Digital images in libraries: an overview
| Date | 01 March 1997 |
| Pages | 3-7 |
| Published date | 01 March 1997 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040636 |
| Author | Jonathan Furner |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Digital images in
libraries:
an overview
by Jonathan Furner, School of
Information and Media, The Robert
Gordon University, Aberdeen
Introduction
Image collections of various types are maintained
by organisations of all sizes, in all sectors. The
term 'picture library' is commonly used to refer to
a commercial operation that sells access to a large
archive of photographic images: well-known
examples are Getty Images(l) and Corbis(2).
Collections that are smaller in size but equivalent
in function are to be found in private- and public-
sector institutions everywhere. These collections
may be further categorised on the basis of:
• The medium of the images stored. The
archive might be one of photographs, prints,
maps,
paintings, illustrations, charts, posters,
postcards, drawings, slides, glass plates,
negatives, woodcuts, x-rays, diagrams,
figures, cartoons, animations, films or
videos.
• The subject coverage of the collection.
There are archives covering general and
specific aspects of: science, technology and
industry; the arts, culture and sport; the
humanities and social sciences; medicine
and healthcare; and current affairs, law and
finance.
• The intended audience or user community.
Some archives are intended for access only
by members of the host organisation: among
publicly-accessible collections, there are
archives of scholarly and of popular interest;
of historical and of contemporary relevance;
of local and of global concern.
• The extent, structure and origin of the
indexing or metadata associated with each
image. In some archives, each image is
accompanied by minimal textual annotation:
perhaps a title or short caption, or even just
a simple accession or ID number. In others,
each image is referenced by a full catalogue
record made up of a structured set of fields,
each field containing manually-assigned
index data about a specific characteristic of
the form, structure, medium, format, origin,
target or content of the image, or perhaps the
full text of an associated article, descriptive
passage or news item.
Once any collection of images is recognised to be a
resource of value to a community of users within
or without its host organisation, then responsibility
for the management of that resource will com-
monly fall to the organisation's library or
information service. Successful management of
any such resource involves ensuring that its infor-
mation content is exploited — efficiently,
effectively and easily — by those users whose
needs it is intended to satisfy. The library will thus
be primarily concerned with questions of how that
content might be represented and organised in
ways that will provide optimum levels of access at
the most reasonable cost.
One basic conflict in the library is that between
concern, on the one hand, for conservation and
preservation, and concern, on the other, for exploi-
tation and access. Granting unlimited public access
to a collection of
rare,
fragile, valuable, historical
illustrations may well satisfy the needs of
users,
but to the detriment and perhaps the ultimate
disintegration of the collection
itself:
whereas to
enforce strict limitations on access might ensure
the continued preservation of the collection, but (it
might be argued) for what purpose? Decisions on
matters such as these are commonplace for librar-
ians with responsibility for special collections, of
course, and in this respect collections of images
are no different.
Traditionally, the images in such collections are
stored in their original, analogue form, perhaps in
wallets, files or folders that are in turn arranged on
shelves, in drawers or in cabinets. Constant han-
dling renders images stored in this way liable to
inevitable wear-and-tear, mis-filing, accidental
damage, or even theft; both storage and retrieval
can be cumbersome and time-consuming for
library staff and users; and originals may often be
impossible to photocopy for storage in multiple
locations, so indexers need to ensure cross-refer-
ences are maintained. More recently, however,
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