August 1, 2005, vol. 2, no. 4
Image Stuff
Home
Editors: Marlene Gordon (University of Michigan-Dearborn) & Corey Schultz (Stanford University)
Table
of Contents
Changes to Image Stuff
Just in on the Professional Development Front - SEI
Update
Orphan Works Roundables Held
2005-2006 Membership Services Coordination
Upcoming Conferences
Positions Filled
Chapter News
Changes to Image Stuff
Corey Schultz has retired as Image Stuff Co-editor. Corey,
VR Manager at Stanford University, co-founded Image Stuff with Kristin Solias
at UMASS Boston. He will be moving back to Canada to take care of his
father and settle his estate, but will hopefully be back in the VR-world
in the future!
Just
in on the Professional Development Front - SEI Update
By Maureen Burns (UC Irvine) and Trudy Jacoby (Princeton
University), SEI Co-Chairs
The second annual Summer Educational Institute for Visual
Resources and Image Management (SEI), co-sponsored by ARLIS/NA
and VRA, took place at Duke University from July 5th to 9th. The goals of
SEI were to provide information professionals with a substantive educational
and professional development opportunity focused on digital images, the information
and experience needed to stay current in a rapidly changing field, and the
opportunity to create a network of supportive colleagues.
Participants came from the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands. The
majority of attendees were from library and visual resources organizations,
while archives and museums from the non-academic world were also represented.
Students received written supplementary material, which included: a notebook
with extensive information on each module, flyers from a number of vendors
and professional organizations, the ARLIS/NA-VRA Guidelines to the Visual
Resources Profession, and publications generously donated by the Getty Research
Institute.
A number of skilled, experienced, and enthusiastic instructors developed
and presented the curriculum modules, demonstrated software, and participated
in spirited discussions. The instructors included: Howard Brainen, Maureen
Burns, Sarah Cheverton, Sherman Clarke, Trudy Jacoby, Trudy Levy, Lee Sorensen,
Tina Updike, Mary Wasserman, Margaret Webster, Madelyn Wessel, Karin Whalen,
and Ann Whiteside. There was also an energetic Implementation Team that worked
all year long to bring the SEI to fruition. Members included (with primary
roles): Maureen Burns and Trudy Jacoby (Co-Chairs), Eileen Fry (Development),
Mark Pompelia (Web Page), Corey Schultz (Curriculum), John Taormina (Local
Planning), Karin Whalen (Future Planning), and Ann Whiteside (Instructor
Liaison).
A number of sponsors provided valuable support for SEI 2005. Donors included:
Duke University, the Art Institute of Chicago, Two Cat Digital, the Getty
Foundation (CCO curriculum and training), the Getty Research Institute, Eileen
Fry and B.J. Irvine, Cathie Lemon, Maureen Burns and Trudy Jacoby and, of
course, the two sponsoring organizations, ARLIS/NA and VRA. The funds supported
facilities, equipment, instructional materials, training, and refreshments.
We are most appreciative of such support - thank you for your generosity.
SEI was not all work and no play. John Taormina served as the local arrangements
planner and all of the Duke staff provided a warm welcome and terrific support
throughout the week. The first evening's reception was held in the
"Pink Room," an elegant Rococo facility on
Duke's East campus. Attendees organized, carpooled, and all went out
on their own for Carolina BBQ.
The following comments were received:
- "A wonderful experience! The camaraderie and generosity of all involved was energizing and very encouraging to both the beginning VR professional and to those of us who have been in the business for a long time."
- "Thank you all for your commitment to providing this much-needed program. It's great learning from those in the thick of things and on the cutting edge."
- "The SEI planners and presenters did a great job in anticipating and preparing the most timely topics of interest (not an easy job in a fast changing profession!)."
For more information on the 2005 SEI, see http://www.vraweb.org/2005sei/index.html
SEI 2006 will take place at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, hosted by Karin
Whalen. More information will be posted on the SEI website as it becomes
available.
SEI Faculty, 2005.
From left to right: Mary
Wasserman (Philadelphia Museum of Art), Maureen Burns (UC Irvine), Trudy
Jacoby (Princeton University), John Taormina (Duke University), Margaret
N. Webster (Cornell University), Howard Brainen (Two Cat Digital) &
Lee Sorensen (Duke University). Not pictured: Sarah Cheverton (James Madison
University), Sherman Clarke (New York University), Trudy Levy (Image Integration),
Christina B. Updike (James Madison University), Madelyn Wessel (University
of Virginia), Karin Whalen (Reed College), & Ann Baird Whiteside (University
of Virginia).
Orphan Works Roundtables Held
By Jane Darcovich (University of Illinois
at Chicago) - VRA Intellectual Property Rights Committee
Continuing
its study launched in January of this year into the issues and concerns raised
by orphan works, the U.S. Copyright Office recently held public roundtable
discussions to gather further information on several issues raised, and to
address "whether there are compelling concerns that merit a legislative,
regulatory or other solution, and what type of solution could effectively
address these concerns without conflicting with the legitimate interests
of authors and right holders." [1]
Initial comments on the orphan works issue (that is, copyrighted
works whose owners are difficult or even impossible to identify or locate)
were due in late March, followed by a call for reply comments, due May 9th.
The Copyright Office received approximately 850 unique comments during these
periods, all of which have been posted on their website (http://www.copyright.gov/orphan/).
The first two roundtable sessions were held in Washington
D.C. on July 26th and 27th. A third session was held August 2nd at
the Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley. Four
key topics were identified for discussion at both the Washington D. C. and
Berkeley roundtables:
Topic 1: Identification of Orphan Works
Within this specific area of concern, the Copyright Office sought further
discussion about the "due diligence/reasonable efforts" search approach and
standard, as well as the role of registries of copyright ownership information.
Topic 2: Consequences of an "Orphan Works" Designation
Further information was sought to illuminate the issue of the nature and
degree of consequences, including the "limitations on remedies" approach,
exemption and public domain approaches, and payment of fees by the user.
Topic 3: Reclaiming Orphan Works
Further exploration of the consequences of owner reappearance was sought,
including the burden of proof in litigation, on issues such as the reasonableness
of a user's search.
Topic 4: International Issues
Additional information about experiences in other countries with orphan works
issues was sought. Again, though addressed in the original and reply
comments, further information concerning compliance of the various proposed
solutions with the Berne Convention prohibition against formalities, as well
as compliance of these alternatives with the TRIPS/Berne "three-step" test
for limitations or exceptions was sought.
The roundtable discussions will be transcribed, and made available on the
Copyright Office website.
1. Notice filed by Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights.
Published in the Federal Register Notices, Vol. 70, No. 129, July 7, 2005.
Available online at: http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2005/70fr39341.pdf
2005-2006 Membership Services Coordination
The Executive Board would like to announce VRA's new
Membership Services Coordinator (MSC) for 2005-2006, VRA member Liz Edgar
Hernandez (The Teaching Company). Liz is an active member of the Association
and has served as co-chair of the Development Committee for several years.
Over the next several months, we will be introducing several exciting new
online features for our membership and one of Liz's first tasks will be to
set up the new online membership renewal process through MemberClicks.
Once this renewal process is completed in the fall, the 2006 Sourcebook will
be available to "members-only" online. The Sourcebook will be an up-to-the-minute
directory of current members and their contact information. Other MemberClicks
features will be explored during the next year in an effort to enhance VRA
membership services. VRA membership contact email and address
will remain the same, but the phone number will change to 202-422-4876 (for
more information, check http://www.vraweb.org/membership.html).
Although we are sorry to see Jenni Rodda step down from the MSC position,
she is passing the MSC baton to another very capable VRA member interested
in assisting the Association in the area of membership services. The
Executive Board would like to thank Jenni for serving for two years as VRA's
first MSC. During that time, Jenni helped the Executive Board establish
many of the protocols now in place for membership services. Jenni is currently
involved in other important VRA projects such as the North American Lantern
Slide Survey (NALSS), is serving as VRD moderator for ARLIS/NA this year
and is currently building a 40,000-record image database at IFA between now
and September 1st!
Join us in welcoming Liz Edgar Hernandez to the Membership Services Coordinator
position. And many thanks to Jenni for her service as VRA's first MSC!
MCN: Digits Fugit! Preserving Knowledge into the Future, 33rd
Annual Conference, Boston, MA, November 2-5, 2005.
http://www.mcn.edu/Mcn2005/index.htm
CHArt: Theory and Practice, 21st Annual Conference, London, England, November
10-11, 2005.
http://www.chart.ac.uk/
CAA: Boston, MA, February 22-25, 2006.
http://www.collegeart.org/conference/
VRA: Image is Everything, 24th Annual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, March
6-11, 2006.
http://www.vraweb.org/2006VRAAnnualCall.html
ARLIS/NA: Transcontinental Perspectives: ARLIS/NA in the Canadian Rockies,
34th Annual Conference, Banff, Alberta, Canada, May 5-9, 2006.
http://www.arliscanada.ca/banff2006/
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Image Stuff congratulates Gretchen Tuchel, new Director of
Visual Resources at the University of Chicago. In 2001, Gretchen began
her MLIS at Dominican University with the intention of becoming a corporate
librarian. After managing two Mellon-funded projects at the Center
for Research Libraries in Chicago, she became interested in the sustainable
preservation of web-based political communications, metadata, XML schemes,
and web crawling. In the fall of 2003, she made the jump into visual
resources and worked as the curator at both the College of St. Catherine
(CSC) and the University of St. Thomas (UST). She implemented Luna
Insight at UST, and MDID at CSC. In her new position, she looks forward
to developing a digital collection that will serve the academic community,
and thanks her VRA connections for serving as her "lifeline for everything
from database construction to solving a mystery slide" and providing "a priceless
network of support".
If you have accepted a new position
or know of someone who has, please contact Marlene (mgordon@umich.edu). Please include contact information
and a brief biographic statement on the individual.
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The Pacific Rim Chapter's annual meeting will take place
on Saturday, August 27th at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR.
Margo Ballantyne, VR curator at Lewis and Clark, and Karin Whalen, VR librarian
at Reed College in Portland, will co-host the meeting. The meeting
agenda includes presentations on CCO (Cataloging Cultural Objects) and Digital
Asset Management systems, tours of Lewis and Clark's VR facility and new
"green" building, Howard Hall, with its state-of-the-art classroom technology,
and the Chapter's annual business meeting.
VRA members in the Pacific Rim area should have received an invitation and
registration form in the mail (if you did not, please contact the Chapter
Secretary, Jennifer Rowan, of the University of Oregon's Architecture and
Allied Arts Library's Visual Resources Collection at jrowan@darkwing.uoregon.edu).
The exciting program for the meeting will make it hard, we hope, for our
local colleagues to resist this opportunity to get together and talk image
stuff!
The Pacific Rim Chapter also congratulates Chapter members Karin Whalen,
of Reed College in Portland, and Chris Sundt, of the University of Oregon
in Eugene. Karin will host the 2006 SEI (Summer Education Institute),
a joint program of VRA and ARLIS/NA, and Chris was recently elected to the
Executive Committee of CAA (College Art Association)!
If you would like
more information on any of the other regional chapters, please contact the
appropriate chapter chairperson. A list of the chapters and contact
information is posted on the VRA website (www.vraweb.org/organization/chapters.html.