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Re: photo collections



I imagine you've done this already, but just in case: the best source of
information about the photographs should be the originating departments,
which should be able to provide *some* contextual information about the
pictures they took. I suppose this depends in part on how old they are, too.

Also, what sort of appraisal criteria are you using for these in the first
place? With any luck a good portion of them could go straight into the
garbage can, saving you a pile of work later. (I mean... how many pictures
of student Hallowe'en dances do you really need?)

(You don't mention anything about the existing level of description, and I
don't know what your background is, so please forgive me if I am going over
well-trodden ground, here.)

I think that you should describe these at aggregate levels (by provenance
and series) before doing any item-level descriptions. This allows you to
provide access to the entire collection relatively easily and gives you some
context for each individual image when it comes time to go through them one
at a time.

Also, in her letter Ms. Robins mentions looking for the original order and
I'd like to add that sometimes it exists but is badly obscured by subsequent
handling of the records. However, it would still be worth your while to
search for as knowing how the creator organized the records can make your
life much easier when you're trying to figure out what each one is.

Of course if the original order has been completely destroyed at some point
during the records' life (I believe the technical term is "shoved into a box
and dumped in a corner") then definitely it is time to start imposing your
own.

Have fun.




----Original Message Follows----

Dear Ms. Mahalov:

Welcome to the real world of photo collections management.  First question:


[...]

Meanwhile, you have a thousand photos to deal with. Is this new influx a
collection in its own right, or will it be interfiled with your other
photos?  Is it organized in a way that should be maintained?  If you have
nothing but chaos on your hands, then I recommend the time-tested "bushel
basket system" for sorting it out:  People, Places, Things and Events.

Sincerely,

Judy Robins,
Collections Supervisor,

[...]
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