My apologies--the computer at NYU choked on my last message, cutting me off and sending out an incomplete message. I think this is where I left off: PRELIMINARY PROGRAM SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1995 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Conference registration continues. 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. SESSION I: Our Workplace: Our Health and Safety. Moderator: Pam Krupanski, Tufts University. Speakers: Jeanne M. Keefe, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, "Health Hazard in the Workplace and Sick Building Syndrome;" Rachel Dvoretzsky, Rice University, "Awareness and Wellness in the VR Collection: Proactive Responses to Environmental Problems." Other speakers to be announced. 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Rooms at the Menger will be provided for Standing Committee meetings. Committee chairs may also plan meetings for other times. The CIHA Liaison Committee will meet from 11:00 a.m. to noon; the VRA Bulletin Editorial Staff will meet from noon to 1:00 p.m.; the VRMS Users Groups will meet from noon to 1:00 p.m., in rooms to be announced. 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. SESSION II: Management of Images in Non-art Collections. Moderator: Nancy Schuller, University of Texas/Austin. Speakers: Stella de Sa Rego, Center for Southwest Research, "Riding Herd on the Wide-Open Spaces: Managing a Western Regional History Photograph Collection;" Dennis Moser, Hentry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, "Virtual Art from Non-Art Images: Real Life Development and Implementation of Hypermedia Delivery Projects in Non-Traditional Repositories;" Donna J. Coates, The Center for American History, University of Texas/Austin, "Photograph Collections at The University of Texas at Austin's Center of American History;" Tim Hawkins, Playboy Enterprises, "A View from the Private Sector: Managing the Playboy Photo Collection;" Gary Alan Seloff, RMS Photographic Services, Johnson Space Center, "Downsizing: Diet and Exercise for a Leaner, Meaner Image Collection." 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. ROUND TABLE I: For New Curators: The Importance of Statistics in Visual Resources Collections. Discussion leader: Sherrie Rook, George Mason University. **Participation limited to 35. Pre-registration required. ROUND TABLE II: Cataloguing for Unusual or Satellite Slide Collections. Discussion leader: Margo Ballantyne, Lewis and Clark College. **Partifcipation limited to 35. Pre-registration required. WORKSHOP I: Writing Effective Job Descriptions. Leaders: Margaret Webster, Cornell University; Christina Updike, James Madison University; D. Jo Schaffer, State University of New York/Cortland; Kim Kopatz, University of Roche ster. **Participation limited to 20. Pre-registration required. This is a sequel to the program held at the 1994 annual meeting. Sponsored by the ARLIS/NA and VRA Joint Taskforce on Visual Resources Professional Issues, this session will focus on the writing of effective and accurate job descriptions for visual resources professionals. Among the topic s which will be considered are the elements of a job description, the evaluation and organization of responsibilities, and the usage of appropriate terminology. This session will benefit those who are considering a position review, establishing a new position within their visual resources unit, or realigning their unit itself within the institution. Materials, including sample job descriptions, pertinent articles on writing job descriptions, and a worksheet, will be distributed to the participants before the annual meeting. Each participant will be expected to complete and return the work- sheet before the meeting. During the workshop a general introduction of writing job descriptions will be presented followed by a critique and discussion of issues raised by the returned work sheets. At the end of the session a generic job description will have been created. This document should provide a framework for visual resources professionals to define their responsibilities, to convey them effectively withint their institutions, and to provide a basis for comparison with related professionals such as librarians, archivists, and curators. 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING I: Executive Committee members, standing committee chairs, editors, task force chairs, and invited guests. 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Annual Members' Reception, sponsored in part through the generosity of Sandak, Inc. Cash bar; appetizers will be served. The 1995 VRA Distinguished Service Award will be presented during the reception. THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 1995 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Conference registration continues. 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Annual business meeting and breakfast. 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. SESSION III: Imaging: Issues and Technology for the Visual Resources Professional. Presenters: Howard Besser, University of Michigan, and Jennifer Trant, Getty Art History Information Program. Digital imaging technologies offer a great attraction for the visual resources professional. The chance to take advantage of this new way of working is both liberating and daunting. What standards exist for the creation of image databases? What functions should those databases perform? Whom do they serve? How are they managed? This session will explore the issues involved in the design, creation, and management of image databases. It will review the issues of image capture, storage, and display, and briefly outline concerns related to standards, and copyright. Examples will be taken from existing or prototypical image database systems used in a variety of environments. Though much of the session will be applicable to both videodisc and digital imaging projects, the bias will be towards digital storage of images. Topics will be introduced by a presentation, liberally illustrated with slides and overhead transparencies. The session is aimed at the visual resources professional with little or no knowledge of the issues involved in creating an image database. Computer literacy and a comfort with basic technical terminology, such as megabytes and RAM, is recommended. 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. VRD/VRA Joint Task Force on Visual Resources Professional Issues meeting. Other Standing Committees will also convene at this time. 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. SESSION IV: Digital Imaging Project Management for Visual Resource Libraries. Moderator: Kevin J. Comerford, Dallas Museum of Art. Speakers: Elizabeth Antrim, San Jose State University, "Working Together to Create an Image Database on the Internet, or, You Can Teach an Old Slide Curator New Tricks;" Leslie Johnston, Historic New Orleans Collection, "Images and Exhibitions: Development of a Touchscreen System to Augment Access;" Virginia Kerr, Columbia College Chicago, "Searching for Effective Information Retrieval in an Imaging Project: The Costume Image Database at Columbia College Library, Chicago;" Dennis Moser, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, "Nuts, Bolts, JPEG, PICTS, and CDs--The Assembly and Implementation of a Large-Scale Consortium-Based Hypermedia Delivery Project." 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. SESSION V: Hypermedia on the Internet. Moderator: Joseph Roman, Oberlin College. Speakers: Stephan Goddard, University of Kansas, "Prints and Print History on Internet;" Kathleen Cohen, San Jose State University, "Lessons from California's Project Data;" Kathleen Chmelewski, Nan Goggin, and Joseph Squier, University of Illinois/Urbana- Champaign, "Art as Signal: Contemporary Artists Using the Internet;" Dennis Moser, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, "From Hype-R to Real-ity: The Development and Implementation of a Large-Scale Consortium-Based Hypermedia Delivery Project;" Joseph Romano, Oberlin College, "The World of Internet Hypermedia and its Potential for the Visual Resources Profession." 7:00 p.m. EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING II: Executive Board members only. FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1995 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. Conference registration closes. 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. SESSION VI: Implications of the New Visual Resources Technologies for the Classrooms and Museums of the 21st Century, Part II. Moderator: Carolyn Putney, Toledo Museum of Art. Speakers: Thomas Bower, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, "Make My Day, Use My Image: New Visual Resources Technologies and Some of the Applicable Laws from the User's Viewpoint;" Caron Carnahan, Williams College, "Saving the Image Bank: Considerations of Technology and Access in Imagebase Planning;" Steven Leuthold, Syracuse University, "Interactive Multimedia Instruction in the Large Lecture Course: Promise or Reality;" Bonnie Holt, University of California/Davis, "Query by Image Content, the QBIC Project's Applications in the University of California at Davis Art and Art History Departments;" Pat Keats, California Historical Society, "The Visual Imaging Project at the California Historical Society: Cataloguing Images of California History--Photographs, Book Illustrations, and Ephemera--for Local and National Access." 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. NEW TECHNOLOGIES ROUNDUP. Organizer: Kevin J. Comerford, Dallas Museum of Art. Participants to be announced. 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Data Standards Committee meeting; Development Committee meeting. 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. ROUND TABLE III: Nuts and Bolts of the New Technologies. Discussion leader: Lind Tompkins-Baldwin, University of Texas/Austin. **Participation limited to 35, pre-registration required. ROUND TABLE IV: Resource Sharing and Data Standards; Going from Promise to Reality in the Digital Revolution. Discussion leaders: Scott Bell, University of California/Long Beach, and Linda McRae, University of South Florida. **Participation limited to 35, pre-registration required. WORKSHOP II: Navigating the World Wide Web with Mosaic. Leader: Robbin Murphy, Executive Editor, ArtNet. **Participation limited to 23, pre- registration required. This event will be held at the University of Texas/ San Antonio, transportation will be provided. COST $40.00 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. ROUND TABLE V: Writing Annual Reports. Discussion leader: Astrid Otey, Miami University/Ohio. **Participation limited to 35, pre-registration required. WORKSHOP III: Catalogying Images: Photographs, Book Illustrations, and Even Wine Labels and Menus. Leader: Pat Keats, California Historical Society. **Participation limited to 35, pre-registration required. 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. WORKSHOP IV: Access to the Visual Images: The Role of Controlled Vocabulary. Leaders: Elisa Lanzi and Toni Petersen, Art and Architecture Thesaurus. **Participation limited to 17. Pre-registration required. Please note: This event will be held at the University of Texas/San Antonio; transportation will be provided. COST $40.00 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Dinner to raise funds for the Luraine Tansey Travel Awards, at Mi Tierra Cafe, San Antonio. Join friends and colleagues for a gala buffet with music! A portion of the cost of every ticket will go to the Luraine Tansey Travel Award Fund. COST $35.00 per person. TOUR to the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, beginning 1:30 p.m. Pre- registration required. SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 1995 9:30 to 12:00 SESSION VII: Implications of New Visual Resources Technologies for the Classrooms and Museum of the 21st Century. Moderator: Sandra Walker, University of Tennessee. Speakers: Elaine DeBenedictis, Canisius College, "Teaching with Multimedia in the Art History Classroom: Getting Started;" Sarah Miller and Walter Gilbert, University of Maryland/ College Park, "Experiences with CAPRINA: A Campus-wide Networked Image Distribution System;" Michael Greenhalgh and Joye Volker, Australian National University/Canberra, "From a Distance: Australian Perspectives on Networking the Visual Arts;" Deborah Wilde, Getty ARt History Information Program, "Setting Standards for Art Information: A Methodology;" Elisa Lanzi, ARt and Architecture Thesaurus, "Vocabulary as Access to the Visual Image;" Ben Kessler, Princeton University, "A Systems Anthropology of Electronic Imaging.: " Please note: This session will be held at a CAA venue. VRA conference attenders must either purchase a single session ticket, or register for the full CAA annual meeting in order to attend. COST $15.00 TOUR to the King William District, beginning at 9:00 a.m. **Participation limited to 20. Pre-registration required. COST $3.00 TOUR to the Missions National Historical Park, beginning at 9:00 a.m. COST $27.00. Pre-registration required. Again, all typographic errors are my own! If you need more information, contact Jenni Rodda, VRA Vice President, c/o Institute of Fine Arts, 1 East 78th Street, New York, NY 10021, 212-772-5872, fax 212-772-5807. e-mail [log in to unmask]