Board of Directors

Margaret Webster, chairChristine Hilker, treasurerKaren Kessel, secretarySteven KowalikBilly KwanIan McDermottBetha Whitlow

The VRA Foundation Mission

The mission of the VRA Foundation is to advance knowledge in the field of visual resources and image management and to provide educational and training opportunities in support of broad access to cultural information in the digital age.

The Foundation advances awareness of important issues for digital information management; encourages the application of professional standards, innovative technology, and metadata cataloging protocols; facilitates workplace training; and promotes awareness of intellectual property rights and copyright issues.

The VRA Foundation supports a range of educational offerings to help ensure that such information reaches a diverse and global audience.

Message From the Chair Thanks to your continuing, committed generosity, the Visual Resources Association Foundation has again experienced a successful year.

We are particularly proud of the rapid development and success of our Regional Workshop Program. During its second year, this program expanded from two to four workshops focusing on a diversity of visual resources topics, taught by experts, and hosted throughout the country. We are deeply grateful to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for their support of this effort and to directors Betha Whitlow

and Steven Kowalik for managing the program so ably. Working with their implementation team, they have been spectacularly successful in bringing expert training in visual resources issues to a diverse audience in various regions of the country.

This year for the first time we presented three professional development grants to Audrey Sage Lorberfeld, Chris Strausbaugh, and Sali Underwood. Stephanie Norby was awarded the 2017 VRAF Project Grant for Research and Development to support a pilot project for The Smithsonian Learning Lab. The project grants are now being awarded on a semi-annual basis.

We granted our fourth internship award in visual resources and image management to Rebecca Pattillo in September 2016. Rebecca completed an ambitious, multi-faceted, cross-departmental project at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The Foundation is grateful for the committed work of the VRAF Internship Awards Committee: Linda Callahan, Meghan Musolff, Margaret Webster, and Meghan McGowan. The immediate past recipient also serves on the committee. The Foundation is extremely grateful to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for continuing to fund this educational initiative.

The fourteenth annual Summer Educational Institute was held from June 6-9, 2017, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. We are grateful for significant, sustaining support from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation; this funding allowed SEI 2017 to provide scholarships to selected, qualified participants.

We thank co-chairs, Jesse Henderson and Nicole Finzer Chapman, local host, JJ Bauer and the entire implementation team for making this second SEI at Chapel Hill a success. The SEI Task Force, that was jointly appointed with ARLIS/NA, submitted an insightful and useful report on March 21, 2017. A big thank-you to Task Force members Johanna Bauman, Sara Falls, Beth Haas, Sarah Gillis, Steven Kowalik, and Amy Trendler for their very helpful service.

During the fall of 2016, we launched a “matching” campaign by asking long-time supporters and donors to provide seed money to be used to challenge prospective donors including the entire VRA membership to equal or exceed this amount. We were raising

funds to support the VRAF Project Grants. We ultimately received $7,487 from 51 generous donors. Thank you so much.

The Foundation which has 501 (c) (3) status assumed responsibility from VRA for the AmazonSmile shopping program. The funds generated through this program as a percentage of member purchases help support the Legacy Lectures at VRA conferences. During the Louisville conference, Dr. Brent Staples, the director of the Center for Visualization and Virtual Environment at the University of Kentucky gave an inspiring plenary presentation about digital imaging and cultural preservation.

The Foundation continues to collaborate with the Executive Board and the membership of the VRA in a variety of ways. Foundation sponsored committees, implementation teams, and task forces typically include VRA members as acknowledged experts. We are a sponsor of VRA conferences. The Foundation supports a wide range of emerging and experienced visual resources professionals including VRA members through the grant program, the regional workshops, internship program, and SEI. Finally, we work with the VRA Executive Board to raise funds in support of the visual resources profession. Following recommendations of the VRA and VRAF Joint Task Force on Fundraising and Development, a working group assessed and evaluated several fundraising databases for joint use by VRA and VRAF. As a result, DonorPerfect was selected; it is being implemented for VRA by Jeannine Keefer and for VRAF by Christine Hilker. A big thank you to Ian McDermott, Melanie Clark, Jeannine Keefer, Chris Hilker, Maria Elia, and Billy Kwan for their work in making this a reality.

As I prepare to end my term as VRAF director, I am grateful and honored for the opportunity to serve the Foundation on behalf of the visual resources profession. Every director works hard to promote this endeavor. In particular, Christine Hilker who will also retire has been a superb treasurer and source of institutional memory. Outgoing directors Betha Whitlow and Steven Kowalik leave their legacy of the Regional Workshops in good hands. We all look forward to following the accomplishments of the incoming board as they find new ways to promote visual resources.

Annual Report2016 - 2017

2013-2014

Board of Directors

Margaret Webster, chairCarolyn Lucarelli, secretaryChristine Hilker, treasurerLinda CallahanLinda ReynoldsBrian Shelburne Betha Whitlow

Annual Report

Dear Friends,

Thanks to you, it’s been another successful year for the Visual Resources Association Foundation.

During 2013–2014, the Board of Directors was able for the first time to offer grant funding to a successful candidate who resides outside of the United States. The VRAF grants program, which provides funds for professional development opportunities as well as for research and education, was delighted to provide funding to our international colleague, Vicky Brown, to allow her to attend the VRA conference in Milwaukee.

In order to continue to foster the next generation of visual resources professionals, the Foundation offered a second VRA Foundation Internship to support a graduate student in obtaining practical work experience in archives, libraries, and museums. This second internship provided a stipend of $3000 plus an additional $1,000 for professional development such as attendance at relevant conferences or at the SEI.

The Board is deeply appreciative of the dedicated efforts of the VRAF Internship Awards Committee: Melissa Brown, Meghan Musolff, Margaret Webster and Angie Yip. This committee consists of representatives of the VRA Education Committee, the VRA Awards Committee, and the previous internship recipient; it is chaired by a VRAF Director.

The VRA Foundation is grateful to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for providing the funding for the second year of the internship. We hope to continue the VRAF Internship for years to come.

June 2014 marked the eleventh year of the Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources & Image Management (SEI), held for the first time at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Led by Co-chairs Amy Trendler and Meghan Musolff, Local Chair Sarah Christensen, and the entire SEI Implementation Team, attendees experienced four intensive days of courses addressing the topics of metadata, imaging, intellectual property rights, and instruction while also having the opportunity to explore and enjoy the University of Illinois campus, the city of Urbana-Champaign, and to develop a critical network of professional relationships. SEI would not be possible without the yearlong commitment of the Implementation Team; the VRAF Board extends a heart-felt thanks to each member of the team for their efforts and dedication.

Stay tuned as the VRA Foundation continues to develop programs to support the visual resources profession. In the works is a program to support regional workshops. We are also engaging in conversations with the Board of Directors of the Visual Resources Association to strengthen and coordinate our efforts for the mutual benefit of our profession. Finally, we will soon launch a broad based fund raising drive.

As I look back upon the past year and all the Foundation has accomplished, I take this opportunity to thank my fellow directors for their time and dedication. I also thank each and every donor for his or her generous gifts to the VRA Foundation. Thank you for making the 2013-2014 fiscal year such a success.

The VRA Foundation Mission

The Foundation advances knowledge in the field of visual resources andimage management andprovides educational and trainingopportunities in support of broad access to cultural information in the digital age. The Foundation advances awareness of important issues for digital information management, encourages the application of professional standards,innovative technology, and metadata catalogingprotocols, facilitates workplace training, and promotes an awareness of intellectual property rights and copyright issues.

The VRA Foundationsupports a range of educational offerings to help ensure that such information reaches a diverse and global audience.

Message From the Chair

Images courtesy of Archivision

During the July 2016 to June 2017 year, SEI activity was multi-faceted: encompassing submission of a forward-looking task force report, call for host site applications for SEI 2018, and holding SEI 2017.Throughout the year, the SEI Task Force was busy wrapping up the final report, submitted 3/21/2017. With a charge to review and evaluate the goals, structure, and curriculum of the SEI over its history, and to make recommendations for the institute’s ongoing viability, the report describes the ongoing value of SEI since 2004 and recognizes the responsiveness of rotating implementation teams to growth and change. The report also makes specific suggestions to continue a 5-year assessment cycle, to maintain a solid core curriculum which permits some flexibility, and to build long range planning tools to support and complement annual planning that goes into each individual institute, ensuring that SEI continues to adapt to changes in the field and fulfill its mission. In coordination with ARLIS/NA executive board, the VRA Foundation directors responded to the SEI Task Force report and will share findings and next steps in the coming year(s). Task Force members Johanna Bauman, Sara Falls, Beth Haas, Sarah Gillis, Steven Kowalik, and Amy Trendler are each to be saluted for their service. In spring 2017, the 2018 host site application was reviewed and edited; the application timeline updated; and calls for applications published on the ARLIS/NA and VRA list serves. SEI Liaisons to VRAF and ARLIS/NA responded to a number of inquiries, reached out to a geographically diverse group of

potential hosts, and finally reviewed the two complete submissions. Following a site visit in the fall 2017, the sponsoring boards will approve a recommendation for the 2018 site.While SEI 2017 (held June 6-9, 2017 at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), experienced a modest financial loss (shared with ARLIS/NA) and decreased registrations (19 versus 42 in 2016), from the participant, planner and instructor points-of-view, the Institute was a success. Development efforts were very successful, raising $8,200, and included gifts of all sizes from individuals and significant, sustaining support from the Kress Foundation. Faculty receiving special praise are Nancy Sims (on intellectual property), Lisa Gregory (digitization) Greta Bahnemann (metadata). The embedded metadata and digital asset management sessions, received less enthusiastic feedback and will be overhauled in future offerings. Other major accomplishments receiving particular accolades are adjusting the schedule so the final day (Friday) is a half day offering an un-conference session; expanding the IP module to a full day; and the use of Google Sites & Docs for IT planning, document tracking, and surveying participants (saving $ by not using Survey Monkey.) Finally yet importantly, thank you for their service to co-chairs, Jesse Henderson, Nicole Finzer and Lesley Chapman, local host JJ Bauer, and implementation team support from ARLIS/NA & VRA members including Stephanie Beene, Chris Hilker and Carolyn Lucarelli. Likewise, to Karen Kessel, who served as SEI-VRAF liaison for the duration of time covered by this report.

The 2016 Professional Development Grant student recipient Audrey Sage Lorberfeld (University of Washington, MLIS, 2017) used her grant to speak at the 2016 Library and Information Technology Forum, Fort Worth, TX, where she gave a presentation entitled “Why Does Quality Assurance Matter in Web Archiving?” based on her work as Web Archiving Technician for the New York Art Resources Consortium. The VRAF is pleased that Audrey was able to share her innovative, cutting-edge project in archiving born-digital and art-oriented web resources with the broader information community, and that this grant enabled her to participate in her first professional conference.

In 2017, due to the considerable number of commendable grant applications submitted, two Professional Development Grants were awarded. Chris Strasbaugh, Ohio State University, used his funding to attend the May 2017 “2 + 3D Photography -- Practice and Prophecies” conference held at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where he presented his paper “Hacking Technology to Document Difficult Spaces” describing a creative use of technology in the digitization and preservation of student work. Sali Underwood, Nevada State Museum, used her funding to attend the 32nd annual meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections in Denver, where she presented on her project, “Nevada’s Neglected Lepidoptera Herbarium”, a digitized collection of over 2500 specimens and the collection’s relevance to understanding the life cycle of Nevada’s butterflies.

The fourth VRA Foundation Internship Award in visual resources and image management was granted in September 2016. The VRA Foundation supports the education and practical training of new information professionals through

this grant, which provides a $3,000 stipend for a graduate student to obtain practical work experience in archives, libraries, or museums. It also includes $1,000 for professional development in the visual resources field, such as conference or SEI

SEI 2016-2017

Professional Development Grants

The VRA Foundation Internship Award

attendance, plus a year’s membership to the Visual Resources Association. We thank the Samuel H. Kress Foundation for funding this award and for recognizing its potential to foster the next generation of visual resource professionals. The VRA Foundation’s pursuit of additional funding continues so that we may offer this award annually. Rebecca Pattillo was selected as the 2016-2017 Intern. In May of 2016 she received an MA in History with a concentration in Public History and an MLIS from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. In the fall of 2016 Rebecca completed 200 hours of work on a multi-faceted, cross-departmental project in the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Focusing on the Clowes Fund Collection of Old Masters, with supervision from the Photography Department, Conservation Department, and the IMA Piction Task Force, she coordinated the creation of metadata for 7,000+ conservation images, the implementation of updated workflows for future imaging and metadata application, and integration into the museum’s digital asset management system.

Visit this link to learn more about the VRAF Internship Awa

Project Grants for Research and DevelopmentThe VRA Foundation’s Project Grants program provides support for projects that reflect the VRA Foundation mission to advance education, research, and outreach in the field of visual resources and image management. The Project Grant funds may be used

In April 2017, a workshop on managing digital content, co-hosted by the Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond, and the Library of Virginia, was led by Shyam Oberoi, Director of Technology and Digital Media, Dallas Museum of Art.

The VRAF Regional Workshop Program’s second year saw an expansion to four workshop offerings representing a diversity of visual resource topics, each led by insightful instructors and hosted at locations across the USA.

The program was developed and executed by the Regional Workshop Implementation Team, composed of members of the VRAF and representatives from the Visual Resources Association (VRA).Members included:Anna Bernhard, VRA (Colorado State University)Maureen Burns, VRA (Archivision and Independent Consultant)Marlene Gordon, VRA (University of Michigan, Dearborn)Steven Kowalik, VRAF Director (CUNY – Hunter College)Ian McDermott (CUNY - LaGuardia Community College)Shyam Oberoi (Dallas Museum of Art)Betha Whitlow, VRAF Director (Washington University in Saint Louis)In February 2017, a visual literacy workshop, co-hosted by Colorado College and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, was led by Jessica Sack, Senior Associate Curator of Public Education, Yale University Art Gallery.

Also in February 2017, a second visual literacy workshop was hosted by the International Center of Photography, New York City, and was led by Nicole Brown, Multidisciplinary Instruction Librarian, New York University.

In March 2017, an intellectual property rights workshop was hosted by the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR, and was led by Cara Hirsch, Associate General Counsel, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

Kathe Albrecht, SilverCindy Abel Morris, FellowJolene deVergesMelissa GillTracy TimmonsChristina UpdikeMargaret WebsterVRA Mid-Atlantic Chapter

AnonymousMatthias Arnold, FriendCindy Abel-Morris, SilverMegan Battey, FellowSuzanne Bennett, FriendVictoria Bleick, BronzeLetty Bonnell, FriendDavid Bowers, FriendMaureen Burns, FellowLinda Callahan, FellowJonathan Cartledge, FriendChristine Cavalier, FriendSherman Clarke, SilverMarie Elia, FriendMelody Ennis, FellowEleanor Fink, FriendMarcia Focht, BronzeLeigh Gates, BronzeSarah Gillis, FriendJen Green, FriendVirginia (Macy) Hall, BronzeKanako Iwase, FriendChristine Hilker, FellowTrudy Jacoby, FriendJeanne Keefe, Fellow

Karen Kessel, FellowAllan Kohl, FellowBilly Chi Hing Kwan, FellowCarolyn Lucarelli, FellowOtto Luna, FriendIan McDermott, FellowSusan Passman, FriendElaine Paul, BronzeMark Pompelia, BronzeLouise Putnam, FriendLinda Reynolds, Fellow Joseph Romano, FellowMeghan Rubenstein, FriendSASKIA, Ltd., SilverBrian Shelburne, SilverNancy Smith, FriendAnnie Sollinger, FriendChristine Sundt, BronzeAnn Thomas, FellowChristina Updike, Silver Jolene de Verges, FellowMargaret Webster, BronzeBetha Whitlow, FellowVRA New England Chapter, Friend

Our Generous Donors

Donors to the general fund of the VRAF:

VRA Foundation Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Donors

Our grants partner for the VRA Foundation Internship Award:Samuel H. Kress Foundation

The VRAF Regional Workshop Program

Corporate SponsorsSamuel H. Kress FoundationArtstorUniversity of North Carolina School of Information and Library ScienceVRC Host

for stand-alone projects, pilots or start-up financing for larger projects, or for a component of a larger project. Collaborative projects and those proposed by groups, whether or not affiliated with an organization or institution, are encouraged. Of particular interest are innovative projects with the potential to have a broad impact across the global community.

Stephanie Norby, Director, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, Washington, DC., was awarded the 2017 VRAF Project Grant to support a pilot project for The Smithsonian Learning Lab (https://learninglab.si.edu/) which allowed the Learning Lab to explore the process of creating science-based digital resource collections and to develop a series of best practices for the development of future digital science instructional resources. The grant supported collaborative efforts with high school instructors to create vetted teaching collections which reflect both the strengths of the Smithsonian’s science collections and the pedagogical needs of secondary educators, thus expanding use of science-based visual resources, specifically for the creation of five teaching collections focused on science. The five collections address the topics of weather and climate – Earth and Space Systems, Navigation – Past and Present, Human Migration; Force, Work and Motion; and the Environmental Impact of Canoes.

2017 SEI

Visual Resources Association FoundationFinancial Statement, July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017

Income Personal donations $ 8004.66 Corporate donations 4000.00 Regional workshops 23068.34 SEI 2017 20422.34

Total VRAF Income $ 55495.34

Expenses Annual Board meeting $ 4105.50 Grants awarded 9541.44 Fundraising 1934.72 Insurance 1593.00 General administrative expenses 699.00 Professional fees 3300.00 Taxes 251.69 Web hosting 156.00 Regional workshops 10506.06 SEI 2016 14638.65 SEI 2017 18385.52Total VRAF Expenses $ 65111.58Net profit $ -9616.24

Summer Educational Institute 2017Profit & Loss (Calendar year 2017)

Income Kress scholarships $ 5000.00 Donations 1175.00 Tuition 11954.09 Housing & parking 1864.34 ARLIS/NA (share of loss) 1837.45 Total SEI Income $ 21830.88

Expenses Scholarships 5000.00 Administrative costs 494.47 Food events/miscellaneous 323.47 Host institution (housing, parking, facilities) 1584.00 Co-chairs, incoming co-chair & local co-chair 6257.72 Instructors 6335.78 Accommodations (instructors & SEI Team) 3672.90

Total SEI Expenses $ 23,668.34Net SEI 2017 Loss for VRAF $ 1837.46

Please note: VRAF operates on a July to June fiscal year while SEI uses a calendar year; this accounts for income and expenses from 2 SEI years in the VRAF financial report.