VRA 2021: The Lifecycle of Visual Assets
The conference schedule is jam-packed with sessions for all types of visual asset professionals. Transcending the differences in our workplaces and position titles, we all engage with materials and people along the visual asset management lifecycle.
The Lifecycle was identified by the VRA Identity Task Force reflecting key points of practice and professional interest. The VRA 2021 virtualChicago conference can be filtered according to these lifecycle categories to create programming tracks. You can click on the links below to find events, sessions, and workshops that align with these categories.
Sched Lifecycle Category: Conceptualization
Sched Lifecycle Category: Capture
Sched Lifecycle Category: Description
Sched Lifecycle Category: Management
Sched Lifecycle Category: Access
Sched Lifecycle Category: Preservation
Submitted by Sara Schumacher, Vice President of Conference Program
VRA 2021: Workshops
Workshops have always been a popular component of the VRA conference and the move to virtual has allowed for innovation while maintaining crucial hands-on participation.
Have you downloaded and started to use OpenRefine, but need help as you apply it to your work?Jasmine Burns will be your guide through real-life examples and answer all your questions in “Let’s Play OpenRefine Reconciliation!” on Monday, March 22, 11am-1pm CST
Do you struggle with organizing your thoughts, representing your ideas, and sharing the value and importance of your work?John Trendler, Sheryl Frisch, and Rebecca Moss will empower you through active prompts to harness the power of visual communication in “Visual Communication for Knowledge Acquisition, Processing and Dissemination” on Monday, March 22, 11am-3pm CST
Are you worried that your digital collections are not accessible to all users?Tiffany Saulter and Carie Fisher, consultants and trainers from Deque, will help you sort through the tools and strategies to identify accessibility problems and solve them in “Digital Accessibility and Accessible Design Practices” on Monday, March 22, 1-4pm CST
These workshops are filling up fast, so do not hesitate to add them to your conference registration OR as a stand-alone workshop (additional $35 processing fee). Are you already registered for the conference? Contact VRA Membership Services Coordinator at join@vraweb.org for assistance.
Learn more about the week-long conference at httpS://vraweb.org/2021-chicago.Submitted by Sara Schumacher, VRA Vice President for Conference Program
EAC Community Hour: Accessibility & Equity in Online Instruction
EAC and Instruction SIG have teamed up to provide a Community Hour session about online instruction accessibility and equity. Please join us on Wednesday January 20, from 11am-12pm PST/ 12pm-1pm MST/ 1pm-2pm CST/ 2pm-3pm ESTAs online instruction has become more normalized, it is important to assess accessibility and equity issues in our teaching and course planning. We will have a few guest moderators and hope to discuss these topics:
- Basics of accessible pedagogy
- Success and challenges of the past year, what have we learned?
- Shareable tips and tricks and suggestions for new resources
- Accessibility in archives, libraries, museums, and visual resources
Our guest moderators will include:Bridget Madden is the Associate Director of the Visual Resources Center in the Department of Art History at the University of Chicago. Bridget is Chair of VRA’s Midwest Chapter, Implementation Team Co-chair for ARLIS/NA & VRAF’s Summer Educational Institute for Digital Stewardship of Visual Information (SEI), and has been leading VRA’s new Instruction SIG.Berit Ness is the Assistant Curator of Academic Initiatives at the Smart Museum, University of Chicago's campus art museum. Berit is involved in teaching strategies that support first-year core humanities courses as well as object-focused art history graduate seminars and everything in between. Working as both an educator and a curator at the Smart, she recently opened an exhibition Take Care which was used for both in-person and virtual teaching this fall. She is a thoughtful educator and curator whose recent exhibition Take Care was taught in-person and remotely in several courses this fall.
EAC Community Hour: Winter Check-In
Greetings All,Join us for a Winter Check-in on Wednesday December 16, 2:00-3:00 pm EST/ 11:00am-12:00pm PST.As this unprecedented year comes to a close, we thought we would hold space for the membership to get together to chat and support each other. We are envisioning this session as more of a “drop-in coffee” hour where we will not have a set topic and hot beverages of choice are encouraged. Feel free to share your end of semester thoughts, workplace anxieties, or plans for the New Year.Click here to register for EAC's Community Hour!Best,Lael + KendraEAC Co-Chairs
VRA 2021 Early Bird Registration Open!
Meet the 2020 Executive Board Candidates: Jon Cartledge, Secretary
About the Candidate:Jon Cartledge is the Digital Imaging Specialist at the Smith College. He is currently a member of the Cataloging and Metadata Standards CCO Sub-committee. From 2012 to 2017, he was secretary of the Visual Resource Association of New England. He has a BA in Anthropology, an MFA in Printmaking, and a masters in Library Science. He has presented at both regional and national VRA conferences and has published in the VRA Bulletin. He is also an active printmaker and a former board member of the Boston Printmakers. He has shown internationally and his work is in the collections of the University of Arkansas and the University of Cincinnati.Goals:I have been a member of VRA for nearly twenty years and have participated as a speaker, writer, organizer, and occasional technician. I have also hugely benefitted as from VRA, by its innumerable and invaluable trainings, excellent colleagues, and indispensable publications. I am happy to give back to an organization that has given so much to me and the profession. I’ve been secretary in couple different organizations, and I’m excited to bring these skills to the VRA board.
Meet the 2020 Executive Board Candidates: Christopher Sawula, Vice President for Conference Program
About the Candidate:Christopher Sawula has been the Visual Resources and Spatial Art History Librarian in the Art History Department at Emory University since 2017. From 2014 to 2017, he was the Director of Research and Academic Programs in the A.S. Williams III Collection at The University of Alabama. He received his PhD in History in 2014 and his scholarly work examines the origins of laboring identity in early America. In his capacity supporting spatial art history projects, he focuses on digital publishing, GIS mapping, data visualization, and archival data curation.Goals:I believe that annual conferences are critically important to the health and growth of any organization. They allow participants to share their innovations and achievements, to foster interpersonal connections, and to chart future developments in the field. In my capacity as Vice President for Conference Programs, I hope to help overcome the challenges posed by Covid-19 and ensure that the Visual Resources Association is able to hold the Annual conference and Mid-Year meeting either in person or virtually in some capacity. These events are especially important for the professional development of early-career members, and I want to make sure these individuals have the opportunity to engage with our organization and benefit from the support of their peers. If I were elected to this position, I would build upon the work already undertaken to create conference experiences that benefit attendees from many different backgrounds and at various stages of their career.
Meet the 2020 Executive Board Candidates: John Trendler, President-Elect
About the Candidate:John Trendler is the Curator of Visual Resources at Scripps College in Claremont, California, where he has served on committees such as the Multimedia Literacy Committee and the Claremont Colleges Digital Library Advisory Committee and has presented in workshops including “Digital Assets in the Classroom” and “Aim to Achieve: Visual Literacy and Special Collections.” From 2003 to 2005 John served as Secretary of the VRA’s Southern California Chapter and between 2007 and 2011 served as Chapter Chair. John joined the VRA’s executive board as Public Relations and Communications officer from 2012 to 2016.John has presented at a variety of conferences and events, including but not limited to the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education, the College Art Association, as well as ARLIS/NA and VRA annual conferences. John is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is an avid bicyclist and bicycle advocate who began road racing in 2018.Goals:It would be an honor to serve as the VRA’s President. VRA has been my primary mentor throughout my career in the visual resources landscape. Having served in various positions at the chapter level and on the executive board has shown me so much about the association; it’s roots, the intricate components that make it function, as well as all the amazing work by incredible people.VRA possesses an abundance of knowledge that can and should be shared in ways that strengthens our identity and piques the interest of those working alongside of us. I believe we can increase the number of members, create paths to robust leadership and continue to inspire and inform, and if elected, I would do my best to serve both efficiently and attentively.
VRA Spotlight: VREPS
VRA Spotlight: VREPS (Visual Resources Emerging Professionals and Students Group)October 14, Wed, 2-3 pm ESTZoom meetingVREPS is committed to the dissemination and promotion of employment, professional development, and networking opportunities specific to the needs of new professionals and students. New to the visual resources professional field? Seasoned professional looking to share your wisdom or collaborate with up-and-comers? Come to this session to meet with other students and early-career professionals and learn what this active group is doing on behalf of the VRA (and what we can do for you!).Email info@vraweb.org for the Zoom link or find it on the MyVRA Calendar.
VREPS and ArLiSNAP Virtual Conference: Visualizing Your Future Art Information Career
Art Library Students and New ARLIS/NA Professionals (ArLiSNAP) and Visual Resources Association’s Emerging Professionals And Students Group (VREPS) invite you to save the date for our 2020 Virtual Conference: Visualizing Your Future Art Information Career.
This conference is open to all, but focuses on the needs of students and new professionals. It will provide attendees interested in art librarianship or visual resources management the opportunity to learn about pursuing a career in art information, present their work through virtual posters, and discover projects and research seeking to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field.
Our calls for students, new professionals, and experienced professionals to present in different sessions are outlined below. If you have any questions in the meantime, please send an email copying the ArLiSNAP and VREPS emails: arlisnap.na@gmail.com, vreps@vraweb.org.
EAC Community Hour: Institutional Responses to Black Lives Matter- Advocating as Staff
Good morning, All,Please join EAC for a continued conversation and brainstorm session at our Community Hour “Institutional Responses to BLM: Part 2 - Advocating as Staff” on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 2:00-3:00 pm EST/ 11:00am-12:00pm PST. The intent of this Community Hour is to discuss actionable steps that GLAM professionals can take within their institutions to create tangible momentum for change. We hear often about steps we can take as individuals or in our communities, but less so as GLAM staffers. We hope to provide support to anyone seeking to advocate for their institution to do more.Discussion Prompts:
- Does your institution have a diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility (DEIA); and/or racial equity; and/or anti-racism action plan in place? If so, when was this plan created - pre- or post-uprisings?
- Does your institution have any DEIA training for staff, leadership, and/or your board? If so, is this training required or encouraged?
- Are any DEIA goals built into your institutional strategic plan?
We hope to collectively gain a better understanding of where we stand in the broader GLAM field as it relates to racial equity through the lens of these solidarity statements and action plans.Please send any specific questions or concerns in advance to Lael or Kendra (if you wish to remain anonymous please let us know) or bring your questions to the Hour (where you can still be anonymous via private chat).Click here to register and here to view the Community Hour doc.Best,Lael + KendraEAC Co-Chairs
EAC Community Hour: Institutional Responses to Black Lives Matter
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 2:00-3:00 pm EST/ 11:00am-12:00pm PST
The intent of this Community Hour is to discuss as a field how leadership in galleries, libraries, archives, museums (GLAM), and other institutions where VRA professionals work have responded to police brutality and the corresponding Black Lives Matter protests and uprisings. We are currently planning for this to be (at least) a two-part series, with the first discussion focusing on institutional statements (both externally and internally published) and the second focusing on concrete action plans. We hope to collectively gain a better understanding of where we stand in the broader GLAM field as it relates to racial equity through the lens of these solidarity statements and action plans. We also hope to provide support to anyone seeking to advocate for their institution to do more, especially in our second discussion on action plans.
We welcome folks to bring any institutional statements and/or action plans that their employing institution has created. Institutional Responses to BLM Community Hour doc
VREPS & EAC: Investing in Yourself and Your Career
VREPS & EAC Community Hour: Investing In Yourself and Your Career
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 2:00-3:00 pm EST/ 11:00am-12:00pm PST
VREPS and EAC are teaming up to co-facilitate a roundtable discussion about advocating for yourself in a new or changing role and identifying skills which visual resources emerging or job-seeking professionals might need in future positions. We’ll discuss various methods on how to learn new skills or freshen up existing skills, either on your own time and dime or using limited funds. We’ll discuss how to advocate for yourself when given more responsibilities or different responsibilities due to layoffs or the switch to a virtual work environment. We’ll also explore ways to find free or low-cost professional development opportunities and how to hone your skills while experiencing virtual fatigue. VREPS x EAC Community Hour doc
VRA 2021: Call for Proposals
Call for proposals for the VRA 2021 Conference! Accepting papers, workshops, discussion sessions, and SIGs! All proposals are due by July 27th. Submit here: surveymonkey.com/r/cfpvra2021Img Source: NARA, ID: 26335507
EAC Community Hour: Critical Cataloging Pt 2
Greetings All,
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend Part 1 of our Critical Cataloging Community Hours. Part 2 will be held on July 15th at 2 pm EST / 11 am PST. Additionally, we have updated our committee page on VRAweb! You may now view previous Community Hour documents, submit topics for future Community Hours, or apply to join EAC!
Our guest moderator for Part 2 will be Treshani Perera, who will be giving a brief overview of her work in the Critical Cataloging arena. The Community Hour doc includes resources to get folks started with Critical Cataloging. We encourage attendees to look at the readings and resources provided in advance of the Hour if possible. This session is meant to be a space for you to bring general questions and concerns from your own work. Our guest moderators from Part 1, Karen Hwang, Devon Murphy, Brian M. Watson, and Alanna Radlo-Dzur, will be in attendance as well.
Discussion Prompts:
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What is your experience with critical cataloging in your institution or work? What thoughts, observations, or projects come to mind (if you are or are not familiar with CC)?
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What are the diverse communities in your workplace, collections, and service areas? How are they represented and served?
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Is there a way to elevate local terms that we update in our own collections to the national/international level?
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How do we enlist enthusiasm from co-workers to tackle the changes in cataloging?
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Is it possible to represent concepts in controlled vocabularies, subject heading/name authorities, or in thesauri that are from different knowledge systems? Are there affordances/concessions that have to be made to include terms? Should vocabs/subject headings/thesauri be reconsidered as a structure of organizing info?
Please send any specific questions in advance to Lael or Kendra (if you wish to remain anonymous please let us know) or bring your concerns to the Hour.
Click here to register for EAC Community Hour: Critical Cataloging, Part 2
Best wishes,Kendra & Lael
EAC Community Hour: Critical Cataloguing Pt 1
Greetings All,
Thank you again to everyone who has been able to attend the EAC’s Community Hours. We are pleased to announce that by popular demand our next two Hours will be focused on Critical Cataloging.
The first hour will be on June 24th at 2 pm EST / 11 am PST, but, please do mark your calendars in advance for Part 2 on July 15th at 2 pm EST / 11 am PST.
In Part 1, we will be having guest moderators Karen Hwang, Devon Murphy, and Alanna Radlo-Dzur, in attendance. Guest moderators will be giving a brief overview of their work in the Critical Cataloging arena, and the Community Hour doc includes resources to get folks started with Critical Cataloging. We encourage attendees to look at the readings and resources provided in advance of the Hour if possible. This session is meant to be a space for you to bring general questions and concerns from your own work.
Discussion Prompts:
- What is your experience with critical cataloging in your institution or work? What thoughts, observations, or projects come to mind (if you are or are not familiar with CC)?
- What are the diverse communities in your workplace, collections, and service areas? How are they represented and served?
- Does your institution have a history of collaboration with these communities? Ways to improve?
- How can we interrogate systems of classification and knowledge organization in image and visual resource management? (What are their histories in your area? How can they be changed or adapted for others? Is that possible? What are the limitations and how can those be described?
Please send any specific questions in advance to Lael or Kendra (if you wish to remain anonymous please let us know) or bring your concerns to the Hour.
Click here to register for EAC Community Hour: Critical Cataloging, Part 1 --we will send out the registration for Part 2 closer to the date of that Hour.
Best wishes,Kendra & Lael
VRA/VRAF Joint Solidarity Statement
The VRA and VRAF condemn all violence, and acts of racism, including police brutality, against Black people, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Unacknowledged structural, institutionalized, and legislated racism can no longer be tolerated. Our Black colleagues, their lives, their work, and their sense of belonging to this community matter. As a members’ organization (VRA) and a foundation (VRAF), we strive to create an inclusive community that values and encourages diversity in its membership and work. Our mission is not only to promote knowledge sharing, skill development, and best practices, but also to foster open, inclusive communication; to offer a supportive community; and to advocate for all people who engage in the management of visual assets. We have an obligation to do the work necessary to live up to this mission. Inclusion requires that we acknowledge the intergenerational history and persistence of systemic racism and actively work to counter racism and its lethal effects. We must disrupt the roles that our institutions and practices play in perpetuating injustice and racism by asking what we need to change in hiring and promotions, in curricula, in collecting policies, in description of materials, and in making our knowledge and materials accessible. We must acknowledge that the leadership and membership of VRA and VRAF is disproportionately white and that writing this statement does not resolve long-standing injustices. We must also examine ways in which our organizations can advocate meaningfully and concretely for equity and justice. It is incumbent on us to support people who work in the field by advancing the perspectives of people who have been marginalized by fostering open forums for discussion and ensuring that people of color fill leadership positions, working to dismantle the effects of structural racism in our varied professions, and taking stands against racism and racist practices when we see them. Far from being neutral, visual assets and the institutions and people that provide access to them have a great deal of power to shape and reinforce power structures. A key part of our work as visual assets and cultural heritage professionals is to address ways in which our practices must change to challenge and dismantle, rather than support or permit, white supremacy.The VRA and the VRAF call on all our colleagues to move forward with action and purpose just as we will ourselves. We implore you to reexamine your own practices and policies as individuals, as committees, and as local chapters. We, the VRA and VRAF board members, acknowledge that we need to make measurable changes in the structure of our organizations and are committed to undertake this work.What members of VRA can do:
- Join the Equitable Action Committee (newly established in November 2019) - Fill out the application here
- Sign up to be a mentor and/or Peer reviewer for resumes and cover letters - httpS://vraweb.org/opportunities/mentorship/ (the mentor application form is paused at the moment)
- Support the hiring, retention, and promotion of your BIPOC colleagues - Watch ARLIS/NA’s webinar on the Recruitment, Retention, and Experiences of Art Library Professionals
- Question your language of cataloging - Register to attend EAC’s Community Hour on Critical Cataloging on Wednesday, June 24, 2020
- Propose, facilitate, and support workshops/sessions for VRA 2021 that will prompt the difficult conversations we all need to have - Submit a proposal here
Donation Links:
- Official George Floyd Memorial Fund
- Black Lives Matter
- Black Visions Collective
- National Bail Fund Network or local bail funds across the US
- American Civil Liberties Union
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- We Here
Resources for Self-Education:
- Anti-racism Resource List for White People
- Social Justice and Museums Resource List
- Anti-Racist Educational Reading & Viewing Lists
- Dear White People, This Is What We Want You To Do
- For Our White Friends Desiring to Be Allies
- Research-based Solutions to Stop Police Violence (Twitter thread)
- Articles:
- Courses + Curriculums:
- Recruiting and Retaining Librarians from Underrepresented Minoritized Groups - Library Juice Course ($175) July 6 - August 2
- Allyship, Anti-Oppression Practices, and Building Inclusive Libraries - Library Juice Course ($175) August 3 - August 30
- Cultural Competence for Librarians - Library Juice Course ($175) September 7 - October 4
- Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race and Racism–from Ferguson to Charleston
VRA Webinar: Incorporating Diversity in our Workplace
Registration is still open for the Friday, June 12, 3:00-4:30 pm EST, VRA Webinar Incorporating Diversity in our Workplace. Originally part of the Baltimore conference program, this session has been moved online. It is free of charge to members and non-members, although advanced registration is required. Please sign up using the MyVRA link. Your confirmation email will include information on how to access the Zoom webinar. Contact tech@vraweb.org with any technology concerns.We hope that you can join us! Please forward to your colleagues or anyone else who may be interested in learning more about VRA and the work of its members.Friday, June 12, 2020Incorporating Diversity in our Workplace: All are Welcome, but How Do We Get There?3:00pm - 4:30 pm ESTRegister: vra.memberclicks.
Reminder: VRA Webinar Managing Rights Data
EAC Community Hour: Sketching the Road Ahead: Examining Gaps in Support
As discussions continue about university and GLAM reopenings, join the EAC in a discussion of the questions below as we consider what support we need during this time and what support has been available to us. Our 3rd EAC Community Hour (Sketching the Road Ahead: Examining Gaps in Support) will be held on Wednesday, May 27, at 2 pm EST/ 11 am PST.Discussion Prompts:
- What support do YOU need during this time? Are there gaps in what your institution is able to provide? How could this committee advocate for you? In what ways could your professional organizations support you?
- IS there a way to suggest actions that we can control within our jobs? How can we as individuals be proactive? How can we as a community offer additional support?
- What new concerns are worrying you? How will hybrid reopening plans affect staff and students across institutions differently?
Send any specific questions in advance to Lael or Kendra (if you wish to remain anonymous please let us know) or bring your concerns to the Hour (where you can still be anonymous via private chat to the moderator)!Click here to register for our next Community Hour!