October 2009 vol.6, no.5
Home for Images, The newsletter of the VRA
Notes from the President
Allan T. Kohl (Minneapolis College of Art & Design)
President, Visual Resources Association
In my message to the membership a year ago this October, I outlined the Association’s budget projections and constraints, noting the many ways in which these reflect the state of the larger economy. Those of us who serve on your Executive Board are all too aware of how our membership and conference attendance numbers are affected by the fiscal stability of our employers, and by our own disposable income. Of the seven current Board members, one has suffered job loss this year, while another narrowly avoided the fall of the budget-cutting axe by agreeing to assume the responsibilities of another staff member who was let go. So in our annual and mid-year meetings, we’ve been keenly sensitive to the stresses so many of you are feeling, and have worked to position the Association to provide each of you with the ongoing support you need today more than ever, while also trying to be prudent stewards of the resources you have entrusted to us.
Two major forward-looking projects are now in their final stages of preparation. The Strategic Planning Task Force, ably led by Macie Hall and Betha Whitlow, is putting the final touches on the VRA Strategic Plan, an outline for positive change over the next five years. A final draft of the Plan will be posted on the VRA web site early in the coming year, with an official roll-out session scheduled for our 28th annual conference this coming March in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, President-Elect Maureen Burns and the White Paper Task Force are projecting the publication of their document during the fall semester. While the Strategic Plan focuses on our organization, the forthcoming White Paper addresses the state of the entire visual resources profession in a time of rapid transformation. The participants in these two major projects have devoted their careful deliberation, positive energy, and literally hundreds of hours of their valuable time to these projects because they believe in the continued relevance of the VRA and our tradition of voluntary service to our colleagues.
Every so often, I take a moment to re-read the candidate statement I wrote for the 2006 election; I did so again recently after reviewing on the VRA web site the statements by the candidates for this fall’s election. In my statement, I said that I valued inclusiveness and transparency in decision-making. So you’re all entitled to an honest appraisal of the Association’s financial health. As I said at this time last year, our revenue (primarily from membership dues and conference income) has not kept pace with the actual per capita costs of our doing business. Accordingly, I sought and received the Board’s approval this year for a general increase in VRA membership dues and conference registration fees. But at the same time, we were all aware how this burden could fall on our individual members, who have very different access to personal and institutional resources. So we also took a number of steps to mitigate the negative impact of these increases.
For the 2010 membership year, we will be retaining the multi-tiered dues schedule based on income, with an urgent request that each member select the level that honestly reflects your actual salary. We have clarified requirements for Student membership to ensure that this heavily subsidized category is reserved for the full-time degree program individuals who truly need it. All too aware of the number of our colleagues who have lost their jobs in the past year, and wanting to keep these individuals among our ranks while they network and seek new employment, we added a new Unemployed dues category at a reduced rate comparable to those available to Student and Retired members.
When the preliminary schedule for the Atlanta conference is announced later this month, you will note that “Early Bird” on-line registration fees are only slightly higher than those of the previous year; larger increases will fall upon late, on-site, and non-member registrants.
(In other words, to save money, remember to register online by the February deadline – watch for more specific information in the near future). Our ability to control expenses and realize net income from our conferences is increasingly tied to our being able to provide our host hotel with firm numbers in advance of each event. Because so many of our members face cutbacks in travel and professional development support from their institutions, we have adopted for Atlanta a streamlined conference schedule of 72-hours over four calendar days, but requiring only three nights hotel stay. We were able to negotiate both a smaller conference room block obligation to the hotel and a substantial reduction in the room rate for attendees. Once again, that’s fewer nights, at a much lower rate per night!
This fall we are implementing the Bundled Chapter Membership program along with your Association membership renewal process. With a single transaction, you can pay your VRA and regional Chapter dues (and, even for those who must separate these transactions, you may still use your MemberClicks account). Our hope is that Bundled Membership will ease burdens on Chapter officers by reducing the present volume of paper-based transactions, allowing them greater opportunity to concentrate on program development and enhancement of educational opportunities at the local level.
The MemberClicks renewal form that every one of us will fill out in the coming weeks also offers opportunities for each member to make an additional donation to the Association. This past year, less than 1% of our individual members chose to do so. If your personal financial situation would allow you to make an additional gift to your Association, know that your generosity will be appreciated by your fellow members, and that the Executive Board will make sure that your donation is used wisely and well. For the 2010 fiscal year, with our projected operating expenses once again exceeding our anticipated revenues, we face the unfortunate prospect of a second consecutive deficit budget. This situation is not necessarily cause for alarm: our accumulated assets are sufficient to allow us to ride out the current recession as long as it is not too protracted.
Change is a daunting prospect in the best of times. And it’s all the harder to face when we’re worried about our budgets, our staffs, the security of our own positions, and sometimes even the continued viability of the institutions to which we have devoted our professional lives. Sometimes the sense of anxiety, exhaustion, or frustration floats near the surface in our comments and exchanges on the VRA_L. Let’s all resolve to do our best to help each other make it through these trying times with civility and compassion. Thanks to you all for your continued dedication to the VRA.
The Transitions
By Maureen Burns, Leigh Gates, and Margaret Webster
Motivated by the unfortunately-growing number of VRA and ARLIS members who recently have been either laid off or forced into retirement because of our current harsh economic times, Maureen Burns, Leigh Gates and Margaret Webster have established both a Google Group and a related LinkedIn Group named “The Transitions” to provide a forum for visual resource or art library professionals who, for whatever reason, are in transition in their careers. The hope is that these sites will be used to discuss issues of concern, share experiences, post documents of interest, keep in touch with professional colleagues, and to gain access to relevant resources. Initially posted on the Google Group site is an Online Resources page where some useful links are listed for job searching, volunteer opportunities and networking. Also posted are some professional opportunities which had not appeared on VRA_L or ARLIS_L and an ongoing discussion of what make an effective CV or resume. The Google Group will provide a private environment while the contents of the LinkedIn Group will be publicly visible to anyone who wishes to access it. It is anticipated that these groups will develop organically and take shape in ways which will provide practical career management information and emotional support to those who choose to join.
Both the VRA and the ARLIS/NA Executive Boards have agreed to support these efforts, and a web presence and an open invitation to join should appear soon on their respective web sites. After an invitation to members of both organizations was made in early August, over 20 people had already joined The Transitions. These members included those who have retired, been laid off, or are actively searching for professional or volunteer positions. It is hoped that participation in these groups will encourage those who, for whatever reason, are going through a career transition to remain active and vital within their profession. As a group member one will be able to engage in discussions, add and edit documents, invite new members, and connect with colleagues.
In order to preserve membership privacy, it is asked that anyone interested in joining the Google Group inquire directly to the members listed below. It is hoped that VRA and ARLIS members will spread the word to both former and current colleagues who might benefit from participation.
Maureen Burns ( moaburns@gmail.com)
Leigh Gates ( lgates59@rcn.com)
Margaret Webster ( mnw3@cornell.edu)
Intellectual Property Rights News
Complied by Jen Green (Plymouth State University)
In Piracy Case, China Fights Hero
by Loretta Chao, The Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125174411034873381.html
"Hong Lei and his partners were among the biggest pirates of Microsoft Corp. software in China, but since his arrest last year, the 30-year-old creator of a popular Chinese clone of Windows called Tomato Garden Windows XP has become something of an Internet hero."
Amazon Opposes Google's Plan for World's Biggest Online Library
by Bobbie Johnson, The Guardian, September 3, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/l7t27p
"The movement opposing Google's $125m deal for the rights to digitise millions of books has gained even more momentum, after Amazon called the agreement "dangerous."
Britain: YouTube and PRS make Peace as Musicians Protest about Plans to Punish File Sharers
by Alexandra Topping, The Guardian, September 3, 2009.
http://tinyurl.com/n7tjb2
"Thousands of music videos pulled from YouTube in a royalties dispute will go back online after peace broke out today between the website and the music industry."
Google Makes Concessions to European Publishers
by Leslie Katz, CNET News, Sept. 7, 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10346253-93.html
"In a move to assuage European publishers' concerns over book digitization, Google on Monday said European books still listed as commercially available will not be included in its online registry of orphaned and out-of-print works--unless rights holders give their express authorization."
11th-Hour Filings Oppose Google's Book Settlement
by Miguel Helft, The New York Times, September 8, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/kpxgm4
"After a flurry of last-minute filings on Tuesday, a federal judge must now begin untangling the mountain of competing claims about how a legal settlement granting Google the right to create the world's largest
digital library and bookstore would affect competition, authors' rights and readers' privacy."
'Don't Copy That Floppy' Dusts Itself Off for the '00s
by Andrew LaVallee, The Wall Street Journal, September 8, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/mz8fgo
"Remember "Don't Copy That Floppy," the anti-software-piracy video that warned '90s-era kids away from copyright infringement? The nearly 10-minute clip features two classroom gamers who flirt with making a
duplicate disk so they can continue playing after school. A rapper appears onscreen and tells them the error of their ways."
U.S. Register of Copyrights Slams Google Book Search Settlement
by Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly, September 10, 2009
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6695829.html
"In testimony before the House Judiciary subcommittee this morning, Marybeth Peters, U.S. Register of Copyrights, in her first detailed comments on the subject, blasted the Google Book Search Settlement as "fundamentally at odds with the law."
Choosing Up Sides to Hate or Love the Google Books Deals
by Jennifer Howard, Chronicle of Higher Education: Wired Campus, September 10, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/ydocdlc
"As the early-September deadline neared to file comments about the proposed Google Books settlement, I watched the headlines roll out like an executioner's drumbeat for the deal Google has struck with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers over its book-digitization project: "Google Books Opposition Pours In at Deadline" (CNET, September 8). "11th-Hour Filings Oppose Google's Book Settlement" (The New York Times, September 8)."
Google to Share Scanned Books with Rivals
by Diane Bartz, Reuters, September 10, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/rdgq32
"Google Inc, criticized for scanning books without copyright permission, has said it would open its digital library to rivals and bookstores, the search engine giant said on Thursday."
Canada: Copyright Consultations Wrap Up Sunday
by Tiffany Crawford, Canada.com, September 11, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/nfokpc
"Canadians who want to weigh in on Canada's copyright laws - on topics ranging from file-sharing to using published work on the Internet - have until Sunday to submit their ideas, as the federal government is set this fall to re-introduce amendments to the Copyright Act."
Record Labels Sue over Use of Songs on Ellen Show
by Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters, September 11, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/pjfjsd
"Four of the world's biggest recording companies have sued the producers of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," accusing them of using songs without permission."
Dirt Cheap: Techdirt Bets on Free Business Models
by Greg Sandoval, CNET News, Septmeber 13, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/r7oehu
"Over the past couple of years, the free model has drawn a lot of attention. For instance, Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails stirred a lot of fanfare with their attempts at music giveaways. In an interview with CNET News, Masnick spoke about his tests at finding a new publishing paradigm, copyright fights, and rage."
5 Major Research Universities Endorse Open-Access Journals
by Ben Terris, Chronicle of Higher Educaiton: Wired Campus, September 14, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/ldbsug
In an effort to support alternatives to traditional scholarly publishing, five major research universities announced their joint commitment to open-access journals on Monday. The institutions—Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California at Berkeley—signed a compact agreeing to the “timely establishment” of mechanisms for providing financial support for free open-access journals.
Veoh Wins Copyright Case; YouTube Wins, Too?
by Greg Sandoval, CNET News, September 14, 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10352183-93.html
"A federal district court says Veoh, a Web video site that has come under legal fire from entertainment companies the past several years, is not liable for the copyright violations committed by its users, a decision that could help YouTube defend itself against Viacom's $1 billion copyright suit."
Regulators Raise Concerns on Google Book Deal
by John Letzing, Market Watch, September 17, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/lbqowd
"Five states file briefs objecting to settlement; antitrust opinions loom. Attorneys general from Missouri, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Washington have filed comments opposing the proposed
settlement, arguing that its use of payments intended for copyright holders that can't be located is potentially unlawful."
Music Publishers: iTunes not Paying Fair Share
by Greg Sandoval, CNET News, September 17, 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10355448-93.html
"Songwriters, composers, and music publishers are making preparations to one day collect performance fees from Apple and other e-tailers for not just traditional music downloads but for downloads of films and TV shows
as well. Those downloads contain music after all. These groups even want compensation for iTunes' 30-second song samples."
Free Electronic Textbooks Do Not Hurt Print Sales, Report Says
by Simmi Aujla, Chronicle of Higher Education: Wired Campus, September 18, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/y8c7onl
Making free e-textbooks available to students does not affect sales of the print books, a new report from a publicly funded group in Britain suggests. But the managing director of a major publishing company is challenging those findings, saying sales of print materials were not as high as expected during the period when e-books were available for free.
Government Urges Changes to Google Books Deal
by Miguel Helft, The New York Times, September 18, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/nr8zt6
"In the latest challenge to Google's plan to establish the world's largest digital library and bookstore, the Justice Department said late Friday that a proposed legal settlement between Google and book authors
and publishers should not be approved by the court without modifications."
YouTube, Warner Music Feud Nearing an End
by Greg Sandoval, CNET News, September 18, 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10356764-93.html?tag=mncol
"The disagreement between Warner Music Group and YouTube over music licensing appears to be coming to an end."
U.S. Regulator to Unveil Open Internet Plan
by John Poirier, Reuters, September 18, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/nkgwd7
"The top U.S. communications regulator plans to unveil proposals Monday for ensuring Web traffic is not slowed or blocked based on its content, sources familiar with the contents of the speech said on Friday."
Jammie Thomas Lawyers File Suit against Scribd
by Greg Sandoval, CNET News, September 19, 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10357108-93.html
"A legal complaint seeking class action status filed in Houston on Friday accuses social-publishing site Scribd of egregious copyright infringement."
Scribd Fires Back, Denies Violating Copyright
by Greg Sandoval, CNET News, September 20, 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10357273-93.html?tag=mncol
"Scribd, an online publishing tool where users share their manuscripts and essays, while others post pirated copies of books, denied that the company encourages copyright infringement."
In Wake of Disney-Marvel Deal, Cartoonist's Heirs Seek to Reclaim Rights
by Michael Cieply and Brooks Barnes, The New York Times, September 20, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/lgehrx
"The Walt Disney Company's proposed $4 billion acquisition of Marvel Entertainment may come with a headache: a brand-new superhero copyright dispute."
Book Review: Bill Patry's Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars
by Fred von Lohmann, Electronic Frontier Foundation, September 22nd, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/ybzl7br
"Bill Patry is widely regarded as one of the leading copyright law experts in the United States. For the past several years, moreover, he's been Senior Copyright Counsel at Google. Yet somehow he's found the time to write a book, too, Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars, which was published earlier this month."
Obama Finally Appoints IP Czar... Puts It In The Wrong Department
by Michael Masnik, Techdirt, September 25th, 2009
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090925/1549476326.shtml
"In a move that surprises no one, the Obama administration finally got around to officially nominating Victoria Espinel to be the IP Czar, a position that was created out of thin air a year ago in the ProIP Act, though the position went entirely unfilled until now. Hollywood lobbyists have been pushing the administration to appoint someone ever since the spring, and VP Joe Biden had to come out and calm Hollywood execs and lawyers by promising them the "right person" would be appointed (meaning: not someone who is interested in copyright reform)."
Stock Photo Site Owner Claims Infringement Costs the Industry 5X The Entire Industry's Size
by Mike Masnick, Techdirt, September 24, 2009
http://techdirt.com/articles/20090921/0328456266.shtml
"We've seen all sorts of ridiculous claims about the supposed "costs" of copyright infringement. In almost every case, these claims break down under even the slightest scrutiny. Yet, throwing around big numbers
tends to get press coverage, and apparently the photography industry has finally jumped onto the trend."
Clicking "Refresh": A New Look at Fair Use in the Digital Age
by Jane Park, Creative Commons, September 24, 2009
http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/17929
"For those of you in the NY area in October, the New York City Bar has a thought provoking panel discussion coming up on fair use in the era of blogging, Twitter, and Facebook."
Google Books Hearing Officially Delayed
by Tom Krazit, CNET News, September 24, 2009
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10361232-265.html
"The judge overseeing Google Books settlement has agreed to the plaintiffs' request for a delay of the final hearing scheduled to approve the controversial settlement, which is being reworked by the parties."'
Fall TV Piracy Trends Don't Support CBS's Anti-Hulu Stance
by Janiko Roeteggers, The New York Times, September 26, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/y8o6ufc
Scholar Wins 'Breakthrough' Settlement From Joyce Estate
The Chronicle of Higher Education: The Ticker, September 30th, 2009
Carol Shloss, a consulting professor of English at Stanford University, has won $240,000 from the estate of James Joyce to cover legal costs incurred in her attempts to get permission to use the writer's material in her work. The estate had threatened to sue if she quoted from Joyce's notebooks in Lucia Joyce: To Dance in the Wake, her 2003 biography of the writer's daughter. Ms. Shloss went to court herself and won the right to quote Joyce documents, which the estate has been notoriously unwilling to allow scholars to do. The outcome is "a breakthrough," Ms. Shloss said, "not just for me but for everybody who has to deal with a literary estate."
Lewis & Clark College
Stephanie Beene is the new Visual Resources Curator. She comes to Lewis & Clark from the University of Texas at Austin, where she just recently completed her M.S. in Information Studies. Stephanie also has an M.A. in Art History from the University of California-Riverside. Her last position was that of Database Development Assistant at the University of Texas at Austin Architecture School where she worked with Elizabeth Schaub, Director of the Visual Resources Collection.
VRA-TX/Southwest Chapter
Katherine Moloney (Amon Carter Museum)
On October 24th the VRA-TX/Southwest Chapter will meet at Texas State University, hosted by Julia Deal, Visual Resources Coordinator at the Art & Design department. After the morning business meeting we will visit the Wittliff Collection http://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu for a presentation by archivist Joel Minor.
The Ashes of Waco Digital Collection: Providing Online Access to a Tragedy In 1995, Texan investigative reporter Dick J. Reavis published The Ashes of Waco, which remains in print to this day and continues to be one of the most comprehensive books on the subject of the 1993 Branch Davidian/federal government standoff near Waco, Texas. After Mr. Reavis donated his personal papers to the Southwestern Writers Collection (SWWC), which included 66 boxes of government documents, correspondence, audio and video tapes, religious publications and other research materials related to the incident, the SWWC has received a steady stream of researchers wishing to access these items, many of which are unavailable elsewhere.
In 2008, in an effort to provide better access to the materials, the SWWC applied for and was awarded a TexTreasures grant to create a website and a digital collection out of the Waco materials. Archivist Joel Minor, who processed Mr. Reavis’ papers and provides reference services to them, managed the project during the grant period, from September 2008 to August 2009. Joel will give an overview of the project and a behind-the-scenes tour of the website and the CONTENTdm digital collection, leaving plenty of time for discussion with the group. We will also receive an introduction to the collection and special art exhibition from Carla Ellard, Assistant Curator, Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection.
Northern California
Karen Kessel (Sonoma State University)
Heather Cummins (Academy of Art University) and Karen are new co-Chairs, Jason Miller (University of California, Berkeley) is Secretary/Treasurer. Heather is updating our web presence and we are planning a late fall meeting after a long hiatus of the chapter.
The Greater New York Chapter
Sarah Goldstein (Vassar College)
"The Greater New York Chapter is pleased that some of its members will be attending the National VRA conference in Atlanta to participate in a session called "After the Transition: Planning for Collections Storage and Workspace Changes in the Digital Environment." The session was proposed after a panel discussion on the same topic was held at our spring meeting this past May. Clare Dienes, Sarah Goldstein, Steven Kowalik, and Jenni Rodda will be presenting and Billy Kwan is our moderator.
We are currently planning our fall meeting which will be held sometime in early November."
