.org) know - we welcome your involvement.