NB: This message is being cross-posted to several lists, and I apologize for the duplication. Please feel free to forward this posting to anyone you feel might be interested. CALL FOR PAPERS: VISUAL RESOURCES ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, JANUARY 25-28, 1995. The 13th annual conference of the Visual rEsources Association will be held in San Antonio, Texas, from Wednesday, January 25, through Saturday, January 28, 1995. Papers are solicited for the sessions listed below. For general information about the conference, please 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]; for specific information about conference sessions, please contact individual session moderators. A full schedule of events for the conference and hotel information will be posted at a later date. SESSION ABSTRACTS "Our Work Place: Our Health and Safety." Moderator: Pam Krupanski, Tufts University, Department of Art and Art History, 11 Talbot Avenue, Medford, MA 02155, fax 617-627-3890, e-mail [log in to unmask] Concerns about health and safety in the work place environment have, in recent years, been widely reported upon in the media. Increased computer use can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, a reptitive motion disorder, as well as severe bac k and eye strain. Noxious air quality in poorly designed or ventilated spaces can cause a myriad of physical ailments for the worker, the recently recognized "Sick Building Syndrome." Those of us working in, or within close proximity to photographic darkrooms and art studios face serious health and safety issues peculiar to those chemically saturated areas. This session will attempt to explore the health and safety issues some of our peers have faced in a variety of work environments. Papers focusing on solutions, as well as first-hand experiences with a safety or health risk, would be welcomed. Please submit paper abstracts to the moderator by July 20, 1994. "Hypermedia on the Internet." Moderator: Joseph Romano, Department of Art, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44074, 216-775-8666, fax 216-775-8886, e-mail [log in to unmask] Hypermedia technology, in tandem with Internet protocols, provide a flexible variation on the client-server model for networking data, whether this data be in the form of text, images, or sound. The development of user-friendly Internet interfaces, such as Mosaic, have brought World Wide Web use to critical mass. How effective will this approach to sharing information be for the Visual Resources profession? Papers are being solicited from individuals either involved or anticipating being involved with projects, however modest, that use World Wide Web technology. This session is also open to anyone interested in presenting a paper that is more theoretical in nature. Please submit paper abstracts to the moderator by July 20, 1994. "Implications of New Visual Resources Technologies for the Classrooms and Museums of the 21st Century." Moderator: Carolyn Putney, Toledo Museum of Art, Art History Department, P.O. Box 1013, Toledo, OH 43697, 419-255-8000, ext. 343, fax 419-255-5638. The traditional media of art, art history, and museum education--slide, photographs, film, and videotape--are rapidly being supplemented or replaced by computerized image access systems. This session will provide a forum for exploring the myriad issues relating to the implementation of these new visual resources technologies, and will include both theoretical and practical discussions of the following topics: accessibility of images; including the issues of image standards (i.e., univerally accepted format) and intellectual property; institutial cooperation and centralized infor- mation networking to amke resources that are currently accessible to a limited number of patrons more readily available; intellectual access and budget constraints affecting what becomes available to whom in the new technological formats. How can we as visual resources professionals, artists, art historians, and museum personnel influence the information selection process and the methodological standardization so that available resources meet our needs? This session is an extension of the CAA/VRA joint session previously announced. Please submit paper abstracts to the moderator by July 20, 1994. "Management of Images in Non-art Collections." Moderator: Nancy S. Schuller, University of Texas-Austin, Department of Art and Art History, Austin, TX 78712, 512-471-4337, fax 512-471-5539, e-mail [log in to unmask] This session will address concerns and issues for non-art collections, including those in archives, corporations, and government agencies. Please submit paper abstracts to the moderator by July 20, 1994. "Digital Imaging Project Management for Visual Resources Libraries." Moderator: Kevin J. Comerford, Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood Street, Dallas, TX 75201, 214-922-1281, fax 214-954-0174, e-mail [log in to unmask] Advances in digital imaging and other information technologies have made the last five years an exciting and important period for the Visual Resources profession. While th theoretical benefits of automation in all its varioou s forms have been discussed at length for a number of years now, the application of these technologies to aid in the management of and access to visual collec- tions is just now becoming practical and affordable for many. Upon reflection it is amazing to think that database systems and the hardware and software tools for digital image storage and manipulation--products which were until just recently limited to the world of mainframe computer systems--are now readily available for the desktop computer at the neighborhood discount store. Therefore the next 5 years will no doubt see rapid progress in the number of libraries, museums and other cultural institutions that make a commitment to the automation and digital conversion of their slide and photograph collections. Thus many more in the Visual Resource sprofession will in the near future have the opportunity to manage the automation and digitiza - tion of their collecitons, as well as provide access to these resources via network systems and the Internet. The goal of this session is to serve the needs of those professionals who are just beginning or soon to embark upon a digital imaging project at their institutions. Rather than engendering a theoretical or technical discussion of digital imaging technology and its benefits, panelists will concentrate on providing practical information and insight into the day-to-day management of a digital conversion project in a visual collection. Panelists will be selected who have first-hand experience managing such projects; each will present a brief overview of their own efforts, and will then discuss at least one specific area of project management in detail. Presenters will not only explain how they have chosen to tackle imaging problems and issues at their own institution, but will also present alternative solutions. Please submit abstracts to the moderator no later than July 20, 1994. ** My apologies for any typographical errors that appear here! I look forward to seeing you all in San Antonio. Jenni Rodda, VRA VP Curator, Visual Resources Collections Institute of Fine Arts 1 East 78th Street New York, NY 10021-0178 212-772-5872, fax 212-772-5807, e-mail [log in to unmask]