Three Year Plan
for 2009-2012!
Newly revised, August 2009

Visual Materials Section

Society of American Archivists

Three Year Plan for 2009-2012

February 2009

 

I. Core Activities

A. Continue review of the structure of the Section as described in 2003 Midwinter meeting and refined in the 2005 Midwinter meeting.

 

1. Develop leadership from membership in three primary groups. The bulk of the work of the section is done through working groups that make up the primary groups. These three primary groups are bound conceptually and may not be led by one chair.

 

a. Steering Committee handles bylaws, 3-year plan, annual meeting, midwinter meeting, finance, elections and nominating. The Chair and Vice-Chair lead this group, with assistance from the immediate past-chair.

 

b. Publishing Group handles newsletter, website, bibliography and other special publications.

 

c. Education and Special Topics Group handles educational programs, advanced workshops, standards, and various topics of professional concern.

 

B. Newsletter: Views

1. Continue publishing in online format.

2. Complete indexing back issues, standardize completed indices, and merge into a database.

3. Establish ongoing indexing of each issue as it is published.

4. Continue new, expanded member involvement in production of Views, with various section editors.

C. Annual Meeting

1. Continue offering a program or speaker at the VM section meeting.

2. Continue inviting members to bring new publications to display (Book Fair)

3. Solicit and prepare future VM-related session proposals prior to the meeting.

4. Explore alternate ways to involve members who cannot attend.

5. Investigate recording section meeting, podcast, etc.

D. Web site

1. Continue web site development in conjunction with VMCAR.

a. Work toward ADA compliance for the web site.

2. Develop editors or working groups responsible for different sections of the site.

a. Establish processes for reviewing content that is on the web site.

b. Establish a process for upkeep of the web site.

3. Annually review issues related to moving the website to the SAA domain.

4. Position the website to be a frequently used resource for the section. Include:

a. FAQ about the Section and member involvement;

b. Lists or summary descriptions of VM sessions at SAA meetings.

5. Encourage VM members to link their own organization web site to the VM site.

E. Listservs: VisualMat and SAA VMS

1. Utilize the listservs to discuss session ideas prior to the annual meeting.

2. Look at other software options for the VisualMat listserv that include an archiving function.

3. SAA VMS to be used for section business.

II. Special Projects / New Initiatives

A. Continue T-shirt sales at the annual meeting.

B. Develop visual materials-related workshops in conjunction with SAA to be held at the annual meeting and as part of overall SAA Continuing education program throughout the year.

C. Recruit section members to become involved in the section activities via:

1. Newsletter;

2. Web site;

3. Publications;

4. Sessions for the annual meeting.

D. Hold a mid-year meeting no later than March, and seek means of making this a sustainable annual activity, independent of the hospitality of hosting Section Chairs. Site-search is a responsibility of the chair-elect, for the following year. Review the continuation of the Midwinter meeting in 2010.

F. Solicit, collect, and edit member-authored summaries of VM-related sessions at the Annual Meeting, for posting to the Section website.

G. Review the need for a section Treasurer.

H. Maintain and evaluate annually the following listed special projects, functioning under the Education and Special Topics Group

1. Digital Collecting Working Group

2. Professional Development and Education

 

III. Publications

A. Continue to review visual materials related publications and publish them in Views.

B. Publications reviewed in Views should be considered for inclusion in the Visual Materials Section Bibliography.

C. Continue building and expanding the bibliography to include printmaking, architectural drawings, and graphic design.

D. Encourage visual materials publications, offer informal feedback, and assist in getting them to publication within SAA.

E. Compile, edit, and publish a Visual Materials Reader through SAA’s Director of Publishing.