Visual Resources Advisory Committee (VRAC) Meeting- Minutes
March 7, 1998- Philadelphia, PA.

The VRAC has been active for one year.  In 1997 it was ably chaired by
Trudy Jacoby with participation from other members Leigh Gates, Eileen Fry,
Maryly Snow, Linda McRae, Lynda White, Margaret Webster, Martha Mahard, and
Elisa Lansi.  Thanks were expressed to Trudy Jacoby for chairing the
Committee and to Margaret Webster for the special liaison roles she
undertook with the ARLIS Executive Board and the VRA and ARLIS conference
programmers.  Christine Bunting was introduced as the incoming VRAC Chair;
Marty Stein and Brenda MacEachern will be new members.  Members were
reminded that the mid year and annual VRAC reports are available on the
ARLIS Web site. The following topics were discussed by the Committee.

Conference sessions:
Although a lot of effort went into coordinating the programming of the
joint conferences this year there was concern expressed that the ARLIS
visual resources (vr) sessions could have been stronger.  Early
communication between the VRA and the VRD, and between the VRD and other
ARLIS divisions/groups to ensure vr session proposals are complementary,
rigorous, and relevant is essential.  A proposal to request that an
official  permanent VRAC liaison be appointed to  the ARLIS Conference
Committee was made.  Bunting will work with Executive Board representative
Webster to make this proposal.  VRAC must ensure that vr issues are being
addressed at ARLIS sessions, and that vr membership profile changes are
recognized. Conference proposals need to be more substantive and focus on
larger vr issues to attract attendance and keep the VRD vital. Members
noted that there is a very small overlap between VRA and ARLIS membership.
(Bunting will explore statistical membership reports from both groups and
will provide figures on the VRAC reflector and VRD list serv.)

Survey:
Margaret Webster reported on VRAC's undertaking the construction,
distribution and tabulation of a "visual resources professional status"
survey. The possibility of engaging in a survey jointly sponsored by ARLIS
and VRA has been broached. VRA Professional Status Committee Chair, John
Taormina is receptive to this proposal.  The VRA Board has committed $250
towards such an undertaking.  Bunting and Webster will draw up a proposal
for financial support from ARLIS.  In cooperation with VRA, the VRAC will
prepare a survey instrument for VRA and ARLIS Boards approval by the June
and August Board meetings. The VRAC discussed survey content and
distribution.  Some of the issues which might be covered in such a survey
include:  salary, qualifications, collection parameters and statistics,
changing role of the vr professional, opportunities for development and
continuing education, and relevance of training. A proposed release date of
October 1998 was suggested for distribution.  Paper and e-mail solicitation
was discussed. Ideally, the survey could be drawn upon for future
distribution and comparison/bench marking purposes.  Survey results could
be included in a variety of separate or joint publication ventures-- on
respective Web sites, or as part of the print publication "Professional
Guidelines for Visual Resources."  It was suggested that the survey could
result in a profile of the visual information professional in the year 2000
(which in itself could be a topic of a future VRD sponsored session.)

Conservation/preservation:
The VRAC discussed the need to have a new ARLIS- VR representative to the
ASTM, with a particular focus on label adhesive standards.  While the group
felt no pressing need to pursue the specific topic of adhesives (although
there may be interest in bar code label glue) there is an interest in
having general vr conservation  and preservation concerns addressed  at a
broader level and in a larger forum. Outgoing member Eileen Fry may look
into ARLIS' role in this area.

Arts of the United States slide set:
VRAC member Maryly Snow has been pursuing the status of the 4,000 slide set
"Arts of the United States." initiated originally in 1957 at the University
of Georgia in cooperation with the Carnegie Foundation, and later
distributed by the photographer Harold Sandak.  She has been in contact
with the set's current "owner" Simon & Schuster, without much success.
Several tactics to ensure the survival of the set and the availability of
both analog and digital rights, including donation to appropriate
institutions or cultural conservatories, or purchase by alternative
vendors,  were suggested.  Bunting will work with Snow in an additional
inquiry of Simon and Schuster, and/or in drafting a letter for endorsement
by CAA, ARLIS, and VRA. The  publisher must be persuaded of the importance
of making this cultural resource available (at reasonable cost.)

Strategic Plan:
Several items from the vr section of the Strategic Plan have been
accomplished.  Bunting requested that new Committee members review the plan
for guidance in upcoming VRAC projects.

Bunting will report on VRAC issues at the VRD business meeting (held later
in the Conference.) Webster confirmed that the VRAC reflector will remain
hosted by Cornell.

-- Minutes written and submitted by Christine Bunting, from notes provided
by Elisa Lansi and Lynda White.