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VRA Bulletin
Number of Followers: 3

This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 1046-9001
Published by Visual Resources Association

[1 journal]

Uncovering Connections:
- Authors: Kayla Olson
  Abstract: This article reports on a 2021 study that aimed to assess art historians’ and archaeologists’ familiarity with computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS), so that academic librarians and visual resources professionals could begin to consider if access to and instruction on these tools might benefit their patrons in these disciplines. Initial findings from the study were presented at the Visual Resources Association 2022 Annual Conference. Scholarship concerning the information organization needs and practices of material culture researchers is limited but growing. Self-identified art historians, archaeologists, and object-based and material culture researchers were invited to take a survey disseminated through convenience and snowball sampling. Responses revealed a lack of participant knowledge about CAQDAS and mixed opinions about their utility. The participants’ research needs demonstrated that art historians and archaeologists interested in CAQDAS should be advised to use them for their original intended purpose: that is, as an analysis aid that helps discover patterns within medium-to-large, sometimes mixed media, datasets. CAQDAS should not be recommended as a replacement for standardized databases, and knowledge management applications like Tropy better fit the need for personal image management support. For patient and motivated researchers with digital experience, CAQDAS can be a powerful tool. For others who fare well with more traditional analog and digital methods of analysis and organization, the packages may cause more frustration than success due to substantial learning curves and financial cost.
  PubDate: Thu, 01 Dec 2022 19:45:01 -080
Copyright Management by Design
- Authors: Chelsea Stone
  Abstract: Rights management can be a convoluted aspect of comprehensive collection management that all cultural institutions must consider. From activities and projects to strategy and advocacy, implementing and maintaining proper copyright policies within your organization is mandatory. With information resources and best practices coming from a plethora of sources, consolidating this information into usable documentation can be difficult. Copyright law is also continuously evolving with new precedents and case studies emerging and challenging previous norms. Those who work with copyright on a regular basis have go-to resources such as fair use checklists, Hirtle’s Copyright Term and the Public Domain chart, U.S. Code: Title 17, etc. Newly published, The Copyright Management Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Institutions will be the next addition to this list of ready reference materials. From Europeana’s Copyright Committee, this guide shares streamlined and easy-to-use best practices for copyright management in cultural institutions. Both the concise writing and the infographic-like execution of the document are designed to take the guesswork out of copyright management. Practitioners can utilize the step-by-step guide in whole or in part, selecting the advice they require. However, utilizing all the goals and phases of this document will enable you to reach the ultimate goal of “[Harmonising] all approaches to copyright across your organisation.” These guidelines are designed to enable practitioners to visualize and conceptualize the copyright management process holistically. Having a proper foundation in place will enable the expansion of an organization's copyright program into a mature set of policies and practices, allowing for the integration of copyright into all relevant aspects of collection management.
  PubDate: Thu, 01 Dec 2022 19:43:18 -080
Slides as Artifacts of Nostalgia: Personal and Professional Ruminations
- Authors: Lael Ensor-Bennett
  Abstract: The digital revolution is generally perceived to have made 35mm slides obsolete, but somehow along the way, a shift has begun to transform what was viewed as old and defunct to trendy and nostalgic. In this article, I ponder how obsolete physical media, or contemporary substitutions, can disrupt our habitation in the increasingly digital world and bridge our longing for a past remembered or imagined and our desire to instill authenticity in our current moment.
  PubDate: Wed, 30 Nov 2022 19:11:36 -080
VRA Baltimore Awards
- Authors: Maureen Burns
  Abstract: One of the highlights of every Visual Resources Association conference is when individuals or teams of information professionals are honored for distinguished achievements or outstanding career contributions at the annual awards ceremony. As a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to furthering research and education in the field of image management, these awards shine a light on leading-edge efforts and accomplishments in the educational, cultural heritage, and commercial environments. They are bestowed to acknowledge and celebrate VRA’s highest achievements. This article details the accomplishments of the 2022 award winners: Jolene de Verges, Distinguished Service Award; Afsaneh Najmabadi, Nancy DeLaurier Award; Lael Ensor-Bennett and Kendra Werst, Nancy DeLaurier Award; and Allan T. Kohl, Special Honorary Life Membership. The awards process is also outlined along with the support provided by the VRA Awards Committee. VRA members are encouraged to nominate colleagues for these special honors. Acknowledgements:
  With special thanks and acknowledgment for ongoing work to VRA’s Awards Committee: Sarah Beck, Maureen Burns, Linda Callahan, Dawn Feavyour, Marcia Focht, Ann McShane, Summer Shetenhelm, and Margaret Webster.
  PubDate: Wed, 30 Nov 2022 18:38:05 -080
Deep Dives into Digital Cultural Heritage Practices:
- Authors: Sara Schumacher
  Abstract: In this interview, Diane Zorich (Director of the Digitization Program Office (DPO) at the Smithsonian Institutution) brings her extensive knowledge and experience to consider approaches to working within cultural heritage institutions and what she would like to see moving forward. Notable topics discussed include sustainability in digital collections, inclusion, diversity, equity, and access initiatives, linked open data, NFTs, and sharing content on digital platforms outside of institutional control. Woven though the technological components, Zorich reflects on “materiality” and role of an object as a “touchstone for history, memory, and personal stories.”
  PubDate: Sun, 27 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -080
Review of MHz Curationist
- Authors: Akeem Flavors
  Abstract: This review provides a brief summary of the online digital curation platform Curationist. The principal project of the MHz Foundation, Curationist publishes visual and cultural materials found in the Creative Commons and public domain with the intent to expand and diversify the histories of art and culture found online. Curationist is an attractive and easy-to-use platform that offers viewers the ability to explore individual works as well as collections and feature articles compiled by a global team of editors. As a whole, the platform appears to be in its nascent stage and does not yet offer the ability for users to zoom in on images, notate works, or arrange favorited images into collections of their own choosing. Curationist is planning a public release set for 2023 that will allow users curate their own collections and perform advance searches through an updated database.
Review of "Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse
Resources"
- Authors: Briana Meyer
  Abstract: The Metadata Best Practices for Trans and Gender Diverse Resources is a set of best practices written by the Trans Metadata Collective for describing, cataloging, and classifying information resources about trans and gender diverse people. The document serves as a resource for workers in cultural heritage institutions who create metadata about trans and gender diverse people. This review explores the Collective's efforts to develop an accessible best practices guide that positions users’ humanity before machine operability.

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