SEI 2020 Curriculum Announcement

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce the curriculum for the 2020 Summer Educational Institute for Digital Stewardship of Visual Information.

SEI 2020 will be held at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL (just outside of Chicago) from June 23-26, 2020. Registration will open on January 13, 2020.

This intensive three and a half-day series of workshops features a curriculum taught by expert instructors who will cover:

• Project Management

• Copyright and Intellectual Property

• Digitization

• Metadata and Critical Cataloging

• DAMs, Digital Curation, and Digital Repositories

• Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusivity in Digital Collections

This year’s faculty includes:

• Steven M. Adams, Librarian for The Graduate School (TGS), Communication Sciences and Disorders, Psychology, and Counseling, Northwestern University Libraries and Board Chair, Black Metropolis Research Consortium

• Greta Bahnemann, Metadata Librarian, Minnesota Digital Library, University of Minnesota

• Carolyn Caizzi, Head, Repository and Digital Curation, Northwestern University Libraries

• Jesse Henderson, Digital Services Librarian, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Treshani Perera, Music & Fine Arts Cataloging Librarian, University of Kentucky

• Bonnie Rosenberg, Manager of Rights and Images, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

• Nancy Sims, Copyright Program Librarian, University of Minnesota

• Molly Szymanski, Digital Archivist, Ryerson and Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago

• Dan Zellner, Production Coordinator, Repository and Digital Curation, Northwestern University Libraries

View the module titles and descriptions here: https://seiworkshop.org/class-descriptions-2020/

New to SEI 2020 is the ability to Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA), an opportunity to customize your SEI experience through half-hour breakout sessions with several experts at Northwestern University. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, choose one of three opportunities to augment the main SEI curriculum modules and take a deeper dive into a specific topic. View the list of CYOA faculty and topics here: https://seiworkshop.org/choose-your-own-adventure/

The Summer Educational Institute is committed to creating and supporting inclusive, diverse, and equitable communities of practice. We strive to be a welcoming organization that provides information professionals with a substantive educational and professional development opportunity focused on the digital stewardship of visual information and the opportunity to create and participate in a network of supportive colleagues. SEI is a fantastic learning and networking opportunity for professionals interested in creating and maintaining sustainable digital collections of cultural heritage materials, including librarians, archivists, museum curators, visual resources librarians, and graduate students. View our Code of Conduct here: https://seiworkshop.org/code-of-conduct-2020/

For more information on SEI 2020, visit our website: https://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, Instagram: @seiworkshop, Twitter: @seiworkshop

VRA at CAA 2020 Chicago

The 2020 CAA annual conference has 300+ sessions exploring over 200 diverse fields of study with 50% focused on women-centered content to celebrate the Centennial of Women's Suffrage. VRA has planned two events that we hope many of you will be able to attend on Wednesday, February 12th. The ever-capable Bridget Madden, from the University of Chicago, will be chairing these sessions.Midday, a VRA Business Meeting is scheduled (free and open to the public) which we have turned into forum opening with a presentation entitled "From Archive to Classroom: The Use of Omeka and Companion Tools in the Curation of Digital Stories and Exhibits" involving Matt Taylor, Director of the Media and Design Studio, and Rebecca Zorach, Mary Jane Crowe Professor of Art and Art History, and their students from Northwestern University. This will be followed by what will surely be an engaging discussion among VRA members and those others who attend.In the afternoon, a formal session has been organized entitled, "Hands-On to Eyes-On: From Material Collections to Digital Exhibitions" (abstract below). It will take place at 4pm at the Hilton Chicago in the Wilford C room. You will have to be registered for the CAA conference to attend this event (session-only or one-day registrations are usually available). Here are the topics and speakers:1) "Materials in Context: Experiential Learning in Art History" at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with Allan T. Kohl, Librarian in charge of Visual Resources and Library Instruction, presenting a collection curator's perspective, partnered with Jessica M. Dandona, Associate Professor of Art History, providing a faculty perspective.2) "Materiality Made Visible" will be presented by Melanie E. Emerson, Dean of the Library + Special Collections, from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.3) "Exhibition in Practice" at the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, will be presented with Leslie Wilson, Curatorial Fellow for Diversity in the Arts, providing "A Perspective from the Classroom" and Berit Ness, Assistant Curator of Academic Initiatives, talking about "Execution in the Museum."We hope that you will be able to consider joining us and attending CAA 2020. Periodic updates, will be sent, but if you have any questions about this winter conference ahead, please don't hesitate to contact me or Bridget.All the best wishes,Maureen BurnsVRA CAA Affiliate Society Representativemoaburns@gmail.com310-489-3792Hands-On to Eyes-On: From Material Collections to Digital ExhibitionsMany visual resources collections are expanding their purview of managing image collections to added responsibilities for a variety of materials or partnerships with other like-minded resource collections. The hands-on use of materials and museum collections allows students to experience authentic learning by applying knowledge in real-life contexts. This session focuses on specific examples of these types of partnerships and learning situations in two art and design colleges and a university museum. The presenters will discuss: the use of a materials collection in teaching art history survey courses to studio art and design students; fashion and textile resources transitioning from physical to digital collections for enhanced access; and a two-term curatorial practice course sequenced to design and install a museum exhibition. In all cases, the collections used in teaching are prioritized and sustained, not treated as occasional visits or demonstrations, and staff are embedded into the experience to support faculty instruction. The presenters will discuss pedagogical strategies, such as open-ended inquiry, discourse, and social learning, along with the issues of collection development, maintenance, description, access, and usage, while exploring how access to such physical and digital collections as primary sources for pedagogy and student assignments allows for the integration of practical experience into coursework. The role of professional staff supporting these collections and facilitating their use by faculty and students is integral. It will be shown how effective these collaborations can be, including how they can lead to more engaging, active learning experiences in the classroom.

VRA 2020 Baltimore: Travelling to Baltimore and Exploring the City

Baltimore’s location and proximity to Washington DC makes travel easy. Flying? Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) is only 9.8 miles away from the conference hotel, the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore, and Baltimore Penn Station (BAL-Amtrak/MARC), is only 1.9 miles away.See the Travel Details page on the conference website for complete information on flying, rail, driving, ride sharing, and parking.  Valet and self-parking at the hotel will be available to conference attendees at discounted rates.Would you like to share a ride with other attendees to the conference hotel, BWI (airport), Penn Station, or Washington, DC?  New this year, a link to a hotel room and ride sharing spreadsheet will be included with your registration confirmation. Save money and network while you navigate the city.When you’re ready to explore, take the free Charm City Circulator to all of the downtown tourist spots or ride the Baltimore Water Taxi through the harbor to historic Fells Point, Federal Hill, and Canton. Feeling adventurous? Take the MTA MARC Train to Washington DC for only $16 round trip. Feeling not so adventurous? Walk across the street from the conference hotel and investigate all of the attractions in the Baltimore Inner Harbor.Lael Ensor-BennettVice President for Conference Arrangements, VRA Executive BoardAssistant Curator, Visual Resources Collection, Johns Hopkins UniversityJodi Hoover2020 Baltimore Local Planning CommitteeManager, Best & Next Department, Enoch Pratt Free Library

December 20 Deadline Approaching: 2020 VRA Distinguished Service Award & Nancy DeLaurier Award Call for Nominations

Dear VRA colleagues,

The call for nominations for the Visual Resources Association's highest honors--the Distinguished Service Award and the Nancy DeLaurier Award--is 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

2019 VRA Executive Board Election Results

Dear VRA Members,I am pleased to announce the names of the newly elected VRA Executive Board Officers.  Congratulations to:Brian Shelburne (Head of the Digital Scholarship Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst) was elected to the office of Vice President for Conference ArrangementsSue Tyson (Archivist at the California State Archives) was elected to the office of TreasurerMeghan Rubenstein (Curator of Visual Resources at Colorado College) was elected to the office of Public Relations & Communications OfficerNew officers will begin their terms on March 25, 2020, at the conclusion of the Annual Business Meeting during the VRA Conference in Baltimore.  We are looking forward to working with these terrific new VRA Board members.On behalf of the Executive Board and the VRA membership, I sincerely thank all of the candidates who stepped forward willing to contribute their time and energy in service to the Association in a leadership role.  It's not too early to start considering the 2020 VRA election and if this may be your time to participate in shaping the VRA's future.I would also like to thank Allan T. Kohl and the members of the Nominating Committee, who developed this year's slate of excellent candidates.Warm regards,Stephen PattonVRA Executive Board President

VRA 2020 Baltimore: Registration Opens this Friday, December 6

Early Bird Registration for VRA 2020 Baltimore, March 24-27, opens this Friday, December 6, 2019The annual Visual Resources Association conference provides the opportunity for colleagues from diverse workplaces, including higher education, the corporate sector, museums, and archives to engage and collaborate at an ideally-sized conference of around 200 attendees.  Participants enjoy the long-standing association and conference culture of generous knowledge sharing while exploring digital asset management, intellectual property rights, digital humanities, metadata standards, coding, imaging best practices and so much more.The VRA will have almost exclusive use of the conference hotel, Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore, and we want to encourage you to take part in this amazing networking and community building experience.  This year’s program includes workshops on IIIF, visual communication, critical cataloging, digitization on the road, and grant writing, as well as sessions delving into topics such as diversity in the workplace, online exhibition platforms, managing rights data, community building, 3D digitization, accessibility, visual literacy, oral histories, and international intellectual property rights.  During registration, you will have the opportunity to sign up for tours at the American Visionary Art Museum, Enoch Pratt Free Library, George Peabody Library, the Walters Art Museum, Hirshhorn Museum, and Homewood Museum and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library at Johns Hopkins University.During the conference, explore Charm City! The hotel is right on the Inner Harbor with the Maryland Science Center, complete with IMAX theater, directly across the street. You’ll be able to walk to all of the harbor attractions, including the National Aquarium and the above mentioned American Visionary Art Museum, as well as many restaurants and shops. Wanting to venture slightly farther afield (really, slightly!)? You’ll be able to visit Fort McHenry, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, the Edgar Allan Poe House, the B & O Railroad Museum, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History & Culture, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium (home of the Ravens who just happen to be at the time of this post first in the AFC North), as well as all of these historic neighborhoods that will delight foodies everywhere (Fell Point, Canton, Federal Hill, and Mt. Vernon). We’ve got breweries and distilleries, art house movie theaters in Station North (Charles Theater and the Parkway), and so many theater companies! For more about visiting Baltimore, click here.Register early to get your first pick of workshops and tours and save $100 off regular registration rates!The VRA Executive Board and the VRA 2020 Baltimore Local Planning Committee look forward to seeing you soon in Charm City!Lael Ensor-BennettVice President for Conference Arrangements, VRA Executive BoardAssistant Curator, Visual Resources Collection, Johns Hopkins UniversityAmy McKennaPublic Relations and Communications Officer, VRA Executive BoardVisual Resources Curator, Williams College

Mentoring Spotlight: Kendra Long

Kendra Long is the Archivist at 4S Bay Partners, and has been a VRA member since April/May of 2019.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background, and how you got (or hope to get) into the field of visual resources?

I finished my masters of library science in May of 2019. My undergrad was in film production, and I worked as a researcher on feature films until I got burned out from working freelance after a few years. I knew I wanted to stay in film or at least visual media at large, but I needed something full time and consistent. I ended up going back to school for my MLS in archives with the goal of being a film archivist.

Which VRA mentoring activity did you participate in recently?

Year-Round Mentee.

What outcomes did you seek during your mentoring activity?

Networking, professional guidance, and resume and cover letter reviews.

Briefly tell us about who you were matched with.

I was matched with Kendra Werst, who is the Assistant Visual Resources Curator at Williams College.

What was your motivation for participating in the mentoring activity?

The only people I had to bounce ideas off of or to seek advice on the job hunt from were other students in the same position as me -- looking for work, uncertain how to find a job that respected me, unsure if I was qualified for anything.

What aspects of the activity did you find the most valuable, and why?

Honestly just being able to chat with Kendra through Slack has been huge. She's looked over my resume probably a dozen times now, and has reviewed basically every cover letter I've submitted since she became my mentor, and having the perspective of somebody my age who's already gotten a job has made a huge difference. I can ask her anything about the job hunt or working in the field and she's always there to answer me.

Do you have any words of advice or wisdom for any of our members who may be thinking about participating in VRA's mentoring activities?

You don't need to have 25 years of experience under your belt to be a mentor. Being around just to bounce ideas off of is enough. I'm incredibly grateful to what Kendra's been able to help me through.

You can meet Kendra at VRA 2020 in Baltimore!

Need some guidance in the Visual Resources field? Let our mentors show you the ropes! Visit our VRA Mentorship page to learn more! httpS://vraweb.org/opportunities/mentorship

Have you had a great VRA mentoring experience? We would love to hear about it! Contact the Mentor Coordinator to find out to share your story here!

Meet the New VRA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

Dear VRA Members,

On behalf of the Executive Board, I am pleased to announce the members of the new VRA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee:

Lael Ensor-Bennett, Johns Hopkins University
Jackie Fleming, Indiana University-Bloomington
Katherina Fostano, Fordham University
Cindy Frank, University of Maryland
Bonnie Rosenberg, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Chelsea Stone
Andrew Wang, Ringling College of Art and Design
Kendra Werst, Williams College

The VRA Board so appreciates these members commitment to contribute in this meaningful way to both the association’s future and the field at large.  Their first tasks will include selecting co-chairs, reconsidering the committee's name and charge, and developing an initial list of action items for 2020.

Are you interested in the work of this committee? Please feel free to email the board (board@vraweb.org) for more information or plan on attending the committee's first in-person meeting at the 2020 Baltimore conference.

The board is truly excited to launch this committee and support an equitable, diverse, and inclusive association.

All best,
Amy McKenna
Public Relations and Communications Officer

VRA 2020 Baltimore Travel Award Applications Due Friday, November 15

Dear VRA Colleagues,

The clock is ticking on applications for Travel Awards to support attendance at the 2020 VRA Conference in Baltimore, MD this coming March 24 through 27.  The deadline for receipt of applications will be this Friday, November 15, 2019, at 11:59 EST. The list of recipients will be announced via the VRA listserv on Friday, December 20, 2019.

Before you apply, PLEASE READ “Travel Award Rules, Guidelines and Tips” for VRA Travel Awards Applicants, and “Types of Travel Awards.”

HERE’S THE LINK TO THE APPLICATION.

You do not need to be a member of the VRA to apply for a travel award, but please note that to receive an award an applicant must become a member of VRA and must attend the 2020 Conference.

Please also note that award checks are distributed at a designated event during the conference and as such, recipients will not have access to those funds ahead of the conference to use for their travel expenses, and must thus use awards as reimbursements following the conference.

In order to allow funding to assist the greatest number of attendees, 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 and/or other support. Travel Awards are intended to provide partial support for an individual’s conference attendance, and typically supplement support from one’s employer and/or personal resources.

For the 2020 award cycle, we are fortunate to have generous financial support from sponsors and funds provided by the membership including:

• The Kathe Hicks Albrecht award of $850, for a first-time VRA Conference attendee.
• Two New Horizons awards of up to $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 conference attendees.
• The New Horizons student award of $300, for a full-time student enrolled in an accredited degree program and considering a career in visual resources.
• The Garneta E. Taormina Memorial Student Travel Award of $300, for a full-time graduate student enrolled in an accredited degree program and considering a career in visual resources and/or digital humanities.
• Tansey fund awards ranging from $250 to $850 each.

Please email me if you have any questions not answered by the documents noted above.

Each year, we typically receive many more applications than the number of awards we have to bestow.  So, don’t delay – apply today!

The Travel Awards Committee looks forward to receiving your applications,

Allan Kohl
Co-Chair, VRA Travel Awards Committee Librarian, Visual Resources and Library Instruction
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
akohl@mcad.edu
612-874-3781

Mentoring Spotlight: Kendra Werst

Kendra Werst is the Assistant Visual Resources Curator at Williams College, and has been a VRA member for 4 years.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background, and how you got into the field of visual resources?

I have a BFA in Sculpture and Art History from the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI). While at KCAI, I worked at the Jannes Library which inspired me to combine my love for information and art. I successfully completed my Masters in Library Science at Indiana University - Bloomington in 2017, specializing in Digital Collections and Art Librarianship. I had wonderful mentors (Jasmine Burns and Kristina Keogh) who helped guide me to the visual resources field.

Which VRA mentoring activities did you participate in recently?

Conference Mentor, and Year-Round Mentor.

What services did you provide during your mentoring activities?

Networking, and professional guidance. I correspond with my mentees either by email, phone, or Slack. I ask them questions related to their professional goals or concerns as well as how they are doing as a human on this earth.

Briefly tell us about who you were matched with.

Year-Round Mentees: Katherina Fostano - Digital & Visual Resources Curator at Fordham University. Squirrel Walsh - Special Collections Assistant, Princeton University. Kendra Long - Archivist at 4S BAY. Conference Mentees: (2019) Katelyn Harper - MLIS Candidate at University of Washington Information School. (2018) Arden Kirkland - Adjunct, School of Information Studies at Syracuse University; Project Coordinator, Design for Learning Program; Independent Digital Librarian.

What was your motivation for participating in the mentoring activities? 

Through my lived experience as an adoptee and person of color, I know what it's like to be on the outside. I also understand the importance of finding supportive, engaging, and safe communities. During graduate school, I was lucky enough to have positive mentors to help me navigate the visual resources and librarianship field. It's important to me that I pay it forward by mentoring others. Being a mentor also allows me to stay in touch with the realities and challenges of those who are entering into the field. This gives me the opportunity to assist in creating an inclusive culture in our field. I believe a professional organization is only as strong as the commitment of its members to the organization's success. Mentorships also create lasting friendships and connections, which I believe makes the organization stronger.

Do you have any words of advice or wisdom for any of our members who may be thinking about participating in VRA's mentoring activities?

Do it!

You can meet Kendra at VRA 2020 in Baltimore!

Want to learn more about becoming a VRA mentor? Visit our Mentorship page! httpS://vraweb.org/opportunities/mentorship/

Have you had a great VRA mentoring experience? We would love to hear about it! Contact the Mentor Coordinator to find out to share your story here!

Vote Today: 2019 VRA Executive Board Election

The VRA annual election of officers starts today, November 1, and will end on November 30.  VRA Members, you should receive your invitation to vote in the 2019 VRA Election on November 1. If you do not receive an email with a link to the ballot, please contact Sara Schumacher, Vice President for Conference Program.

Vote today!

Reminder: Join the New VRA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

Apply today!  The deadline is next Monday, November 4, 2019.

We are excited to be putting out an open call to participate in and to lead this committee and we encourage all interested members, whatever your level of experience, to submit an application.  

It was definitely the Executive Board's intent that accessibility be included in the work of this committee.  One of the first tasks that we would like this committee to address is the drafting of a thorough and thoughtful charge and a revision to the name could certainly be considered.

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.

The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) announces the 2019-20 Regional Workshop series

The Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to announce the 2019-20 Regional Workshop series:

November 22, 2019: Beyond Licenses: Integrating Creative Commons, RightsStatements.org, and Traditional Knowledge into Permissions Practices at the University of Denver with instructor Anne Young, Head of Rights and Reproductions, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Newfields.

March 13, 2020: Can We Do That?: Intellectual Property Rights and Visual Media at Occidental College Library with instructor Cara Hirsch, Deputy Head of Legal and Business Affairs at The Virtual Reality Company.

May 22, 2020: Collaborating Across the Institution: Creating Professional Partnerships to Support Cultural Heritage at the University of Michigan Library with instructor Jackie Spafford, Images Resources Curator, University of California, Santa Barbara.

May 29, 2020: From Project to Product: Effective Project Management and Strategic Planning at the University of Toronto Mississauga with instructor Shyam Oberoi, Chief Digital Officer, Royal Ontario Museum.

In the 2019-20 season, we’re delighted to expand the Regional Workshop program in two important ways. The host applications were open to international institutions for the first time and we received several strong international applications. The University of Toronto Mississauga will host the inaugural international VRAF Regional Workshop with veteran instructor Shyam Oberoi’s new project management and strategic planning workshop.

The “propose your own workshop” option was exercised by the University of Denver in their host application. The Regional Workshop team has matched their request with instructor Anne Young, who can delve into a deeper understanding and utilization of Creative Commons licenses, RightsStatements.org, and Traditional Knowledge labels with collection objects to expand existing permissions practices at galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs). Join us for the first workshop of the 2019-20 season on Nov. 22, Beyond Licenses: Integrating Creative Commons, RightsStatements.org, and Traditional Knowledge into Permissions Practices. Register today to save your spot!

The Regional Workshop Implementation Team welcomes your questions, comments, and feedback at vraf.rwit@gmail.com and looks forward to the exciting developments of the 2019-20 season! This workshop series reflects the VRAF mission to promote scholarship, research, education, and outreach in the fields of visual resources and image management. The VRAF is grateful to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for their continued support of this exciting opportunity to partner with cultural heritage and educational institutions.

Sincerely,

The current members of the RWIT:

Beth Haas, VRAF Director
Sonya Coleman, VRAF Workshop Coordinator
Meghan Rubenstein, VRAF Senior Workshop Liaison 

On behalf of the VRAF Board of Directors

vrafoundation@gmail.com
vrafoundation.com
https://twitter.com/vrafoundation
https://www.facebook.com/visrafoundation/

Meet the 2019 Executive Board Candidates: Meghan Rubenstein, Public Relations and Communications Officer

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

Meghan Rubenstein is the Curator of Visual Resources at Colorado College where she oversees the Art Department’s image collections, manages the website, troubleshoots in the classroom, and assists faculty and students with digital teaching, scholarship, and creative projects. She also offers workshops on art and design-related software and teaches courses on Mesoamerican art and archaeology.

Her career in visual resources began with a work-study position in the Slide Library at the Kansas City Art Institute. After graduation in 2002, Meghan started working full-time at KCAI as the Visual Resources Assistant. In 2006, she returned to school earning an MA in Art History from Indiana University (where she ran straight to the Visual Resources Center for a student job!) and a PhD in Art History from the University of Texas.

Since joining the VRA in 2015, Meghan has been active in the organization. She is a member of the Education and Travel Awards committees, the Chair of the Wild West Chapter, and Senior Workshop Liaison for the VRAF Regional Workshop Implementation Team. At the annual conference, Meghan has presented papers on digital collection management and visual literacy and co-led a workshop on public speaking. She has also contributed design skills to the organization, creating the logo for the 2017 VRA conference in Louisville, a place near and dear to her Midwestern heart.

Goals

In a short period of time, I have developed a deep appreciation for this community of creative, funny, smart, and generous people doing interesting work all over the world. While there have been difficult conversations about the health of the VRA centered on declining membership, budgetary concerns, and the waning energy of those who have served on their fair share of committees and task forces, I am excited to see positive change resulting from this period of self-examination.  I would welcome the opportunity to serve the VRA at this critical juncture as I feel that facilitating dialogue within the organization and promoting our mission through our public facing outlets are two ways in which we can engage with members and non-members alike.

My goals for this position would be to help grow the VRA by reaching new audiences as well as to support existing members by maintaining open channels of communication. Our website, social media accounts, and publications are essential to these efforts. I’m particularly interested in evaluating our strategy to make sure our communication is both accessible and inclusive at the organizational level, and consistent with our mission. A related priority would be to integrate forthcoming recommendations from the Identity Task Force. If elected, I will be dedicated to building community within the VRA through these means and any other way that presents itself.

Call for Content: VRA Bulletin - Fall/Winter Issue

Dear VRA Colleagues, 

We are still accepting submissions for our Fall/Winter 2019 issue! 

Because the Bulletin offers a hybrid peer review model, we can continue to accept submissions for non-peer reviewed articles through November 8th, 2019.

*If you’re interested in serving as a peer reviewer for articles in this issue, 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

Sincerely,
Hannah Marshall, Content Editor
Amy Lazet, Production Editor

Meet the 2019 Executive Board Candidates: Bonnie Rosenberg, Public Relations and Communications Officer

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

Bonnie Rosenberg is an intellectual property expert and content creator currently serving as manager of rights and images at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. There she established and continues to grow the institution’s intellectual property policy, performs photo research and editing for all museum publications, and upholds best practices for the MCA’s digital and traditional photo archives.

She worked previously as executive assistant to architectural historian Victoria Newhouse at Condé Nast Publications and was editorial assistant at the Art Newspaper in New York. She holds an MA in journalism from Syracuse University and a BA in art history and English from Saint Louis University.

Bonnie has been a member of the VRA for the past five years and recently co-led a panel discussion at the 2019 conference about ethical image use in different contexts. She is a passionate advocate for not only standardizing imaging and rights procedures, but to push them forward within cultural heritage institutions.

Goals

As the VRA’s Public Relations & Communications Officer, I envision myself heightening the VRA’s visibility within its three core spaces: education, cultural heritage, and commercial. As the visual resource industry continues to grow and change, so too does its membership. My goal in this position is to widen our communications network and ultimately bolsterer diversity. With my background in journalism and passion for effective communication, I feel confident I can successfully telegraph the VRA’s news and resources to its members, both current and future.

Apply Today for a VRA 2020 Baltimore Travel Award

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce that VRA Travel Awards are available to support attendance at the 2020 VRA conference in Baltimore, Maryland, March 24 (Tuesday)-March 27 (Friday), 2020.  The deadline for receipt of applications will be Friday, November 15, 2019, 11:59pm EST.  The list of recipients will be announced via the VRA listserv on Friday December 20, 2019.

Before you apply, PLEASE READ “Travel Award Rules, Guidelines and Tips” for VRA Travel Awards Applicants, and “Types of Travel Awards.”

HERE’S THE LINK TO THE APPLICATION.

You do not need to be a member of the VRA toapply for a travel award, but please note that to receive an award an applicant must become a member of VRAand must attend the 2020 Conference.

Please also note that award checks are distributed at a designatedevent during the conference and as such, recipients will not haveaccess to those funds ahead of theconference to use for their travel expenses, and must thus use awardsas reimbursements following the conference.

In order to allow funding to assist the greatest number ofattendees, 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 beawarded to others with partial institutional and/or other support. Travel Awards are intended to provide partial supportfor an individual’s conference attendance, and typically supplement supportfrom one’s employer and/or personal resources.

For the 2020 award cycle, we are fortunate to have generous financial supportfrom sponsors and funds provided by the membership including:

• The Kathe Hicks Albrecht award of $850, for a first-time VRA Conference attendee.
• Two New Horizons awards of up to $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 conference attendees.
• The New Horizons student award of $300, for a full-time student enrolled in an accredited degree program and considering a career in visual resources.
• The Garneta E. Taormina Memorial Student Travel Award of $300, for a full-time graduate student enrolled in an accredited degree program and considering a career in visual resources and/or digital humanities.
• Tansey fund awards ranging from $250 to $850 each.

Please email me if you have any questions not answered by the documentsnoted above.

Each year, we typically receive many moreapplications than the number of awards we have to bestow.  So, don’t delay – apply today!

The Travel Awards Committee looks forward to receiving yourapplications,

Allan Kohl
Co-Chair, VRA Travel Awards CommitteeLibrarian, Visual Resources and Library Instruction
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
akohl@mcad.edu
612-874-3781

Meet the 2019 Executive Board Candidates: Sue Tyson, Treasurer

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

Sue Tyson is an archivist at the California State Archives, where she develops physical and digital exhibits; conducts outreach to a wide range of constituencies; staffs the reference desk; and creates metadata for digital collections. She also serves as assistant administrator of the Western Archives Institute, a two-week archival education program. Previously, she has worked as a project archivist at the Huntington Library, the Getty Research Institute, UCLA, and the University of Southern California; as a metadata consultant and project cataloger for the California State University Japanese American Digitization Project (CSUJADP), a multi-campus digital collection initiative; and as a Mellon Postdoctoral Digital Scholarship Fellow at Occidental College. Before beginning her archival career, she was a librarian at USC. She holds Post-MLIS certificates in Archival Studies (UCLA) and Digital Information Management (University of Arizona) and an MLIS degree from San Jose State University. She also earned Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in German Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. in English from California State University-Sacramento.

Sue is a member of multiple professional organizations including the Visual Resources Association; Society of American Archivists; Society of California Archivists; Association of Moving Image Archivists; Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP); American Library Association; Association of College and Research Libraries; Organization of American Historians; and American Studies Association. She has served as a member of the VRA’s Identity Task Force (2018-2019) and of its Education Committee (2016-2018), and is currently a member of the Society of California Archivists’ Nominating Committee (2018-2020) and of its Labor Task Force (2019-2021). Recently, she also served as the California liaison to the Society of American Archivists’ Visual Materials Section (2013-2019).

Her interests include visual resources as critical parts of the cultural record; digital collections building and management; metadata and issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion; organizing public programming and events; and pedagogical uses of digital and archival/special collections resources. She has given numerous presentations at conferences, including one at CAVRACon in Santa Barbara on the CSU Japanese American Digitization Project (2015). She has also chaired, moderated, or served as a presenter on panels at conferences including the Society of American Archivists; Society of California Archivists (general and regional annual meetings); and L.A. as Subject’s Annual Archives Bazaars. Publications include “Building a Statewide Archival Collaborative: The California State University Japanese American Digitization Project,” co-written with Maureen Burns and Gregory Williams (Visual Resources Association Bulletin, Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2015), and three articles for the SAA Visual Materials Section’s Views newsletter: “The Landscape Design Worlds of Florence Yoch and Lucile Council” (with Erin Chase, May 2018); “Practices of Looking: Occidental College’s Visualization and Visual Materials Faculty Learning Community” (November 2013); and “Visual Materials Prominent at Organization of American Historians’ Annual Meeting” (July 2013).

Goals

I am running for the office of Treasurer of the Visual Resources Association not only because I seek to help shape the VRA’s budget and apply my efforts to ensuring its financial health, but also because I would like to have the opportunity to work with colleagues on the board to guide the VRA’s future directions and initiatives to serve current and potential new members. In addition an expansive curiosity, conscientiousness, and ability to grasp new concepts quickly, a major strength that I would bring to this position is that of perspective: As an archivist who has worked a great deal, though not exclusively, with visual assets, I can well understand the needs of people who seek education and support from – and desire networking possibilities with – visual resources professionals, but whose primary field is not one of those traditionally associated with the VRA, such as Visual Resources or Art Librarian.

There are so many of us out there who need the VRA, whether they know it or not: archivists and librarians not just from academia and the arts and humanities, but also from the governmental, nonprofit, and corporate sectors; from the sciences; and more. However, I know that scant time and lack of professional support to attend conferences means that people often must make choices, such as attending only ones in their primary field (in my case, the Society of American Archivists’ and the Society of California Archivists’ annual meetings). Given these factors, as well as broader realities of increasing job insecurity – not least because of the growing trends towards contract- and project-based labor, a phenomenon that is prevalent in many fields – I understand that the VRA is likely to face challenges in maintaining its financial health, since much depends on revenues from memberships and conferences.

That said, my own need to learn as much as I could about visual assets, and my desire to get to know people who work with them, led me to the VRA, which I joined in 2014 because I was impressed with its potential to provide access to the wide range of educational opportunities I needed to do my job well. I have learned and benefited so much in my years of membership in several ways: by taking part in discussions while serving on VRA committees and task forces including the Identity Task Force and Education Committee; by having the opportunity to attend the VRA’s regional conferences and meetings (CAVRACon and Southern California Chapter meetings); and by consulting VRA’s website and listserv for all sorts of information needs.

I would be eager as Treasurer to work with my board colleagues both to maintain the high quality educational and networking offerings the VRA currently has and to work on ways for the VRA to continue opening the door to new members from a wide range of disciplines. I would strive to work for a VRA that is inclusive; that embraces and has something to offer to emerging as well as seasoned professionals; that offers educational opportunities that can meet people where they are – either regionally, in chapters, or online – in addition to providing for the excitement and benefits of annual conferences; and that welcomes fresh ideas, questions, and contributions from visual resources practitioners in all fields. For these reasons, I think I would make an effective and responsive Treasurer and VRA board colleague.

VRA 2020 Baltimore Conference Site and Program Live

VRA 2020 BaltimoreMarch 24-27  |  Visual Resources Association Annual Conference

Engage and collaborate with colleagues from diverse workplaces, including higher education, the corporate sector, museums, and archives at an ideally-sized conference of around 200 attendees.

Enjoy the long-standing association and conference culture of generous knowledge sharing while exploring digital asset management, intellectual property rights, digital humanities, metadata standards, coding, imaging best practices and so much more.

The VRA will have almost exclusive use of the conference hotel, Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore, and we want to encourage you to take part in this amazing networking and community building experience.

Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) Announces 2019 Fall Professional Development Grant Recipient

The Board of Directors of the Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) is pleased to present the Fall 2019 VRAF Professional Development Grant in the amount of $1000 to Malkia Okech, Augmented Reality Developer for the Penn & Slavery Project, Penn Libraries Digital Scholarship, UPENN, Philadelphia, PA.

Malkia Okech, plans on utilizing the funds to participate and develop her skills with a 4 day workshop with African Digital Heritage in Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya, Africa. She will be assisting in the planning, presenting and collaborating on a workshop, "Creating Interactive Digital Assets", which is part of a Skills4Culture series, with the goal of training museum professionals and general cultural heritage practitioners in Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya. The goal of the program is to situate digitization efforts within contemporary museum practice in Kenya, and train attendees in 3D digitization of artifacts, guiding them through a workflow that they can replicate within their respective institutions. Okech recently worked on a digital exhibition Memory Keepers. After her return from Kenya and before the exhibition closes in March, she hopes to develop a workshop, as similar to Creating Interactive Digital Assets, around digital visualization as a memory preserving method.

The VRAF Professional Development Grant Program reflects the broad mission of the VRAF 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). For more information about the VRAF, the VRAF Professional Development Grant, and other VRAF programs, please visit vrafoundation.com

On behalf of the VRAF Board of Directors

vrafoundation@gmail.com

vrafoundation.com