Cataloging & Digitizing Toolbox

Cataloging Tools | "How to" Tip Sheets | Resource Lists | Articles and Presentations

Cataloging Tools Produced by the Prints and Photographs Division

• Thesaurus for Graphic Materials -- Terms and guidelines for indexing pictorial materials.

  • Profile of TGM I (April 2004 edition) [PDF file]

  • TGM I integrated with catalog and hierarchical subject access: see the Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection catalog at Indiana University

• Graphic Materials: Rules for Describing Original Items and Historical Collections -- Guidelines for cataloging photographs, cartoons, popular and fine prints, architectural drawings, and other visual materials. Includes many sample records and MARC encoding for individual items and archival groups.

"How to" Tip Sheets

The tip sheets are handouts or teaching aids that address topics frequently asked about by librarians and archivists working with pictorial materials. New tips will be added as needed.

• General
  • Safe Handling Tips for Pictorial Collections (PDF file)
  • Visual Literacy Exercise (PDF file)

• Digitizing
  • Digital Master Images: Sample Technical Specifications for Photograph Collections (PDF file)
  • Introduction to Basic Measures of a Digital Image for Pictorial Collections (PDF file)
  • NDLP Project Planning Checklist (American Memory technical information, Library of Congress)
  • Standards Related to Digital Imaging of Pictorial Materials (especially photographs) - Lists organizations that develop standards; citations to specific standards for digitization, file formats, storage media and repositories; and information about scanning targets (PDF file)
  • What to Look for in a Scanner - Guidelines for selecting a scanner for photographs (PDF file)
    

• Planning for Processing
  • Use, Value, Viability: Criteria for Choosing Effective Processing Levels for Visual Materials (PDF file)
  • Checklist to Plan the Processing of Pictorial Collections (PDF file)
  • Personal papers exercise: Visual Materials from the Margaret Sanger Papers (PDF file)
  • Large archive example: Processing plan for the Milton Rogovin Photograph Collection (PDF file)

• Physical Processing
  • Accession Forms: Representative Samples (PDF file)
  • Arrangement Schemes for Photographs (PDF file)

• Cataloging & Description
  • Born Digital Photographs: Cataloging Samples (PDF file)
  • Common and Useful Information Elements for Cataloging Pictorial Materials (PDF file
  • Main and Added Entries for Pictures (PDF file)
  • Relator Terms for Cataloging Pictorial Materials (PDF file)
  • Subject Indexing for Pictures: An Overview (PDF file)
  • Subject Indexing with TGM: A Case Study in Selecting Access Points for Photographs (PDF file - 267 kb/18 p.) - This case study describes a technique for learning to index the subject matter shown in photographs and other visual materials.
  • Training Opportunities for Cataloging Pictorial Materials (PDF file)

Resource Lists

• Authority Files for Cataloging Pictures: Common Choices -- A list of name, subject, form-genre, and representative local vocabularies for indexing photographs, cartoons, drawings, and other pictures.

• Catalog and Finding Aid Systems for Pictorial Materials: Representative Examples -- Cites examples according to characteristics often asked about when planning projects to describe and digitize pictures, e.g., integration with other media, level of description, image navigation, and encoding scheme.

• Online Reference Sources for Cataloging Visual Materials -- Selected Web sites for verifying information about creators and subjects; also, tools for converting dates and measurements and for identifying or dating different media.

• Organizations & Initiatives of Interest to Picture Catalogers

• Pictorial Collection Guides: Representative Examples -- A list of guides produced by various institutions--offers models for how libraries and archives can provide overviews of their holdings to help users understand the scope of available resources.

• Visual Materials: Processing & Cataloging Bibliography -- Covers arrangement, media identification, picture research, description, indexing, and digital imaging in libraries, archives, and museums.

Articles and Presentations

• Arms, Caroline R. "Getting the Picture: Observations from the Library of Congress on Providing Online Access to Pictorial Images," Library Trends 48:2 (Fall 1999): 379-409. Also available online, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/techdocs/libt1999/libt1999.html -- This extensive article covers the challenges of providing access to pictures by summarizing the history and goals of the Prints & Photographs cataloging, digital imaging, and reference services through early 1999.
  

• The Digital Challenge: Accessioning, Description, and Reference for Contemporary Pictures from September 11th. Web cast lecture, November 13, 2003. Presenters:
  Brett Carnell, "Accessioning Born-Digital and Computer-Generated Pictures"
  Mary Mundy, "Extending Graphic Materials Rules for Born-Digital and Computer-Generated Pictures"
  Mary Ison. "'Can We Use It?' Capturing and Conveying Rights Information for Contemporary Images"
  

• Zinkham, Helena. "Bridges & Whirlpools: Best Access Practices for Pictures." Power Point lecture, July 2000. Covers the kinds of information to record for visual materials; tools for description and indexing; need for separate or integrated access with books; benefits of collection summary records and item-level records. (Note: Select Slide 1 in the left navigation area to launch the text and visuals.)