Maureen Burns & Jeanette Mills, Co-Chairs
Education Committee
February 9, 2005
Annual Report 2004

Current Charge
To engage in research, build accessible resources, and share information about educational and professional development opportunities for VRA membership by remaining in contact with appropriate members of related professional organizations and educational institutions. To regularly solicit information from the VRA membership about interests and educational concerns in order to develop supportive programming at the annual conference and as other opportunities arise.

Accomplishments
The VRA Education Committee (EdComm) successfully followed up upon many of the goals it set for itself at their 2004 meeting at the Portland conference, which included: developing closer ties with the VRA Membership Committee; developing contact with related organizations such as MCN, SAA, ARLIS/NA, SLA, AASL, and CAA; sponsoring workshops that are of the utmost interest to our VRA members; enhancing the role of EdComm chapter liaisons; communicating with the VRA membership about committee initiatives and how we might best serve their educational needs; developing an EdComm timeline of tasks; and further promoting stipends for workshops to regional chapters.

EdComm and the VRA Membership Committee, chaired by Trudy Levy, have improved their communication in order to better serve the VRA membership. This includes e-mail dialogue and an effort to attend each other's committee meetings at VRA conferences. Thanks in no small part to Trudy's effort, EdComm is also in the process of strengthening its ties to related organizations developing complimentary educational programming. EdComm was involved in discussions about VRA sponsorship of 2005 MCN sessions and workshops, in particularly, Trudy's proposal entitled "The Nuts and Bolts of Building a Digital Collection for the Whole Museum." EdComm is interested in further developing and sponsoring such reciprocal programming at future MCN and VRA conferences. In addition, EdComm will be represented at an informal VRA-MCN gathering in Miami. The EdComm also monitors the following and forwards pertinent information to the VRA Listserv: SLA-SOLO-L, ARCHIVE-L, IMAGELIB-L, PADIFORUM -L, VRANY-L, DISSACC-L, VRASC-L, MCN-L, CHART-L, and ARLIS-L. Finally, in accordance with an EdComm recommendation (2003 annual report) to offer SAA workshops at VRA Conferences, "Administering Photographic Collections," received SAA sponsorship for the Miami conference. EdComm looks forward to continuing to strengthen these fledgling ties, as well as to developing new connections with other related organizations.

The VRA Executive Board approved two of three EdComm sponsored workshops for the Miami Conference: "Managing a Digitization Project," a repeat offering by Howard Brainen and Trudy Levy, and "VR Fundamentals" led by John Taormina and Karin Whalen (last offered at the 2001 Chicago conference) designed to compliment the more extensive training offered at the Summer Educational Institute for Visual Resources and Image Management (SEI). At the time of this report's posting, both workshops had very good enrollment numbers-25 participants in "Managing a Digitization Project" and 20 for "VR Fundamentals." A final proposed workshop sponsored by EdComm, "Analog and Digital Photography," with Jenni Rodda, was declined for the Miami Conference by the Executive Board. This topic remains popular with our membership, however, and a workshop along these lines will certainly be among those considered by EdComm for sponsorship at future conferences.

In addition to the fundamentals workshop mentioned above, the EdComm has developed closer ties to the joint-sponsored SEI through Maureen Burns volunteering to serve as the VRA's co-chair on the Implementation Team, with Trudy Jacoby representing ARLIS/NA as the other co-chair. John Taormina, SEI's host two-year's running and local arrangements planner, will be reporting on progress and participating in EdComm discussions about how we can continue communication and extend collaboration when we meet in Miami.

Per its stated goals for 2004, EdComm developed a timeline of committee responsibilities and activities, which will assist in standardizing and streamlining the multiple duties associated with the EdComm's work. The timeline is included as "Appendix A" in this report.

EdComm continued its efforts to better communicate with the VRA membership in 2004, publishing an article about its activities in the September issue of Image Stuff, and encouraging VRA members to fill out the feedback form on the EdComm website in order to best gauge their programming interests. Jeannette Mills continues to provide technical support for the EdComm Listserv at the University of Washington. Leah Theis continues to manage this website at UC Davis, adding links to relevant educational programming as they become available and compiling the results of the feedback forms for evaluation by EdComm. We are extremely grateful to Leah and Jeannette for their efforts. One critical area of contact with members remains in the form of a distance learning survey to be developed and distributed in the annual membership mailing. While it was initially proposed that this survey be sent with the 2005 renewals, the EdComm was focused on other activities this year, and will add this to our stated goals for 2005.

The chapter liaison program, which assigns a member of EdComm to communicate with regional chapters regarding their programming interests, continues to develop. Our liaisons are expected to communicate quarterly with chapter chairs, and report any relevant comments to the EdComm via the listserv. This contact has been helpful in developing workshop programming ideas for conferences. We are also utilizing our chapter liaisons in our final push to get regional chapter leaders to take advantage of the workshop stipends. In an effort to flesh out the role of chapter liaison, EdComm is in the process of developing a list of chapter liaison responsibilities. These include:

	Introducing oneself to the chapter chair
	Engaging in a quarterly discussion of education issues
	Encouraging chapter chairs to connect with other regional professional organizations
	Considering ways in which regional chapters can open up their programming to other groups
	Suggesting that regional chapters draw on local talent for chapter workshops and presentations
	Getting feedback on workshop needs and themes for EdComm to develop and sponsor
	Reminding local chapters about subsidized national workshops and helping to ensure that they take advantage of this professional opportunity
	Staying abreast of regional chapter meetings, so that EdComm chairs can use this as an opportunity to raise and discuss educational issues

Chapter liaison assignments, in alphabetical order by chapter, are:

Karin Whalen graciously undertook the responsibility of promoting the chapter stipend program for the 2005 conference. We are grateful for her efforts, which included contact with chapter chairs (by e-mail and by post) beginning in late November, and continuing periodically until a February 15 response deadline. As a result, at the time of this report, only three chapters (Greater Philadelphia, New England, and Midstates) had not taken advantage of the stipend. We hope that a final contact by chapter liaisons highlighting the benefits of the program, as well as encouraging leaders who do not want to take advantage of the program themselves to appoint a stipend recipient, will illicit a positive response from the remaining chapters. This program is extremely beneficial, with several stipend recipients presenting what they learned as part of the fall meeting programming in regional chapters. The 2005 stipend recipients so far, and the workshops they will attend, include, in alphabetical order by chapter:

Jeanette Mills stepped down from the EdComm co-chairmanship at the Portland conference. We are extremely grateful to Jeanette for her years of excellent leadership and participation on the EdComm. In Portland, Betha Whitlow was appointed the new EdComm Co-chair, along with Maureen Burns, whose Co-chair appointment was extended. However, Betha is stepping down from the EdComm Co-chairmanship following the Miami conference, in order to focus on her new duties as VRA Vice President of Conference Programming. We are grateful to Betha for her year of energetic leadership and thrilled she is willing to remain a committee member. Maureen Burns, currently EdComm Co-chair, hopes to remain in her position for another year to allow for new leadership to be identified and to create the necessary continuity between chair terms. We are very fortunate and thankful for Maureen's willingness to continue in the Chair role for one more year, in addition to her time-consuming position as VRA Co-chair of the SEI.

Goals
Continue to discuss and implement the educational recommendations of the VRA membership from ongoing online surveying and from the VRA Strategic Plan.

Continue to solicit and discuss ideas for national VRA conference workshops based upon feedback from the membership on the EdComm's website. Prepare, facilitate, and sponsor 2006 workshop proposals for the VRA conference.

Continue to develop the role of the Chapter liaisons to improve communication with regional areas of VRA as well as develop and extend educational opportunities.

Further strengthen burgeoning ties with related organizations like MCN and SAA, by sponsoring workshops and encouraging joint programming at VRA conferences. Locate leaders within these organizations whose roles reflect those found on the EdComm and discuss how our programming might best highlight our respective strengths and serve the needs of our memberships. When possible, invite representatives from these related organizations to attend EdComm meetings at VRA conferences and try to connect, when possible, at their conferences. Consider ways the local VRA Chapters might collaborate with like-minded organizations and draw upon local talent for regional meetings.

Develop a distance learning survey and distribute it with the 2006 membership mailing and/or use existing communication channels such as the EdComm website and the VRA-L. Update and add resources to the EdComm website, including a list of distance and/or online MLS/MLIS programs in North America.

Renew existing members' commitment and recruit members for the EdComm as need be. Seek new leadership, ideally from the current membership, to take on the chairmanship in 2006.

Board Action Requested
Extend the appointment of Maureen Burns as sole EdComm Chair for one year.

Consider Betha for VRA Executive Board liaison to the EdComm for 2005-2006.

Continue the existing process for providing subsidized workshops to Regional Chapter leaders at the annual VRA conferences.

Consider the appropriateness of EdComm-level sponsorship of sessions and workshops at the conferences of affiliated organizations.

Budget Request
None at this time.

List of Members of Committee/Chapter/Task Force (cite names and note officers' titles only):

Margo Ballantyne, Liaison to the VRA Board
Maureen Burns, Co-chair and Liaison to the VRA/ARLIS Joint Task Force on Education
Marcia Focht
Carolyn Lucarelli
Madelyn Millen
Jeanette Mills, Co-chair and Liaison to the VRA/ARLIS Joint Task Force on Education
Joy Robinson
Jenni Rodda
Susan Sanders
Leah Theis
Karin Whalen
Betha Whitlow

Appendix A

VRA EDUCATION COMMITTEE
TIMETABLE & TASKS

JANUARY
Inform Chapter Chairs that their Workshop Requests have Been Received and Approved, Remind them to Register and Pay in Advance, Send Final List to VRA Treasurer for Reimbursement after Workshop Attendance

Co-Chairs Prepare Annual Report and Budget Request

Chapter Liaisons Check-In with Local Chairpersons about Education Matters

FEBRUARY
Reminder of Web Survey to VRA Membership

Start Considering the Workshop Needs of the VRA Membership and Look to Past Requests

Invite Representatives from Associated Professional Organizations to attend EdComm Meeting at the Conference

MARCH
Annual EdComm Meeting at VRA Conference

Update Committee Members on VRA and EdComm Web sites

Gather Information and Decide about Workshops to Sponsor at Next VRA Conference

APRIL
Chapter Liaisons Check-In with Local Chairpersons about Education Matters

MAY
Forward Ongoing Education Information from Various Listservs

Reminder of EdComm Web Survey to VRA Membership

JUNE
Co-Chairs Prepare Mid-Year Report

JULY
Chapter Liaisons Check-In with Local Chairpersons about Education Matters

AUGUST
Forward Education Information from Various Listservs

Reminder of EdComm Web Survey to VRA Membership

SEPTEMBER
Remind Local Chapter Chairs about Subsidized Workshops

OCTOBER
Chapter Liaisons Check-In with Local Chairpersons about Education Matters

NOVEMBER
Send Letter to Local Chapter Chairs about Subsidized Workshops with Notification Deadline

DECEMBER
Follow-Up with Local Chairs who have not Responded

Reminder of EdComm Web Survey to VRA Membership


Prepared by Maureen Burns,
Co-Chair, Education Committee
October 2, 2004

VRA Home | Education Committee Home | Education Feedback