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Montana NRCS Photo Library

The photo library contains scanned and digital images from the Public Affairs collection of slides, prints, and digital photos. These images are available for NRCS employees to download and use. For additional NRCS photos from Montana as well as from other states, see the national NRCS Photo Gallery.

How to Use the Photo Library
How to Contribute to the Photo Library

Access the Photo Drive

The photo library is housed on its own network drive, which all Montana NRCS employees can access from their office computers. If you have not mapped the drive for the Montana NRCS Photo Library and need help doing so, contact Mary Myers at 406-587-6945.

Search

You can look for the photos you need by browsing through the files on the photo drive or by using the "Search" utility (find it in the "Start" panel or in the menu bar) on your computer. To use Search:

  1. After launching the Search utility, select All Files and Folders
  2. Search by any or all of the criteria below:
    a. All or part of file name: Leave blank or enter file name if you know it.
    b. A word or phrase in the file: Enter the subject you are looking for. For example: city, crop residue, grayling, Bozeman, cattle, etc.
    c. Look in: Select Browse, then navigate to the Photo Library (MT_NRCS_PHOTOS\JPEG.)
  3. Click on the triangle to the right of More advance options.
    a. Type of file: Check the box in front of Search subfolders. Leave other boxes unchecked.
  4. Click the Search button.
  5. Once the search is complete, change the view to Thumbnails to preview the photos found by the search. This option is under the View menu at the top of the Search Results window. Right-clicking a photo, then selecting Properties and going to the Summary tab will show more information about the image.
  6. The Search as described above will find only the JPEG formats for each image. The TIFF format will have the same file name (except for the .tif suffix) and will be located in the TIFF folder.

Download

Copy the photo(s) you want to use to the location of your choice on your computer. You can do this by using the copy and paste commands, or by dragging and dropping. Photos can also be directly inserted from the library into Word or PowerPoint documents by using Get Picture, From File, and navigating to the picture's location in the Photo Library.

Photo Usage Rights

Most images are in the public domain. A few are copyrighted and require that certain credits be given and/or that permission be obtained from the owner before use. Please check the copyright status of each image you use by right-clicking the .jpg file and selecting the "Summary" tab under "Properties"

Formats

Each image comes in both JPEG and TIFF formats. The JPEG (.jpg) files are suitable for use in PowerPoint presentations, as well as other on-screen uses and most desktop printing. The TIFF (.tif) files are higher-resolution images that can be used for commercial printing at sizes up to approximately 5 inches by 7 inches.

Photo Descriptions

You might find photos you recognize in the library; perhaps you even took some of them yourself. Please check the descriptions on these photos by right-clicking the .jpg files and selecting the "Summary" tab under "Properties". If you can add to or correct any of the information (date, location, photographer or owner of the photo, description of the subject, etc.), please send an email to Mary Myers. Be sure to include the file name of the photo in your message.

Add Photos to the Library

Do you have photos you would like to add to the library? Slides, prints, and digital photos can all be incorporated. Contact Mary Myers by phone, 406-587-6945, or email, Mary Myers, if you are interested in adding photos. Public affairs will screen pictures before including them to ensure that images in this collection are of print quality, and to avoid redundancy. Pictures will be evaluated for image sharpness, color, resolution, and composition. To save storage space and keep the library easier to search, please avoid submitting multiple copies of the same or similar images.

Along with each picture you want added to the library, provide the following information to be included in the file properties:

  • Subject: Enter the name of the folder within MT_NRCS_PHOTOS in which you would like your photo to be filed.
  • Author: Enter USDA-NRCS and photographer's name, if known. (If the photographer is not an NRCS employee, do not enter USDA-NRCS. We should not be including photos that are not owned by NRCS unless you have the permission of the owner.)
  • Description (Comments): Write a phrase or short sentence that could be used as a photo caption. Include location and date, if known.
  • Keywords: List words or phrases that library users might enter when using a Search utility to find a photo by subject. You can list more than one; separate with semicolons.
  • Copyright Status: Enter "public domain". Please do not put copyrighted photos into this photo library. Obtaining permission for use is a step most library users don't have time to take.

The Add Photos.xls file on the photo server can be copied to your computer and used to provide the requested photo information. If you are submitting slides or prints, please number them for identification. If you are submitting digital photos, you can use the file names for identification.

Last Modified: 10/08/2008