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Query about organization and access to photo collections



This is a request for comments and opinions about ways to organize and provide
access to a rather substantial but unorganized image and photo collection.

My name is Bob Kudlay.  I have been a reference librarian at Springfield (Mass.)
College still 1989.  About a year ago, my position was split between reference
and archives.  Our archive collections are rather extensive.  About two years
ago we acquired a separate, off-campus location with relatively good
environmental conditions for the storage of  College Archives and Special
Collections.  We do not have a full time archivist or an institutional archives
budget -- so a lot of what we are up to these days is trying to use existing
staff and available equipment to organize, catalog, conserve, and provide access
to the various unsorted and unorganized collections.

One of my projects in archives this fall was to begin a process of sorting
through, identifying, organizing, conserving, and providing access to a variety
of image and photo collections reflecting early campus life at Springfield
College.  It is a rather formidable challenge.  The photos are in many formats
-- everything from mounted prints, 3x4 lantern slides, 5x7 glass negatives,
presentation enlargements, photo albums, and reproductions made at various times
between about 1885 to the mid-1930s.  Although there have been spotty attempts
to identify these items in the past, they remain largely unorganized with few
(if any) source or content identification.

Over the past couple of months, I and others in the library have been working on
a process that will begin with a procedure to organize and identification the
various items.  When necessary, reference prints are being made.  A digital file
for each item is also being created.  As these activities are being done, I am
assembling smaller, thematically organized "collections" and from these
mini-collections, creating descriptive finding aids.

The process goes like this:

1)  sort through the physical items to determine which require the production of
a reference print (e.g., lantern slides, glass negatives, etc.);
2)  assemble subject-related "mini-collection" photos in order to create
appropriate storage of the originals and accompanying reference copies;
3)  digitally photograph or scan (depending on format of original) each item --
regardless of digitization process, the image is stored as a .jpeg file;
4)  create a descriptive guide by integrating descriptive text with the digital
images;
5)  the resulting guide is converted to a .pdf document -- hardcopies of which
will be available in the library (archives) and the .pdf file to be mounted off
the library's Archives web page;
6)  create a cataloging record for the originals for our online catalog, and
part of the catalog record will include a hyperlink to the web-mounted .pdf
document;
7)  links to the original .jpeg image files will eventually be provided from the
Archives web page where the .pdf document in mounted;
8)  as more .jpeg image files are created, they will be stored on a CD for both
reference use and archive storage along with the originals.

At the end we hope to have created:
1)  permanent storage for the originals regardless of format;
2)  online catalog searching of our collection (including photos);
3)  descriptive web guides for anyone to review in .pdf (also printed versions
for onsite use) [the guides are particularly important because of national and
international requests for photos we might have in our collection];
4)  web access to original images in .jpeg format;
5)  preservation of .jpeg on CD;

We are in the middle of working out this process, and would be very interested
in other institutional experiences and comments about how we are working on
this.

Two preliminary examples are:

1)  Building of the Campus Boathouse on Lake Massasoit in 1901 -- these are
images from a variety of sources and in a variety of formats.  The temporary URL
for this .pdf document is at
http://www.spfldcol.edu/Faculty.nsf/10dd98db3d0c8c1585256906004a110d/f7f9bdee70e68cf7852569ac00673dae?OpenDocument

2) Doggett Photo Album -- a page-by-page description of a photo album kept by
one of our first college Presidents.  Its temporary URL is:
http://www.spfldcol.edu/Faculty.nsf/10dd98db3d0c8c1585256906004a110d/5ecc04a43108aa5a852569ac00667a72?OpenDocument

I'd be very interested to hear from others about this process and comments about
what we are doing.

Thanks,
Bob Kudlay
Springfield College
Springfield, MA 01109
rkudlay@spfldcol.edu

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