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Staying Alive

by Visual Resources Association on Aug 05, 2010

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Stephanie Beene, Lewis & Clark University, presentation for the "Staying Alive: Strategies for Dealing with Change & Increasing Professional Viability" session at VRA 28 Atlanta.

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Stephanie Beene, Lewis & Clark University, presentation for the "Staying Alive: Strategies for Dealing with Change & Increasing Professional Viability" session at VRA 28 Atlanta.

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Staying Alive: Strategies for Dealing with Change and Increasing Professional Viability The VRC facilities and position were “losing ground.” First Symptom : Facilities (physical space) threatened. Early Summer 2007 -VRC facilities space offered up as solution to lack of (office) space for new Art History hire. Facilities to be halved from 400 sq. ft to 200 sq ft. -Realization that VRC not the higher priority, and dodged that bullet. Office space found for new hire in another part of the building. Strategy: Alerted supervisor and library director that (space) trouble was brewing. Prepare to negotiate or develop a space in library in the foreseeable future. Second Symptom : Facilities shared, Late Summer 2007 -VRC facilities dictated to share facilities space with new Art Department 2D Technology Assistant. ¼ of space allotted to person not employed by VRC. - non-VRC related interruptions occurring every day. Strategy : Negotiating the shared spare as a “temporary” solution (one school year) until another office space could be procured. Third Symptom : Late Spring 2008, -VRC to be vacated by beginning of summer of 2009. Art Department decided the VRC facilites to be reconfigured into the “Visual Learning and Study Center.” (If they have to choose between keeping VRC space as is or giving up the VRC position . . . they will give up the VRC position) Strategy: -Notice to the library that VRC to be moved “physically” to library and out of the art department by Summer of 2009. -Search for space in the library and design VRC facilities to operate in a downgraded space (both physically and aesthetically). Fourth Symptom : Early 2009, -New job description. Job description and position name change for adjustment to new physical space and possible addition of library duties. Strategy : -Negotiate hard to write the new job: - Art Dept. was interested in Art History background or an advanced degree in Art History, while the Library wasn’t that adamant about it. If the person had an interest in art or art history, they thought it was enough. - Margo pushed for someone with an MA in Art History, but wasn’t on the search committee. - In the end, it was decided that the credentials for the top candidate should be a dual masters, and in a tight economy, they lucked out. -Stand firm on these designated credentials during applications and interviews: - They started out with 100 applicants and narrowed the finalists to 10. There weren’t enough with two masters degrees, so some slipped in that didn’t have degrees – an MLIS was required, but the part that was up for grabs was the art history degree. Diversification and challenges : My position was re-written to become a campus-wide resource. While the Art Department remains my primary clientele, I now serve the rest of campus in their visual resources needs. This means: Serving on the reference desk Team-teaching reference and instruction courses with other reference librarians in topics as varied as freshmen Exploration and Discovery courses to Foreign Literature and Gender Studies courses. Emphasizing visual literacy and including images as a central teaching tool. I offer to purchase images to support faculty teaching and research needs across disciplines. I give reference consultations, primarily for art and art history students, but also across the board (for example, in environmental studies and sociology/anthropology). When pursuing collection development, I need to keep a wider array of needs in mind. Challenges associated with this: It can feel like a lot! Time management… Keeps you on your toes – no day is the same Learning to speak the many languages of different disciplines… Selling VR in 5 minutes or less. Which brings me to my next point: Visibility : The challenge of this is that I am in a very hard-to-find location of the library. Space issues preclude us from moving me up to a more visible space right away. Outside of the Art Department, the word is spreading slowly, through word-of-mouth Reference Desk is definitely helping with this!

Staying Alive — Presentation Transcript

The Old VRC space: Built for collaboration, study, and conservation
The transformation: Critique & Visual Study Center
The new “temporary” VRC: 200 sq. ft.
The new VRC and potential slide move to Collection Management Services, down the hall New home for slides
New Role, Expanded Services My own name plate!
Website Redesign to Reflect new mission and services
Website Redesign to Reflect new mission and services
Website Redesign to Reflect new mission and services
Website Redesign to Reflect new mission and services
Website Redesign to Reflect new mission and services
Website Redesign to Reflect new mission and services

Staying Alive

by Visual Resources Association on Aug 05, 2010

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Staying Alive — Presentation Transcript