Mid-Atlantic Chapter Meeting
VRA 28th Annual Conference
Atlanta, GA
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Chair, Virginia (Macie) Hall
Secretary-Treasurer, Jessica Bailey
Attendees: Kathe Albrecht, Grace Barth, Liz Gushee, Jennifer Kniesch, Jacqueline Protka, Lauree Sails, Steve Tatum, Christina Updike, Bob Willis
The meeting was called to order. Macie added Cindy Frank’s name to the list of attendees at the Mount Vernon meeting held November 13, 2009. The minutes of the meeting held at Mount Vernon were approved.
Jessica gave the Treasurer’s Report. In February 2010 outgoing Secretary-Treasurer Steve Tatum closed the Chapter bank account in Blacksburg, VA. All funds were transferred to the central VRA account and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter is now participating in the Chapter Bursary program. After the Mount Vernon meeting, $31.31 in overpayment for lunch was deposited back into the Chapter account. The Chapter donated $200 to the 2010 VRA Conference. The balance of the Chapter account as of March 11, 2010 is $923.53. As of the same date the Chapter has 25 members. Given the size of the Chapter membership, Macie will set up a Google Group account for communication among members. She will gather a list of preferred e-mail addresses from all members for this resource.
Macie reported on the Chapter Chairs meeting she attended during the conference. She was surprised to learn that some chapters are not participating in the Chapter Bursary program but happy to report to all chairs the positive impact that bundled membership has had for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter. The association’s guide to establishing chapters, available as a document on VRAWeb.org, will be updated, renamed and made available as a PDF (it’s currently accessible only as a clunky series of Web pages). Good programming and the opportunity for “bitch” sessions at Chapter meetings were discussed as the best way to attract new members to regional groups.
The sites and programs for future Mid-Atlantic meetings were discussed. Winchester and Harper’s Ferry were suggested for an early summer meeting, to take place in mid to late June. Tina suggested we have three meetings per year only every other year. SECAC takes place in Richmond, VA in October and Macie suggested a fall meeting coinciding with this event, possibly stretched over Friday and Saturday, October 22-23. Tina will find out if one-day conference passes can be purchased for SECAC, and will keep us informed of sessions most relevant for VR professionals and when these are taking place. Kathe encouraged Chapter members to submit papers to SECAC and will send out a reminder about the submission deadline. Macie recommended attendance at SECAC for its educational opportunities.
Kathe mentioned the possibility of a meeting involving a Photoshop workshop. She plans to look into this option further and report to the group.
A Chapter meeting in Richmond during SECAC could include time spent at the University of Richmond, member Jeannine Keefer’s institution. A joint meeting with the Southeastern Chapter is a possibility; perhaps a roundtable discussion about marketing VR collections and professionals. Liz recommended the Hand Workshop; the Virginia capital building and State Archives/Library are also possibilities for on-site tours. Sarah Falls may be able to recommend other interesting destinations.
There was no new business to discuss and the meeting was adjourned.
