Join the New VRA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee
The VRA Executive Board is forming a new committee, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEIC). The committee is charged with advancing and supporting an equitable, diverse, and inclusive association. The VRA is committed to critical reflection and an open, transparent process that can strengthen the organization and its current and future membership by welcoming and embracing diverse voices and perspectives.
The Board is currently accepting applications for membership to the DEIC. Consider joining! You will be on the front lines of supporting, growing, and strengthening the future of the VRA. You will connect with professional colleagues across the association and learn more about existing DEI initiatives.
If you are interested in applying, please complete this form (https://forms.gle/NhRtpPWgMCFNrycd7) by November 4, 2019. Please email board@vraweb.org with any questions.
Save the Date: SEI to be held at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, June 23-26, 2020
ARLIS/NA and the VRAF are pleased to announce the implementation team for the Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management (SEI) 2020, to be held at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, June 23-26, 2020.
Senior Co-Chair: Courtney Baron, University of Louisville
Junior Co-Chair: Bridget Madden, University of Chicago
Incoming Co-Chair: Molly Szymanski, Art Institute of Chicago
Local Co-Chair: Nicole Finzer, Northwestern University
Curriculum Specialist (VRA): Kimberly Wolfe, University of Richmond
Curriculum Specialist (ARLIS): Annie Sollinger, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Development Specialist: Tina Budzise-Weaver, Texas A&M University
Webmaster/Publicity Specialist/VRAF Treasurer: Otto Luna, University of New Hampshire
VRAF Liaison: Beth Haas, Princeton University
ARLIS/NA Liaison: Lauren MacDonald, Saint Mary's College
SEI is a joint project of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) and the Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF). SEI seeks to provide information professionals with a substantive educational and professional development opportunity focused on digital imaging, the information and experience needed to stay current in a rapidly changing field, and the opportunity to create and be part of a network of supportive colleagues.
For more information on SEI 2020, visit our website: seiworkshop.org
Have questions? Please feel free to contact one of our co-chairs:
Courtney Baron (courtney.baron@louisville.edu)
Bridget Madden (bridgetm@uchicago.edu)
Follow SEI on Facebook and Twitter: @seiworkshop
Meet the 2019 Executive Board Candidates: Brian Shelburne, Vice President for Conference Arrangements
The VRA annual election of officers will take place November 1-30, 2019. Members will receive an email on November 1 with instructions for accessing the ballot. Please vote and show your support to the candidates and participate in the governance of the Association.
About the Candidate
Brian Shelburne is Head of the Digital Scholarship Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has worked in the Visual Resources field in a variety of positions and at several institutions for nearly 30 years. He has worked in Visual Resources Departments at Bryn Mawr College, the Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science (now Philadelphia University), Virginia Tech, and UMass Amherst. He holds an M.A. in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology from Bryn Mawr College and an MLIS from the University of South Carolina. His academic background is in Classical archaeology, and he has 10 seasons of field experience working with excavations in Greece, Italy, and Cyprus.
Brian has served the VRA in a variety of ways. He was Vice President for Conference Arrangements from 2008-2012, overseeing the transition from a 5 day conference model to a 3 day model as well as serving as the VRA’s conference planner for the second joint VRA ARLIS/NA conference in Minneapolis. He has served on a variety of committees and task forces in the organization, most recently on the VRA Identity Task Force. He was New England chapter chair from 2016-2018. He served on the VRAF Board of Directors from 2012-2015. He has presented regularly at the VRA Conference and is currently the organizer of the Digital Humanities/Digital Scholarship SIG.
Currently Brian’s role is working with what some might consider the next generation of visual resources technologies. His office works with aspects of digital scholarship such as online exhibitions, digital publishing, and data visualization, though traditional image work is still a large part of his regular work.
Goals
I began my career in Visual Resources working with 35 mm slides when computers were just beginning to be introduced to the profession. In the years since I have seen the field evolve as technologies and tools such as databases, digitization, and digital projection have been adopted and become the standards with which we work. I am now in a position in which I regularly encounter new technologies and methodologies that may become tomorrow’s standards. Most of us recognize that the field of visual resources has been in great flux for the past 30 years, and that trend shows no sign of slowing.
I served four years as the Vice President for Conference Arrangements during a time when there were many external and internal pressures on the organization. We were in a financial recession, and we were hearing from our members that our conference model was unwieldy. During that time we were able to modify the conference model in a way that satisfied many by reducing its duration. We find ourselves in a similar pattern now. Our external pressures are those of relevance and change, and our internal pressures revolve around the organizational structure and the conference model.
As our profession continues to evolve, the VRA must keep pace as an organization. We have begun to examine the Association over recent years with the intent of renewing the organization and keeping its work relevant. We have had serious discussions about our organizational and conference models, we have seen a new strategic plan, and most recently an Identity Task Force was charged to examine many aspects of the Association.
I believe that it is important to continue the examination of the Association and find ways to develop the organizational structure in new ways that respond to the needs of our membership. I have been fortunate to have been involved with some of that process to date and would hope to continue to play a role in the determination of the future path of our Association.
The position for which I’m asking your endorsement is labeled as one concerned primarily with the conference, but the responsibilities are much broader. Every Board member has a strong voice in the operational and strategic decision-making for the Association for 2 years. I believe that my past experiences on the Executive Board, on organizational task forces, on the VRAF Board of Directors, and as a chapter chair have given me a broad view of most aspects of the VRA. I believe that I have a solid understanding of the Association’s identity and desires, yet I know that I can listen to all sides of a discussion to try to find solutions that satisfy everyone. I believe that I can help the VRA examine and respond to the changes it faces.
Visual Resources Association Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award: Call for 2020 Nominations
The call for nominations for the Visual Resources Association's highest honors--the Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award--is now open. The awards will be presented during the 2020 VRA conference in Baltimore.
1) The VRA Distinguished Service Award honors an individual who has made an outstanding career contribution to the field of visual resources and image management. Nominees must have achieved a level of distinction in the field either through leadership, research, or service to the profession. Nominees can also be considered for outstanding innovation, participation, or project management in visual resources.
2) The VRA Nancy DeLaurier Award honors a single 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 efforts.
Nomination letters for either award are being accepted to Dec 20, 2019.
This is a letter from the nominator(s) describing the nature of the nominee’s general achievements. If necessary, upon submission of your nomination letter, the Awards Committee can work with you to procure the nominee’s curriculum vitae.
Send nomination letters to Awards Committee Chair Steven Kowalik skowalik@hunter.cuny.edu by Dec 20, 2019.
Supporting letters for either award are due by January 17, 2020.
If necessary, the Awards Committee can provide assistance to the nominator(s) to procure supporting letters. Supporting letters should be sent to Awards Committee Chair Steven Kowalik skowalik@hunter.cuny.edu by Jan 17, 2020.
Recommendations from the Awards Committee are subject to approval by the VRA Executive Board. Nomination documents will be retained in the Association Archives. The awards presentation will take place during the 2020 VRA conference in Baltimore.
We strongly encourage co-nominators, and the members of the Awards Committee are prepared to offer help and advice. For more information including a list of previous award recipients, please visit the Awards page on the VRA website.
Please nominate a worthy colleague for these prestigious VRA awards. One heartfelt letter sets the nomination process in motion!
Regards,
Steven Kowalik
VRA Awards Committee Chair
VRA 2019 Executive Board Election: Candidates Announced
The VRA annual election of officers will take place November 1-30, 2019 online. Members will receive an email on November 1 with instructions for accessing the ballot.
The three offices open for next year are Vice President for Conference Arrangements, Treasurer, and Public Relations & Communications Officer. You can read the announcement of the candidates for the three offices here: httpS://vraweb.org/elections/ along with their biographies and goal statements. Please join us in thanking these colleagues for volunteering to be candidates for the positions.
We would like to extend our thanks to the Nominating Committee, Chaired by Allan Kohl, with members Krystal Boehlert, Jasmine Burns, and Chris Strasbaugh.
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 each office. In either case, a vote by the membership is required. This year, two offices will have candidates running unopposed, and one office will be contested between two candidates. Please vote and show your support to the candidates and participate in the governance of the Association.
VREPS/ArLiSNAP Fall 2019 Virtual Conference
ArLiSNAP (Art Library Students and New ARLIS Professionals) and VREPS (Visual ResourcesEmerging Professionals and Students) are pleased to announce our 2019 FallVirtual Conference: Accessing the Arts: Trends, Innovations, and Challengesfor the Information Professional. The conference will take place at 1-3PM CST October 26, 2019.
To register for this free event, visit https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/7699807761594124043 . After registering,you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining thewebinar.
As information professionals, we are charged not only with stewarding our collections, but with fostering meaningful connections for our constituents. As such, providing access in physical and virtual spaces as diverse as our collections and our roles within them.
Our webinar will include three presentations which will be followed by a time for Q&A between our presenters and conference attendees. Our presenters will be:
Anna Boutin-Cooper and E Marcovitz, Franklin & Marshall College
One Summer, Two People, & a Zine Backlog: a How-To for New Catalogers
Jackie Fleming, Indiana University
Education Before Access: Why Every Art Librarian Should Have Basic Knowledge of Copyright Law and Legal Issues Related to Their Collections
Will Fenton and Ann McShane, The Library Company of Philadelphia
Redrawing History: Innovation through Artistic Reinterpretation
Hilary Wang and Lauren Haperstock, ArLiSNAP Conference Planning Liaisons and Masters of Library and Information Science students at Pratt Institute and University of Arizona respectively, will moderate the discussion
Registration will close two hours before the start of the webinar. Forassistance, please contact webinars@arlisna.org.
Hilary Wang and Lauren Haberstock
ArLiSNAP Conference Planning Liaisons
(hwang63@pratt.edu; lhaberstock@email.arizona.edu)
Mid-Atlantic Chapter Visit to the Barnes Foundation
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On Friday September 13, members of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter met at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia for a business meeting, and then various tours and activities at the Barnes. A Big Thank You goes to Kerry Annos and her colleagues who hosted us so graciously.
We met with the Senior Director of Conservation and Chief Conservator of Paintings, the Manager of Archives, Libraries, Special Collections, and had a curatorial meeting with a Curatorial Research Assistant to learn about workflow, research tools, and more about the Barnes Collections.
Then we were able to visit both the permanent collections and the Special Exhibit, "I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like: The Art of Bill Viola."
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VRAF 2019-2020 Internship Award Winner Announced
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The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) Board of Directors announces the 2019-2020 VRAF Internship Award in visual resources and image management. This award was generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.
Kristine Clark, of Phoenix, Arizona, is the recipient of the VRA Foundation’s seventh Internship Award. She will receive $3,000 to work a minimum of 200 hours with the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art to “bridge the gap between accessible and available” on the museum’s website. Approximately half of SMoCA’s collection of nearly 2,000 objects has been photographed and is available for online viewing. However, one can currently only browse by object type; there are no other means to search for works in the collection. Kristine’s work will focus on image tagging and composing catalog descriptions. She will establish a methodology for creating these tags, including a lexicon of controlled vocabulary terms, which others will be able to apply in the future. If time allows, she will also assist with photographing the remainder of the collection.
Carrie Tovar, SMoCA Registrar and supervisor for this project, shared that Kristine’s project will allow the online collection to reach an even greater audience, including those who are financially or physically unable to visit in person. She notes that SMoCA is the only museum in Arizona dedicated to contemporary art, architecture, and design, and that its mission embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. Kristine will explore a culturally sensitive approach to image tagging that is aligned with these organizational values.
VRAF selected Kristine’s proposed project for a number of reasons, including her demonstrated initiative, passion, and record of high achievement; the benefits to her professional development; the opportunity to support the development of standards and best practices within the museum community; the importance of culturally competent practices in the description of museum objects; the benefits to an institution of SMoCA’s size; and the potential to reach diverse communities with diverse content.
The Foundation is pleased to support the education and practical training of emerging professionals through this internship award. This year the VRAF Internship Award Committee received excellent applications for an array of fascinating and important projects which made the selection process difficult. The Internship Award Committee (Linda Callahan, Marcia Focht, Carolyn Lucarelli, Adelaide McComb, and Elaine Paul, Chair) appreciates the careful thought that went into every proposal. We are grateful to the Kress Foundation for its assistance and for recognizing the potential of this award to foster the next generation of visual resource professionals.
The VRAF Internship Award is part of the Foundation's mission to advance awareness of important issues for effective digital information management (including intellectual property and copyright); encourage the application of professional standards, innovative technology, and metadata cataloging protocols; and to facilitate workplace training. VRAF supports a range of educational offerings to help ensure that such information reaches a diverse, global audience. For more information about the Visual Resources Association Foundation, its mission and projects, as well as giving opportunities, please visit www.vrafoundation.com, or read the latest issue of our annual report at https://vrafoundation.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/finalar20172018onlineversion.pdf.
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Fall 2019 VRAF Professional Development Grant: Call for Applications
The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for the VRAF Professional Development Grant program. This program offers two $1000 grants yearly. This grant can be used to support conference participation, enroll in a workshop, for an online education opportunity, or for research activities. For consideration, please submit your application by Friday, September 20, 2019, 11:59PM Pacific Time. If you have any questions about the VRAF Professional Development Grant or the application process, and to submit your application here: https://forms.gle/LHeYeRJFnEniJHJP9 or please contact the VRAF Board of Directors at vrafoundation@gmail.com. The recipient of the Fall 2019 VRAF Professional Development grant will be announced by Friday, October 4, 2019, and must be used before October 4, 2020.
Purpose:
The purpose of the VRAF Professional Development grant is to support professional development in the field of visual resources and cultural heritage information management. The grant can be used to participate in a professional development opportunity of the grantee’s choosing (such as a conference, symposium, workshop, online education), or to enroll in relevant research activities (such as hands-on field work or a site visit for scholarly purposes). Priority will be given to applications that include participation at a conference (giving a paper, teaching a workshop, chairing a committee, etc.); research that shows promise to lead to publication or contributes to the visual resources and cultural heritage information management community; or to applications that can demonstrate that the receiving the opportunity will have a broader benefit to an institution or region. Please note that recipients of the award are required to submit a report outlining how the award contributed to his or her professional development within 30 days following the event.
Eligibility:
- Applicants should have a professional interest in visual resources and cultural heritage information management, and may include retirees, the currently unemployed, or students seeking educational and training opportunities in support of broad access to cultural information.
- Membership in the Visual Resources Association is not required.
- Statements of financial need will be strongly considered.Acceptable Uses of Award Money:
- Transportation costs to and from the event venue
- Registration fees or tuition
- Required course materials (e.g., workbooks, DVDs)
- Lodging
- Meals – including meals in transit to and from the educational event
- Research expenses
Grant monies may not be used to cover indirect costs (For example, a percentage of the grant money/funding taken by the grantee's institution to cover perceived overhead.)
Application Criteria:
- A goals statement outlining the opportunity, how it will benefit your work, and any potential contributions this opportunity may allow you to make beyond your own professional development.
- A comprehensive budget and breakdown of your proposed travel, lodging, meal, and other expenses. When costs are estimated, please explain (e.g., “roundtrip airfare on United as determined via Expedia search”; my lodging costs reflect an estimate for a shared room). If your institution requires you to use a specific airline, or has set a corporate airfare rate, please note this in the comments section. Be as clear and complete as possible about other funding support you will receive or are applying for, such as from your home institution, or other grants and awards.
- Your resume/curriculum vitae
Application:
- Please submit an online application to be considered for a VRAF Professional Development Grant.
On Behalf of the VRAF Board of Directors
vrafoundation@gmail.com
vrafoundation.com
Apply to Host a 2019-2020 VRAF Regional Workshop
The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to announce that it is accepting host applications for the VRAF Regional Workshop Program for 2019-20. The application deadline is Friday, August 23 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. 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 2019-2020 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
- Learning to Look and Looking to Learn: A Workshop on Visual Literacy
- Moving Images: The Basics and Beyond
- Python for Beginners
- 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
- From Project to Product: Effective Project Management and Strategic Planning
- Managing Digital Content
- Propose Your Own Workshop!
We will also consider applications in which the host site proposes its own workshop topic. International hosts welcome to apply. Please review the description of the VRAF Regional Workshop Programas 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 2020. 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 the Regional Workshop Implementation Team, vraf.rwit@gmail.com. The deadline for application is Friday, August 23 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
On behalf of the VRAF Regional Workshop Implementation Team
vrafoundation@gmail.com
vrafoundation.com
https://twitter.com/vrafoundation
https://www.facebook.com/visrafoundation/
Submissions Are Now Being Accepted for the VRA Bulletin Fall/Winter 2019 Issue
We are now accepting submissions for our Fall/Winter 2019 issue!
Because the Bulletin offers a hybrid peer review model, we can offer staggered submission deadlines based on whether or not an author is seeking peer review for their submission:
- Deadline for peer articles seeking peer review: October 15th, 2019
- Deadline for articles not seeking peer review: November 8th, 2019
*If you’re interested in serving as a peer reviewer, please volunteer via email by writing to the Content Editor, Hannah Marshall at marshall.hannah.marie@gmail.com
The Bulletin publishes a wide range of article types that correspondingly range in length - some rough guidelines to keep in mind:
- Feature articles: 2,000 - 5,000 words
- Perspectives (opinion pieces): 1,000 - 3,000 words
- Case studies & project updates: 500 - 2,000 words
- Reviews: 250 - 1,000 words
- Association news & reports - any length
There are two ways to get started publishing in the VRA Bulletin:
1. If you’d like to run your article idea by the editors before getting started, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Content Editor, Hannah Marshall (marshall.hannah.marie@gmail.com)
2. If your article is written and ready-to-go, upload it directly to our online journal system by following these instructions
Hannah Marshall, Content Editor
Amy Lazet, Production Editor
Now Available: VRA Bulletin Spring/Summer 2019 (Volume 46 Issue 1)
Dear Colleagues,
I am excited to inform you that the latest issue of the Visual Resources Association Bulletin has just been published and can be viewed here: https://online.vraweb.org/vrab/
This issue is the first fully open access Bulletin and is readily available to anyone with an internet connection - readers no longer need to sign in or be a VRA member in order to read the newest research on topics in the field of visual resources. This first OA issue focuses primarily on two topics - intellectual property rights and metadata - and features a variety of perspectives on both subjects.
Many thanks to each of the issue’s contributors and a reminder that the Bulletin is currently accepting submissions for its Fall/Winter 2019 issue. If you’re interested in publishing, don’t hesitate to reach out to Content Editor Hannah Marshall to discuss your article idea (marshall.hannah.marie@gmail.com). The submission process can be started on the VRAB website at: http://online.vraweb.org/vrab/.
Enjoy the issue!
Contents of the issue:
Association News
Knab, Andreas (2019) “Visual Resources Association 2019 Annual Business Meeting: Treasurer’s Report,” VRA Bulletin: Vol. 46: Iss. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://online.vraweb.org/vrab/vol46/iss1/1/
Feature Articles
Ciuffa, Lavinia (2019) “The Ernst Nash - Fototeca Unione Collection and the Project ‘The Urban Legacy of Ancient Rome’,” VRA Bulletin: Vol. 46: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://online.vraweb.org/vrab/vol46/iss1/2/
Gavell, Lisa (2019) “Tagging the Artstor Digital Library: A New Look at Tried and True (and Some AI) Strategies,” VRA Bulletin: Vol. 46: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://online.vraweb.org/vrab/vol46/iss1/3/
Schumacher, Sara (2019) “Unlocking the Public Domain,” VRA Bulletin: Vol. 46: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://online.vraweb.org/vrab/vol46/iss1/4/
Lazet, Amy (2019) “Intellectual Property Rights: Film, Pedagogy, and United States Code Title 17,” VRA Bulletin: Vol. 46: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://online.vraweb.org/vrab/vol46/iss1/5/
Burns, Maureen (2019) "The Rights Stuff: Ethical Desition-Making and Image use in a Commercial Context," Bulletin: Vol. 46: Iss. 1, Article 6. Available at: https://online.vraweb.org/vrab/vol46/iss1/6/
Review
Westbrook, Georgia (2019) “Review of "Rights and Reproductions: The Handbook for Cultural Institutions" (2nd ed.),” VRA Bulletin: Vol. 46: Iss. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://online.vraweb.org/vrab/vol46/iss1/7/
Sincerely, Amy Lazet
Production Editor, VRAB
Call for applications: VRA Foundation Internship Award, 2019-2020
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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 on August 2, 2019. The award recipient for 2019-2020 will be announced on August 26, 2019.
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One Month Left to Submit a Proposal for VRA 2020 Baltimore
VRA 2019 attendees agree: Sessions, Meetings, and Workshops are the most valuable parts of the conference!
In free text answers to Which elements or aspects of the conference did you find most valuable and why?
Networking and New were in the top 10 of words used, so share this Call for Papers widely so 2020 Baltimore can be a great networking opportunity for us all!
Sara Schumacher; vpcp@vraweb.org
Vice President for Conference Program,
Visual Resources Association
Meet Our New Social Media Manager
Dear VRA Colleagues,
On behalf of the VRA Executive Board, it is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of Devon Murphy to the role of Social Media Manager. Devon is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received an MA/MSIS in Art History and Information Science. She is a VREPS member and the recipient of a New Horizons Student Award and Tansey Top-Up Award to attend VRA LA 2019. During the Lightning Round, she presented The Information Worlds of Art Museum Curators and Registrars.
Devon brings a vast knowledge of social media platforms to her new role. She worked for three years at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Libraries and at the UNC Writing and Learning Center, creating visual and video content for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and utilizing social media management tools to schedule and publish content. The Board is especially excited about Devon's expressed interest in broadening the VRA's group of partner organizations via social media and encouraging cross-pollination and a diversity of voices. Devon will officially begin her new role on July 1, 2019.
This announcement would not be complete without acknowledging the hard work and dedication of our current social media appointee, Kendra Werst. Kendra has done an exceptional job during her two-year term, growing and elevating the social media presence of the VRA. Please accept our sincerest thanks.
Kendra and Devon are excellent examples of newer members sharing their talents and energy with the VRA, while gaining important, resume-building skills and expanding their professional networks. The Board welcomes all members, new and old, to stake a claim in the organization!
All best wishes,
Amy McKenna
VRA Public Relations and Communications Officer
Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) announces 2019 Project Grant recipient
The Board of Directors of the Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to present the 2019 VRAF Project Grant in the amount of $3000 to Arden Kirkland, creator of the CostumeCore Toolkit, and Adjunct Professor at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
The CostumeCore Toolkit project will provide a toolkit to users, in order to streamline the process of setting up standards-based, interoperable metadata for collections related to the study of historic clothing. The VRAF Project Grant will allow Ms. Kirkland to update current templates in CSV/Excel formats, create plug-ins for Omeka S, templates and vocabulary for JSTOR Forum, and provide RDF extensions of VRA Core, incorporate AAT/EFT Uniform Resource Identifiers in CostumeCore, and create plugins and modules to support micro-thesauri for linked data. The CostumeCore Toolkit is currently utilized at Smith College and Vassar College, and will continue to be built-out with CostumeCore Toolkit user testing with those Colleges, Visual Resources Association members, and Costume Society of America members input and feedback. The project will allow the CostumeCore Toolkit to be available to the public under a Creative Commons BY- SA license.
In accordance with its mission to support broad access to visual information, the VRAF is pleased to support a project that extends metadata schemas and standards, and dissemination of templates about visual culture into expanded fields of inquiry.
The VRAF Project Grant Program reflects the broad mission of the VRAF to advance knowledge in the field of visual resources and image management and to provide educational and training opportunities in support of broad access to visual information in the digital age. For more information about the VRAF, the VRAF Project Grant, and other VRAF programs, please visit vrafoundation.com.
On behalf of the VRAF Board of Directors
Nominations Sought for 2019 VRA Executive Board Elections
Please consider running for the VRA Executive Board!
Three key positions on the VRA Executive Board will be on the ballot for the Association’s election this coming November:
· Vice President for Conference Arrangements
· Treasurer
· Public Relations & Communications Officer
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. Feel free to contact any Nominating 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 2019 Nominating Committee
Allan T. Kohl, Minneapolis College of Art and Design (Chair)
Krystal Boehlert, University of California, Riverside
Jasmine Elizabeth Burns, Cornell University
Chris Strasbaugh, Ohio State University
VRA 2020 Baltimore: Call for Proposals
Call for Proposals
The Visual Resources Association’s 2020 Annual Conference will be held in Baltimore, Maryland from Tuesday, March 24th through Friday, March 27th, 2020 at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore. Presenting at the VRA Conference provides you with the opportunity to see how your ideas, research, work, and passion connect to those of other dedicated professionals while building networks and friendships in an open, collaborative environment.
Click here to access the conference proposal form.
The VRA Executive Board is soliciting proposals for papers, sessions, special interest/user groups, and workshops for the 2020 program until Friday, July 19th. All proposals are welcome, and if you have other conference ideas or suggestions that do not fit the conference proposal form, please reach out to the Vice President for Conference Program, Sara Schumacher. Please note a call for Lightning Round presenters will go out in the fall/winter, so that we can better accommodate recent innovations and activities, as well as, students and emerging professionals.
- 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 with hands-on activities.
What should you propose?
Past conference schedules can give you an idea of the range of topics presented in previous years or read through the list below of suggested topics compiled from the 2019 post-conference survey responses to find inspiration. Please, do not be afraid to deviate and propose something new or highlight an area of concern that you feel has not been adequately addressed previously, as you may find new collaborators and colleagues. 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:
- Coding (PHP, Python, SQL, etc.)
- Community Outreach
- Copyright/Intellectual Property
- Digital Asset Management, Digital Curation, Digital Preservation, etc.
- Digitization (Workflows, Digital Capture and Imaging Technologies)
- Digital Scholarship and Digital Humanities
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Cultural Competencies, Social Justice
- Project Management (Communication, Grant writing, Prioritization, Leadership, etc.)
- Linked Data
- Materials/Objects collections
- Metadata/Cataloging Ethics (Decolonizing vocabularies, Radical cataloging)
- Storytelling and Oral History
- Technologies (GIS and mapping, 3D imaging, etc.)
- Tools: Open Source, Evolution, Future Trends
- Workplace cultures and professional transitions (academic departments, libraries, cultural heritage institutions, archives, corporate, etc.)
Please contact the Vice President for Conference Program, Sara Schumacher at vpcp@vraweb.org with any questions or concerns.
Again, the proposal deadline is Friday, July 19th, 2019. Click here to access the conference proposal form.
We look forward to hearing your ideas!
Sara Schumacher
Vice President for Conference Program
Visual Resources Association
vpcp@vraweb.org
Apply to be the VRA Social Media Manager
Dear VRA colleagues,
Are you interested in expanding your social media skills in Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, while serving the VRA in a dynamic outreach role?
The Executive Board is now accepting applications for the position of Social Media Manager. All members are encouraged to consider this important appointment for the VRA, especially if you are fluent in social media platforms and skilled in marketing and/or writing. The Social Media Manager is a volunteer position appointed by the Executive Board.
The two-year term will commence on July 1, 2019. The candidate will have the opportunity to shadow and train with the current Social Networking Coordinator Kendra Werst in June to make the transition a smooth one. Kendra has done an outstanding job expanding and elevating the Association's social media presence and the board wishes to express our sincerest thanks. She has worked with me to update the appointment's title and charge, and to draft characteristic duties and responsibilities (see below). She also designed the wonderful graphic featured above.
To apply, please send a statement of interest, highlighting relevant experience to Amy McKenna (info@vraweb.org). Queries about the position may also be sent to me or directly to Kendra Werst (socialmedia@vraweb.org).
The deadline for applications is Friday, May 31.
Thank you for considering this exciting and rewarding position.
Amy McKenna
VRA Public Relations and Communications Officer
Social Media Manager
Charge:
The Social Media Manager engages in outreach for the VRA through the creation and management of content published to VRA social media accounts, increasing the visibility of the Association’s online presence. The Social Media Manager reports to the Public Relations and Communications Officer.
Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities:
The Social Media Manager is responsible for communicating with VRA entities and allied/affiliated organizations to obtain, create, and facilitate current content for VRA’s social media accounts, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Posts should be timely and demonstrate the wide breadth of topics encompassed by the VRA. This board-appointed position utilizes a social media management tool, such as Hootsuite, to schedule and publish content across social media platforms. This approach streamlines the workflow, promoting consistent messaging and alleviating the urgency of real-time posting. An important aspect of this position is to interact with and support the social media profiles of the VRA Foundation and other related organizations and groups on behalf of the VRA. The Social Media Manager is expected to reach out to VRA committees, advisory groups, task forces, appointees, and regional chapters to collaborate on special projects, such as the Intellectual Property Rights Committee’s social media takeover for Fair Use week.
The term of appointment is two years with the possibility of renewal upon request. Annual reports to the Executive Board are required and the board reserves the right to request a Mid-Year report. Depending on the time of year and level of Association activity, the Social Media Manager should expect to spend at least 2-5 hours per week in this capacity. Time-sensitive updates may require a same-day response.
VRA Bulletin: Call for Content, Inaugural Open Access Issue
Dear Colleagues,
As part of the VRA Bulletin’s hybrid peer-review model, we’re able to continue accepting non-peer reviewed article submissions for the Spring 2019 issue through Friday, May 24th! The Spring 2019 Issue will be published in June as our inaugural Open Access issue.
We especially hope that, if you presented at VRA, you’ll take this additional window to adapt your presentation into an article. The Bulletin is flexible with the format and length of non-peer reviewed submissions, but some broad guidelines are listed below:
- Feature articles: 2,000 - 5,000 words
- Perspectives (opinion pieces): 1,000 - 3,000 words
- Case studies & project updates: 500 - 2,000 words
- Reviews: 250 - 1,000 words
- Association news & reports - any length
There are two ways to get started publishing in the VRA Bulletin:
1. If you’d like to run your article idea by the editors before getting started, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Content Editor, Hannah Marshall (marshall.hannah.marie@gmail.com)
2. If your article is written and ready-to-go, upload it directly to our online journal system by following these instructions
Sincerely,
Hannah Marshall, Content Editor
Amy Lazet, Production Editor