From the VRA Foundation, an exciting announcement and invitation that may interest many ARLIS colleagues:

Dear ARLIS members,

Creators. Doers. Problem Solvers.  As image management professionals, we’ve developed metadata and cataloguing standards that are global in their reach, acted as champions for fair use, and been on the leading edge of embedded metadata initiatives—and that’s just the beginning. The VRA Foundation knows that when just one person pushes the envelope, we all benefit. Our potential is limitless, and the VRA Foundation (VRAF) is here to help us realize it.  Through our Project Grant and Professional Development Grant programs, we’ve helped our professionals create tools that make all of our working lives better; enabled participation in conferences and symposia; and aided in the development of unique, broadly accessible digital collections.

But we can’t do it without you.

When you invest in the VRA Foundation, you invest in your profession.  And when you invest in your profession, you invest in yourself. There’s strength in numbers, so we’re asking all of you—from newly minted professionals to proud image management lifers--to join us in our mission to advance our profession by making a tax-deductible donation to the VRA Foundation. Be a one-time donor, or set up a sustaining membership through PayPal, and your monthly, recurring donation of whatever amount is comfortable for you will allow your contribution to grow surely and steadily over time. This may mean giving up the occasional guilty pleasure (double-shot caramel skinny latte, anyone?), but we think you and your fellow professionals are more than worth it. Get to know some of our VRAF grant winners, donors, and all-around rock stars, track the progress of our campaign with our “unfolding image,” and become a donor to the VRAF at:

With your support, the VRA Foundation will be able to advance our professionals (that’s You!) for years to come. Be a rock in the VRA Foundation. Be a rock star for your profession. 

Many thanks,

Betha Whitlow

VRAF Director