Visual Resources Association Data Standards Committee Project

1. VRA Core Categories Presented by: Hilary Evart Dena Weigel Bell Joel Taylor Kelsey Smith Visual Resources Association Data Standards Committee Project American Library Association, New Monterey Hotel, Asbury Park, N.J., June 25, 1919

2. Visual Resources Association- History • 1968: annual College Art Association (CAA) conferences began • 1970’s: Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) was formed • 1983: VRA’s first official meeting in Philadelphia • Today: VRA has over 600 active members

3. Visual Resources Association- Philosophy “The Visual Resources Association is a multi-disciplinary community of image management professionals working in educational and cultural heritage environments. The Association is committed to providing leadership in the field, developing and advocating standards, and providing educational tools and opportunities for its members.”

4. VRA Core Categories V3.0- Introduction • VRA Core is… • A flexible, open-ended, metadata content standard • Designed as an “element” set or database vocabulary terms • Categories are intended to document: • Works of visual culture • The images that document those works

5. Who uses VRA Core Categories? • Slide librarians • Catalogers of images • Museums • Curators of visual materials collections The Albrecht-Kemper Museum

6. VRA Core Goals: • To enable good descriptive cataloging • To create a place for sharing documentation • To improve access • To aid in further research & education of visual resources • To promote interoperability between image databases

7. VRA Core- Interoperability Examples • Database Designer • Records can be accessed by other VRA compliant programs • Search Engine Designer • Search engine designed with the ability to “read” VRA

8. VRA Core & Dublin Core- Compliance • Compliant with Dublin Core Metadata Initiative specifications • Uses Dublin Core vocabulary terms • Ex: Subject, Creator, Date • Follows the DCMI “1:1 principle” • Only 1 object may by described within a single record

9. Bernhard Eversburg summarized the 1:1 principle: • Make metadata one to one, just one per item, is the task. Rather less, more's a mess! "But what's an item", now you ask? If that's in doubt, do none. • From “International Metadata Initiatives: Lessons in Bibliographic Control,” Priscilla Caplan Library of Congress

10. VRA Core Categories V3.0: How it Works • Work entered in table • Table linked to records through a database • All categories need not be used • No minimum amount of elements • Elements are repeatable • No specific order • Flexible and customizable “The Line at the Butcher's Shop”- Edouard Manet

11. VRA Core Categories V3.0: How it Works • Use of controlled vocabulary is recommended • Ex: Subject Category • AAT • TGM • Iconclass • Sears “Night, the "L" Train”- Edward Hopper

12. All VRA categories and qualifiers are repeatable • A record describing a woodcut print could have multiple Type entries • Type = print • Type = woodcut • A record describing a WPA poster could have multiple Subject entries • Subject = Libraries, Illinois- 1930’s to 40’s • Subject = Screenprints, color- 1930’s to 40’s Images courtesy of Library of Congress

13. Record Type and Relation • Record Type: • Created to distinguish between a visual “work” and an “image.” • Work: • “A physical entity that exists, has existed at some time in the past, or that could exist in the future.” • Image: • “A visual representation of a work.”

14. Work Relationships: 2 Types • Essential relationship: • Described work contains referenced work • Informativerelationship: • Works can stand independently • Relationship is informative but not essential • VRA recommends reciprocal links between two works

15. VRA Core Categories, Version 3.0 • Record Type • Type • Title • Measurements • Material • Technique • Creator • Date • Location • ID Number • Style/Period • Culture • Subject • Relation • Description • Source • Rights

16. VRA Record: Example #1 WorkTitle: Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois, United StatesAlternate: Edith Farnsworth House Classification: KX1221.9 (Loeb Library, Harvard Design School) 182 P 693 4 F (Harvard Fine Arts Library, Visual Collections - Slides and Digital Images) Work Type: houses Creator: MiesvanderRohe, Ludwig (1886-1969) Germany, Germany, architect Production: Plano, Illinois, United States Date: 1945-1950 Topics: glass; steel Surrogate 63 of 100 Title: Ext. Entrance facade Classification: 182 P 693 4 F Work Type: color slide Repository: Harvard Fine Arts Library, Visual Collections - Slides and Digital Images 2004.00164 Record Identifier: olvsite1178

17. VRA Record: Example #2 WorkTitle: Folly Item Identifier: S10.23.2 (Accession Number) Work Type: Print Creator: Pierre Alexandre Aveline (1702-1760) Date: c. 1737 State/Edition: R. 28 Dimensions: 30 cm x 34.4 cm plate Nationality/Culture: French; French Materials/Techniques: Etching & engraving Note: Anonymous Fund for the Acquisition of Prints Older than 150 Years Repository: Fogg Art Museum Harvard University Art Museums Record Identifier: HUAM229082

18. VRA Record: Example #3 WorkTitle: Menacing Head Item Identifier: BR34.28 (Accession Number) Work Type: Print Creator: Paul Klee (Münchenbuchsee near Bern, Switzerland- 1879 - 1940, Muralto-Locarno, Switzerland) Date: 1905 State/Edition: Kornfeld 18 Dimensions: 20.6 cm x 15.4 cm plate Nationality/Culture: Swiss; Swiss Materials/Techniques: Ink Etching Note: Anonymous Gift Repository: Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University Art Museums Record Identifier: HUAM90318

19. Questions?