CFP: Visual Resources Association 2021 Conference (March 23-26 in Chicago)

The Visual Resources Association (VRA), a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to furthering research and education in the field of image management within the educational, cultural heritage, and commercial environments, is accepting proposals for papers, sessions, special interest/user groups, and workshops for its 2021 conference program. The VRA 2021 Annual Conference will be held in Chicago March 23-26, 2021 at the Westin Michigan Avenue.

 

The deadline for submissions (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/cfpvra2021) is Monday, July 27, 2020. 

The deadline for submissions is Monday, July 27, 2020. Program submissions received after this date will not be considered for the 2021 conference.

The Vice President of Conference Programming will notify submitters of the status of their paper and/or session proposal(s) via email by Friday, September 18, 2020.

The Visual Resources Association’s 2021 Annual Conference will be held in Chicago, IL from Tuesday, March 23th through Friday, March 26th, 2021 at the Westin, Michigan Avenue. We are exploring hybrid and online conference options, so please consider ways you could present materials to both physical and online audiences. 

Presenting at the VRA Conference provides you with the opportunity to see how your ideas, research, work, and passion connect to those of other dedicated professionals while building networks and friendships in an open, collaborative environment.

Proposals for papers, sessions, special interest/user groups, and workshops are now being solicited for the 2021 program. All proposals are welcome, and if you have other conference ideas or suggestions that do not fit the conference proposal form, please reach out to the Vice President for Conference Program, Sara Schumacher at vpcp@vraweb.org. Please note a call for Lightning Round presenters will go out in the fall/winter, so that we can better accommodate recent innovations and activities, as well as, students and emerging professionals. 

What should you propose?

Past conference schedules can give you an idea of the range of topics presented in previous years or read through the list below of suggested topics compiled from the 2020 non-conference survey responses to find inspiration. Please, do not be afraid to deviate and propose something new or highlight an area of concern that you feel has not been adequately addressed previously, as you may find new collaborators and colleagues. Organizers may put out calls for presenters within a proposed topic before or after the submission of a proposal. The VRA Executive Board will be looking for articulate and concise submissions with lists of presenters, but submissions without presenter lists are encouraged as well.

Suggested topics:

• Challenges and Lessons Learned from Remote
  • The Workplace, Institutional Transitions, Personnel Issues
  • Copyright & IP in Education and Beyond
  • Teaching & Research Needs, Visual Literacy
  • Equity, Ethics, Privacy, Advocacy
• Metadata
  • Best Practices and Standards (VRA Core 4, CCO, etc.)
  • Critical Cataloging, Alt-Text, Rights Statements, Geolocation Data
  • Crowdsourcing
• Managing Collections
  • Digital Asset Management, Digital and Institutional Repositories
  • Preservation, Planning for Collections Growth
• Outreach and Instruction
  • Instruction using Materials, Special, and Digital Visual Collections
  • Accessibility, Universal Design, Open Educational Resources, Online Exhibitions, Social Media 
• Emerging Technologies and Applications
  • 3D Photography Imaging and Digitization, Audio and Video Editing
  • Coding, GIS,  IIF, Omeka S, Story Maps
  • Digital Humanities/Scholarship Tools, Projects, Research Processes

Conference Speaker Policy for Chicago 2021

Purpose of this policy:
VRA conferences succeed when they bring together a diverse group of professionals to share ideas through formal presentations and informal interactions. The VRA Executive Board strives to make conference attendance feasible for as many of these professionals as possible by keeping the conference costs low. While this goal benefits many, it also limits the funding the Board can make available for presenters who may need a financial incentive to participate. 

All speakers/presenters must register for the conference and may register under the Conference Speaker rate for the full conference (same as member rate) or under the one-day rate. Speakers/Presenters may apply for Travel Awards through the VRA Travel Awards Committee or through select VRA Chapters.

The keynote speaker will receive a free full conference registration and an honorarium. Workshop organizers may request small honoraria to recruit non-VRA member experts through the Call for Proposals process. Session speakers are not eligible for speaker honorariums.

However, session organizers may request a Session Pass (free registration pass for only the conference session/event for an accepted non-VRA member speaker). Session organizers must contact the VP for Conference Program with a written request and justification of their need for a session pass by February 1, 2021. The VRA Board will grant or deny approval within a reasonable time frame; written requests should include if there is a time constraint.