What does it mean to truly look closely? This year’s VRA annual conference, Zooming In, invites visual resources professionals to shift from the wide view and settle into the details, the workflows, tools, discoveries, and community conversations that define our day-to-day practice.
Delivered fully online, VRA 2026 brings together a rich program drawn from 40+ proposals spanning panels, lightning talks, virtual tours, and more. Whether you’re navigating new roles in your institution, exploring how AI is reshaping cataloging and metadata work, grappling with collection development decisions, or finding new ways to activate and engage communities through visual collections, there’s a session built for where you are right now.
This year’s program reflects both the breadth and the depth of our field: from digitizing ancient scrolls to first-time service management, from reparative description to classroom pedagogy, and interactive digital maps. It’s a conference for asking: what happens when we look more carefully?
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This session features one 15-20 minute presentation and two lightning talks exploring the evolving nature of work in visual resources — from multigenerational collaboration to the unexpected career pivots reshaping roles across the field. A joint Q&A will follow.
Talkin' About My Generation — Workplace Dynamics Among Generations at the Lucille C. Little Fine Arts & Design Library Our arts library includes employees representing a full spectrum of generations, from Baby Boomer to Gen Z. In this session, two members of different professional eras will interview each other about their multigenerational culture, revealing ways to create a successful workplace among colleagues and students with vastly different work expectations.
Surviving (and Thriving!) as a First-Time Service Manager(Lightning Talk) This talk explores the multifaceted role of managing IU's Digital Collections service within an open-source environment, viewed through the lens of a newly minted Digital Collections librarian, sharing highlights from a learning journey including practical strategies for staying grounded, building confidence, and creating sustainable workflows.
Archivists and VR Professionals Turned Drivers of DAM Success(Lightning Talk) When role drift presses archivists, librarians, or VR professionals into Digital Asset Management roles, it changes foundational duties. This talk explores the shift from long-term stewardship to active production, and the opportunities it provides "accidental" DAM managers to utilize their expertise as key conduits in the asset lifecycle.
