VRA 2021 virtualChicago

Archives are abundant sources for image content, with many of those digital objects being unique to their holding institution.  The current environment has archivists serving a burgeoning demand throughout society. Users’ increased requests have archivists honing their metadata skills to provide better access to individual archival items in digital formats. This increased need for access to images in cultural heritage collections creates challenges for archivists to not only provide reference access but also to maintain the integrity and security of their collections.

This facilitated discussion spotlights the ways that visual resources are collected and used in archives.  Speakers/discussion leaders work in a variety of archives (photography, university, library, and government). Together we will lead a conversation with our attendees about our collective challenges and successes in working with digital images, dialoguing about the areas where visual resources disciplines intersect. 
Our questions and topics include: 

• How might one’s educational background turn out to provide methodological training, useful field experience, and a deeper understanding of archival materials and ways to contextualize them for users?
• What are the different approaches to metadata in archives and in visual resources libraries?
• What impacts is the COVID-19 pandemic having on archival collections and projects, specifically access and use?

We also invite you to bring your own questions about the interconnections of archives and visual resources.

Materials-based collections represent a challenging new mode of information management in terms of subject specialization, physical description and accommodation, and institutional mission.  Building upon the successful introductory meeting of this Group in Los Angeles at the 2019 Conference, the goal of this SIG is to provide a forum for open discussion of Material and Object Collections and their relationship to various library/visual resources tasks.  The Material and Object Collections SIG provides an opportunity for individuals working with a variety of materials and objects collections – including those that support art and art history courses, those that support architecture and design courses, and those in cultural heritage organizations – to share ideas, issues, and potential solutions in regard to tasks similar to common library/visual resources activities (including cataloging, documentation, staffing, outreach), as well as more specialized concerns relating to the management of physical objects (security, storage and retrieval, the design of user spaces, etc.).      By continuing to offer an opportunity for participants to share brief introductions and profiles of their collections, we hope to encourage networking and exchange information about sources for specialized items; to display sample items and share surplus samples with other collections; and to provide examples of successful solutions to typical problems.  Our long-range goal is to maintain an ongoing support group that can be of particular benefit to those professionals who are in the beginning stages of building or organizing physical collections.