Call for Applications: Fall 2022 VRA Professional Development Grant
DEADLINE: September 30, 2022The Visual Resources Association (VRA) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for the VRA Professional Development Grant program. This program offers two $1000 grants yearly (which may be divided amongst one or more grantees). This grant can be used to support conference participation, enroll in a workshop, for an online education opportunity, or for research activities.VRA membership is not required to apply. Applicants should have a professional interest in visual resources and cultural heritage information management and may include retirees, the currently unemployed, and students seeking educational and training opportunities in support of broad access to cultural information.For consideration, please submit your application by Friday, September 30th, 2022 at 11:59PM Pacific Time at https://forms.gle/V6XYRRGUKk8dYc2G8. If you have any questions about the VRA Professional Development Grant or the application process, please contact the VRA Grants Officer at grants@vraweb.org. The recipient(s) of the Fall 2022 VRA Professional Development grant will be announced by Friday, October 7, 2022, and funds must be used before October 7, 2023.
VRA Bulletin Call for Papers
The Visual Resources Association Bulletin (VRAB), a fully open access journal published by the Visual Resources Association, is accepting submission of news, editorials, perspectives, reviews, interviews, and lesson plans, as well as double-blind peer reviewed research articles.Our content covers all aspects of the life cycle of visual assets, from conceptualization to use, and the workflows, technologies, standards, and best practices relevant for each phase. This may include project planning, acquisition, digitization, metadata and cataloging, database management, collection development, curation, instruction, outreach, preservation, digital scholarship, visual literacy, and intellectual property.Of particular importance is highlighting and addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility needs and concerns within each life cycle phase.We welcome submissions from professionals, including those in their early career or still in graduate school, that work with visual resources in a variety of contexts including educational, corporate, and nonprofit institutions. You do not need to be a VRA member to submit.We accept submissions on a rolling/on-going basis and will publish them in the next available issue after acceptance. See our Information for Authors for more information on the submission and publication process.Please contact the VRAB content editor, Sara Schumacher, with any inquiries.
August EAC Community Hour: Vocational Awe in GLAMs
We hope you will join the EAC on Wednesday, August 17th 3:00-4:00pm EDT / 12:00-1:00pm PDT for our August Community Hour: Vocational Awe in GLAMs (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums). Independent scholar and consultant Fobazi Ettarh defines ‘Vocational Awe’ as “the idea that libraries as institutions are inherently good. It assumes that some or all core aspects of the profession are beyond critique, and it, in turn, underpins many librarians’ sense of identity and emotional investment in the profession.” Although the term originated in the library world, we plan to discuss how it can cover many areas of the GLAM work world.If your schedule allows, we strongly encourage attendees to review the resources listed in the Community Hour doc in advance of attending the Hour as we will be discussing these materials. If not, please join us anyway!As always, we do not record the community hours to encourage free and open discussion.Do you have a specific question or topic to discuss? Add it to the discussion prompt section in the Community Hour doc.Click here to register for EAC's Community Hour! Have an idea for a future Community Hour? Share your idea with this form!Best,Lael and LesleyEAC Co-Chairs
VREPS Cover Letter and Resume Review coming August 12
Are you a student or new professional looking for someone to review your cover letter and resume?
Sign up for a one-on-one cover letter and resume review session with VREPS!
One-on-one interview practice sessions are your opportunity to work with a VRA professional to polish your self-presentation. We'll help you work on your cover letter and resume, as well as provide constructive feedback for you to put together a strong job application.
Not an emerging professional, but want to get involved?
We're looking for more experienced professionals to act as reviewers! Please free to sign up on the spreadsheet if you're interested in acting as an interviewer for our sessions--aka your chance to be a shining lighthouse that helps steer our new professionals and students into the safe harbors of employment!Our next practice sessions will take place on Friday, August 12th, from 1-4pm EST/10am-1pm PST.SIGN-UP HEREBest,Karissa Hurzeler and Allie Scholten, VREPS Co-Chairs
There's still time! Apply now for the VRA Internship Award
There’s still time! To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the VRA Internship Award, we are extending this year’s application deadline to August 19, 2022.Generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the VRA 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 VRA 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://vraweb.org/opportunities/awards/internship-award/.Applications are due on August 19, 2022. The award recipient for 2022-2023 will be announced on September 5, 2022.
Mid-Atlantic Chapter Meeting August 12th
The Center for Virtual/Material Studies (formerly the Visual Resources Centre) in the Department of Art History at Penn State is exited to host an in-person VRA Mid-Atlantic Chapter meeting. The meeting will be on August 12th from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. The day will include an introduction to the Center's “new” space, business meeting, visit to the Matson Museum of Anthropology, and a visit to the School of Theatre Fashion Archive (VRA Project Grant), finishing the day with Creamery ice cream. The full agenda for the day can be found here and the RSVP is here.All are welcome even if you are not a member of the Chapter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.Catherine Adams, Mid-Atlantic Chapter ChairCarolyn Lucarelli
SEI Is Recruiting a New Implementation Team!
The Summer Educational Institute for Digital Stewardship of Visual Information (SEI) is actively recruiting applicants for several positions on the SEI Implementation Team, details of which are at the end of this post: (1) Incoming Co-Chair, (2) Curriculum Specialists and Faculty Liaisons, (1) Web Manager and Publicity Specialist. It is a great opportunity for resume building and networking. SEI offers all positions a stipend for their time.
SEI is a joint project of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) and the Visual Resources Association (VRA). SEI is an intensive three and a half-day workshop that features curriculum taught by expert instructors who present an overview of the digital life cycle in a broad range of topics.
SEI 2023 will be held virtually. SEI plans to remain a virtual workshop going forward, so you can expect that you commitment to SEI 2024 will also be for a virtual workshop.
To apply, please email your resume and a brief statement of interest to SEI Co-Chair Jasmine Burns (jburns@cornell.edu) by August 1, 2021. We expect to onboard the new Implementation Team members in October with biweekly team meetings. The Team typically has a break from biweekly meetings before and during the annual conferences of ARLIS/NA and VRA; it is possible to be an SEI IT member and present in the annual conference as a speaker and/or attendee. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the roles, I would be happy to discuss over email, phone, or Zoom.
Best,
Jasmine Burns, SEI 2023 Senior Co-Chair
SEI Curriculum Specialists and Faculty Liaisons ($750 Stipend, recruiting 2 positions: 1 from ARLIS/NA and 1 from VRA)
The two SEI Curriculum Specialists work closely together to analyze the results and participant feedback from the previous year’s SEI and to weigh emerging trends in the image management field in order to make curricular recommendations for the upcoming SEI. They serve as the primary contact with all SEI faculty prior to and during the Summer Educational Institute. The Faculty Liaisons are also responsible for facilitating faculty contact with students prior to SEI, and for collecting any curriculum-related materials. Areas of particular emphasis include recruiting and inviting SEI faculty; working closely with the SEI Curriculum Development specialists and SEI faculty to develop their specific modules and instructional materials; and maintaining all logistical information related to faculty, including arrival and departure information. They are responsible for creating descriptions of the proposed curriculum and bringing them to the SEI IT for discussion and consultation, along with suggestions for appropriate classroom spaces and technologies, potential teaching methodologies, and possible instructors. Once the SEI curriculum is established and instructors secured, the SEI Curriculum Specialists work on an as-needed basis with the SEI Faculty Liaison to make sure that curricular goals are communicated to faculty and faculty questions are properly answered. They are responsible for being “on the ground” during the virtual SEI workshop. And at the conclusion of SEI, the Curriculum Specialists and Faculty Liaisons are responsible for archiving copies of previous year's final documents in Basecamp in collaboration with the Incoming Co-Chair. This is a 1-year commitment, renewable for up to 3 years. This position is busiest in November/December and again in May, and can expect to work up to an additional 4 hours a month outside of the biweekly meetings during the busy times.
Junior Co-Chair and Student Liaison ($1000 Stipend; must be an active ARLIS member)
The Junior Co-Chair and Student Liaison is the first year-long position of a two year SEI Commitment, and serves as the primary contact with all SEI attendees prior to and during the Summer Educational Institute, updating them as needed on matters regarding curriculum, virtual meeting arrangements, and fielding all questions related to attendance at SEI once registered. The Student Liaison also serves as the Junior Co-Chair of SEI and works closely with the SEI Senior Co-Chair and the Curriculum Specialists and Faculty Liaisons on the implementation of all aspects of SEI. The SEI Student Liaison is expected to be “on the ground” for the virtual SEI workshop. The Incoming Co-Chair is responsible for archiving copies of the previous year’s final documents in Basecamp in collaboration with the Senior Co-Chair. This position is busiest in February and May and can expect to work up to an additional 4 hours a month outside of the biweekly meetings during the busy times.
Web Manager and Publicity Specialist ($750 Stipend; must be an active member of ARLIS or VRA)
The SEI Web Manager/Publicity Specialist works with the SEI Co-Chairs and other SEI positions to maintain the overall brand and management of the SEI website and social media profiles, including uploading and editing graphics and pictures; coordinating graphic design; developing and managing the registration and payment pages and processes, etc. In addition, the role will develop a publicity campaign for SEI and collaborate on internal communication with registered SEI students. The publicity position is responsible for creating an SEI publicity calendar; collaborating with the SEI Co-Chairs to write announcements; distributing those announcements to multiple organizational and institutional listservs; developing SEI’s social media outreach presence; and managing how SEI provides information to its students, including managing the Student Portal and assisting with Zoom platform and recordings management. This is a 1-year commitment, renewable for up to 3 years. This position has deadlines in November/December, in March, and again in May. (While this position is welcome to attend SEI sessions for free, they are not expected to be “on the ground” and helping facilitating sessions during the virtual SEI workshop.)
July EAC Community Hour
Greetings all,We are living through tumultuous times, to say the least. Taking action to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility can seem like an overwhelming challenge, even for folks who have been doing this work for a while!Please join us Tuesday July 19th, 4:00-5:00pm EDT / 1:00-2:00pm PDT as we explore the Social Change Ecosystem Map. Created by writer, facilitator, and activist Deepa Iyer of the Building Movement Project, the "Social Change Ecosystem Map is a framework that can help individuals, networks, and organizations align with social change values, individual roles, and the broader ecosystem" of DEIA work in any context. For this Community Hour, we invite you to take some time to read and reflect through the Social Change Ecosystem Guide prior to our discussion if possible. If not, join us anyway! We will cover as much as we can during our time together.Do you have insights or questions about the reading? Add them to the discussion prompt section in the Community Hour doc here.As always, we do not record the community hours to encourage free and open discussion.Click here to register for EAC's Community HourCheers,Lael and Lesley, EAC Co-Chairs
VREPS Virtual Social Hour
Join the Visual Resources Emerging Professionals and Students (VREPS) on July 8th at 4 p.m. Pacific/7 p.m. Eastern for a virtual social hour! Learn about what VREPS does to support emerging professionals and students, share your ideas about what events we can hold, and meet other emerging professionals!The social hour will include an introduction to VREPS and upcoming events, opportunities to ask questions and make suggestions, and time to chat and get to know other emerging professionals in the Visual Resources fields.If you're interested, register below to receive a Zoom link! We look forward to seeing new and old faces!
VREPS Social Hour
July 8th, 4 p.m. Pacific/7 p.m. Eastern
Register here: https://forms.gle/fEyTJMQmxsANu1QHA
Meeting ID: 876 6069 5641
--Best regards,Karissa Hurzeler and Allie Scholten, VREPS Co-Chairs
VRA Quarterly Newsletter | Summer 2022
Summer 2022 Association News
New Membership Fees
This April the VRA introduced new, reduced membership rates to lower barriers to membership. The following rates went into effect May 1st:
Student, Retired, Unemployed, and New Member = $50
Individual = $100
VRA Advocate = $150
Institutional = $250
Visit MyVRA to renew or join.
VRA-VRAF Merger Update
On January 19, 2022, the Visual Resources Association (VRA) and Visual Resources Association Foundation (VRAF) merged into a single 501(c)(3) and assumed the name Visual Resources Association. Treasurer Ann McShane has been working to merge VRA and VRAF's finances with help from the former Treasurers, Membership Services Coordinator, Financial Advisory Committee, and Accountant. This work is ongoing, but means VRA will start the new fiscal year with shared bank accounts and book-keeping. Over the next several months, they will work through duplicative bills and workflows to help save VRA money going forward. Thank you to everyone who has offered their time and expertise in this process. If you would like to help shape the financial priorities of our combined VRA, contact Andreas Knab for information about joining the Financial Advisory Committee.
Conference Update
The Board is currently exploring options for the next VRA conference, including shifting the time of year the conference is held. Data from the 2022 post-conference survey indicated that having the conference at another time of year would increase the likelihood of participation for one-third of non-attendee respondents and not decrease the likelihood of participation for all other respondents. Be on the lookout for more information soon!
Board Office Hours
The Board has instituted monthly VRA Board Office Hours on the fourth Friday of every month from 10-11 a.m. Pacific (1-2 p.m. Eastern). Office Hours are an opportunity for members to meet the Board, ask questions, brainstorm, and engage. Members receive regular reminders of upcoming Office Hours.
VRA Core 4.0 Chinese Translations
The Visual Resources Association Cataloging and Metadata Standards Committee (CaMS) is excited to share a Chinese translation project for VRA Core 4.0, a data standard for the description of works of visual culture as well as the images that document them. The project team of CaMS members and library professionals from American institutions, led by Xiaoli Ma, worked with bilingual scholars and practitioners in the U.S., Taiwan, and P.R. China to develop these translations.
Summer Educational Institute (SEI)
SEI 2022 concluded on Friday, June 24. 50 new attendees have graduated from SEI’s curriculum, which offers a comprehensive introduction to the entire digital lifecycle for professionals who manage cultural heritage and visual information. We were pleased to offer nine curricular workshops taught by nine expert instructors on a range of topics from copyright to ethics and accessibility, project management and digitization, metadata and critical cataloging, and digital preservation and DAMs. SEI 2023 will again be held virtually, and the SEI Implementation Team will be recruiting new team members later this summer!
VRA Project Grant Awarded
The Penn State School of Theatre Fashion Archive has been chosen to receive the 2022 VRA Project Grant. Established in 2012, the Fashion Archive features an array of clothing and other ephemera including fashion magazines, pattern books, personal memorabilia in the form of photos and correspondences, and advertisements. With these funds, the school will complete an initial inventory of the Archive, a crucial first step in making these valuable resources available to a wider audience.
Conference Materials Available Online
Select slide decks from the 2022 Conference are available on the VRA’s Slideshare account. The keynote address by Ashley Minner, “Repatriating the Archives: An Urban ‘Reservation’ Reunion,” is available on the VRA Vimeo channel.
2021 Annual Reports and 2022 Annual Business Meeting
Annual reports from Executive Board officers, appointees, committees, and chapters as well as minutes from the 2022 Annual Business Meeting are available to members via the MyVRA portal.
Leadership Updates
VRA Bulletin Content Editor
Sara Schumacher was appointed to the position of VRA Bulletin Content Editor. The VRA Bulletin is a journal of professional practice documenting the research, ideas, projects, activities, and history of the Visual Resources Association as well as the broader work of information professionals in image management. Sara has editorial experience and has been an active member of the VRA, most recently serving on the Executive Board as Vice President for Conference Program from 2019 to 2021.
VREPS Co-Chair
Allie Scholten was elected Co-chair of the Visual Resources Emerging Professionals and Students group (VREPS). Allie is the Digital Collections Manager at the University of Chicago. If you would like to get involved with VREPS, contact Allie and her Co-chair Karissa Hurzeler at vreps@vraweb.org.
Current Opportunities
VRA Internship Award
We are currently accepting applications for the ninth VRA Internship Award in visual resources and image management. This internship is generously funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and provides financial support for graduate students and recent graduates preparing for a career in visual resources and image management. The award grants $3,000 to support a period of internship in archives, libraries, museums, visual resources collections in academic institutions, or other appropriate contexts. It also provides $1,000 for professional development, and a one-year complimentary student membership in the Visual Resources Association.
Executive Board Openings
The VRA Executive Board is seeking volunteers for four Board positions: President-Elect, Secretary, Junior Director of Events and Initiatives, and Grants Officer. Executive Board Officers are elected by the Board. Candidates are needed by Fall 2022. Terms of office will begin in Spring 2023 following a period of shadowing the current officers. Benefits of serving on the Board include complimentary membership and conference registration. Contact board@vraweb.org to find out more.
Upcoming Events
VREPS Virtual Social Hour
July 8 at 4pm PST/7pm ESTDrop by our Virtual Social Hour to meet other students and new professionals and to hear about VREPS and our upcoming events and opportunities! Share about your experience in the field or come with any questions about the field of visual resources. Contact vreps@vraweb.org for Zoom info.
VRA Core 4.0 Chinese Translations Now Available!
The Visual Resources Association Cataloging and Metadata Standards Committee (CaMS) is excited to share a Chinese translation project for VRA Core 4.0 led and assisted by members from VRA’s CaMS Committee and a group of five library professionals from American institutions. The VRA Core is a data standard for the description of works of visual culture as well as the images that document them.This team began the project to translate the VRA Core 4.0 Element Description into traditional and simplified Chinese in January 2021. The translation project went through multiple revisions before bilingual scholars and practitioners in the U.S., Taiwan, and P.R. China were invited to review the drafts. All reviewers have years of experience with cultural heritage metadata. In response to reviewers’ suggestions on the translation and formatting, the group carried through more rounds of modification and now presents to the communities the current versions:Traditional Chinese VersionSimplified Chinese VersionIn addition to congratulating the team on completing this amazing project for our community, we encourage you to share your thoughts via our feedback form. We are especially interested in feedback on the following points:
- Are the translations of the key concepts accurate, e.g. element names?
- Are the format and the structure of the translation easy to follow?
- Any suggestions on the formatting, for instance, the accessibility of the content, like table in google doc and then in PDF?
- Any issues?
- Comments/Suggestions
The deadline for feedback is July 18, 2022.Following the conclusion of the feedback period, the final versions of the translations will be hosted on the Library of Congress VRA Core page.Thank you to the following participants for your dedicated work on this project!Project Lead: Xiaoli Ma, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of FloridaDTP: K. Sarah Ostrach, Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityTranslators: Ching-jung Chen, The City College of the City University of New York Libraries; Sai Deng, University of Central Florida Libraries; Xiaoli Ma, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida; Jane Pen, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida;Reviewers: Sophy Shu-Jiun Chen, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan; Charlene Chou, New York University Library; Fan Wei, Sichuan University, P. R. China; Carol Ng-He, Center for the Art of East Asia, The University of Chicago; Shu-Wen Lin, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Marcia Lei Zeng, School of Information, Kent State University--Leah ConstantineChair, VRA Cataloging and Metadata Standards Committee (CaMS)
Apply now! VRA Internship Award
Sara Schumacher Appointed VRA Bulletin Content Editor
On behalf of the VRA Executive Board, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Sara Schumacher to the position of VRA Bulletin Content Editor.The VRA Bulletin is a journal of professional practice documenting the research, ideas, projects, activities, and history of the Visual Resources Association as well as the broader work of information professionals in image management. Articles authored by members of the Association and like-minded information professionals from outside VRA cover a wide range of topics.
Sara is the Architecture Image Librarian at Texas Tech University, a position she has held since January 2018. Prior to this, Schumacher was the Technical Services Librarian and Art History Instructor at the University of the Cumberlands (2011-2017). She received her BA in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin (2005), MA in Art History from the University of Oregon (2007) and her MS in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin (2011).Sara has editorial experience through a contracted book with ACRL Press where she is a section editor working with six chapters and their associated editors. She has been an active member of the VRA, most recently serving on the Executive Board as Vice President for Conference Program from 2019 to 2021. Sara’s term as VRA Bulletin Content Editor will begin in July 2022, when she will assume responsibility for the Fall/Winter issue.The Board would also like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to outgoing Content Editor Jasmine Burns for their service to the Bulletin.Sincerely,Margaret C. McKeePublic Relations and Communications OfficerVisual Resources Association
Announcing the 2022 VRA Project Grant Recipient
The Visual Resources Association Executive Board is pleased to present the 2022 VRA Project Grant in the amount of $3000 to Carolyn Lucarelli, Manager, Center for Virtual/Material Studies at Penn State. The Center will collaborate on this project with the School of Theatre.
During the fall 2022 semester, an undergraduate student will be hired to complete a digital inventory of the Fashion Archive. New identification numbers will be assigned while each piece is carefully photographed and documented (making use of the CostumeCore standard as funded in the 2019 Project Grant).In accordance with the VRA Project Grant Program and VRA mission to support broad access to visual and cultural information, the VRA is pleased to support an interdisciplinary project that will provide open access to not just the Penn State community but also costume and fashion historians online.The 2022 Project Grant Application process is now completed. Please check back in 2023 for the next Project Grant application announcement.For further information about the Project Grant Program, including eligibility and previous winners please see the Project Grant webpage.
EAC Community Hour: Visual Literacy and Instagram through a #SocialJustice Lens
Join the VRA's Equitable Action Committee (EAC) on Thursday, May 26th at 2:00-3:00pm EDT/ 11:00am-12:00pm PDT for our May Community Hour: Visual Literacy and Instagram through a #SocialJustice Lens with guest presenters Sara Schumacher and Millie Fullmer.How can Instagram provide insights into the intersection of visual literacy and social justice, which we can leverage for instruction and outreach efforts? Join us in exploring topics including cultural appropriation, digital blackface, algorithmic influence on the body, creator bias concerning gender, sexuality, and race, and filter bubbles.Sara Schumacher is the Architecture Image Librarian at Texas Tech University. Her research interests include visual literacy instruction, ethics, and bias.Millie Fullmer is the Acquisitions and Cataloging Librarian at the University of San Diego. Her research includes decolonizing library collections and metadata, and visual literacy instruction.They are two of the co-authors of The Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education, Companion Document to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.As always, we do not record the community hours to encourage free and open discussion.Do you have a specific question for our guests? Add it to the discussion prompt section in the Community Hour doc here.Click here to register for EAC's Community Hour! Have an idea for a future Community Hour? Share your idea with this form!Best,Lael J. Ensor-Bennett and Lesley ChapmanEAC Co-Chairs