From the Chair-elect (February 2012)

Brett Carnell
Acting Head, Technical Services Section
Prints and Photographs Division
Library of Congress

It’s hard to believe that five months have passed since the Annual Meeting in Chicago. I am still cogitating on the many ideas that were explored at the meeting and it’s now time to look at new ideas for Midwinter. I goad each and every one of you to actively think about how the Section can more effectively meet your needs and flood Chair David with your ideas.

It is a great diversity of view points that make for lively discussions at the Midwinter meeting. I also encourage you to actively participate in the Section by attending Midwinter in my home base, Washington, D.C., and to plan a little extra time to take in the multitude of great exhibitions featuring visual materials that the cultural institutions of your nation’s capital have created exclusively for your benefit (as well as for the “billions” of tourists that flood the fair city later in March).

The Midwinter is a great way to get better acquainted with others in our profession in an environment more intimate than the annual meeting. The meetings facilitate communication and the smaller venue amplifies the voices of those who attend. I believe one of the primary purposes of the Section is to promote communication among archivists with an interest in visual materials and the Midwinter is a great way to communicate directly with your peers. However, if you can’t see your way clear to attend Midwinter, the Section’s Communications Working Group is busy enhancing our on-line communication tools.

Anne Salsich has taken the editorial reins of VIEWS and, building on the extraordinary work of past editors, is bringing her personal touch to the all-electronic newsletter with an emphasis on featuring more images, something that new technologies allow. Lisa Snider continues to build on the work of past VM webmasters, using new web tools, the latest design concepts and her own sense of style to insure that the Section has a knockout Web presence. These communications tools, along with an active listserv, are critical to an efficient functioning of the Section and I know I will appreciate the efforts of David Benjamin and the Communications Working Group to enhance our communication channels when I rely on them as Chair next year.