Friday, March 10, 2006
9:00am - 10:30am

Seminar 6: Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't: The Changing Roles of the Visual Resources Curator

Visual resources professionals are caught in the middle of the technological transition from analog to digital image collections, which is also transforming traditional curatorial roles. Determining how much time to spend on slide collection management and how much to dedicate to digital assets is a delicate balancing act. As the patron base expands with digital, so do demands and expectations. Planning collection development and understanding the rules of the game are difficult when work is evolving and issues are emerging. Job boundaries are often amorphous, with shifting work models and new partners. How do we manage the stress of change, and still maintain high service standards? Are we getting the support we need from our institutions, and if not, what can we do? Are traditional collection management roles translating into the digital world or being re-engineered into new skill sets? What will we actually be doing in five years? How do we let go of old paradigms and make the most of future possibilities? The panelists, who come from visual resources collections, archives, libraries, museums, instructional technology, and the commercial arena will explore the way our work is changing and offer some ideas for adjusting professional roles as we continue our transition to a digital world.

Moderator: Jackie Spafford, University of California, Santa Barbara

Presenters:
Pep Arimany, University of Miami
Sherman Clarke, New York University
Rebecca Moss, University of Minnesota
Susan Jane Williams, Scholars Resource
Vickie O'Riordan, University of California, San Diego

Respondent: Maureen Burns, University of California, Irvine