More on labeling photographs

                       Last time I talked about labeling digital photographs.  What about prints, digital or otherwise?  For personal photographs labeling is pretty straight-forward.   As I said in a previous blog post, you can write on the back using a graphite pencil or No. 2 pencil (There are also pens using India ink that can be bought from the archival supply companies like Gaylord.) Like digital photographs you need to write identifying information for your print - place, people, date.  Write in a corner and not across the whole back.  You will want to minimize any action that could damage a print.  For librarians this means no glued on labels.  The ones used in libraries are usually acidic. Pencil only as I said or place the photograph in a sleeve and put your label on that.  Gaylord and other archival supply houses does have acid-free labels, which may be ok - maybe.

                        The technique for labeling is simple, but what identification should be used to label a collection in an institutional setting like a library, archives or museum?  Most entities have a system for accessioning collections and so that’s the initial number.  Usually that accession number begins with the year the collection was received (e.g. 2014) followed by a number indicating the order in which it was accessioned (2014.01 or 2014.02 – first and second collection received that year).  If a finding aid is done and a series indicated then that series becomes the next number (2014.01.01). The last .01 would probably be the series that may be entitled photographs if it is collection of different types of items. The next number is a number assigned to the photograph or the number of a sub-series or file.  So you have year, collection number, series number, sub-series, such as family, followed last by a photograph number.  This number is listed in the inventory or metadata if it’s digital along with a photograph title, date if known, place taken, people, and any other pertinent information about the photograph.  If you only know “Man on horse” then that’s all you know.  Adding a few more descriptors about the photograph to distinguish it from other men on horses would help.  The more information that you have, of course, the more valuable the photograph is for research purposes.  I can’t emphasize enough the importance of keeping the link intact between a digital image, a printed one, and the inventory especially if your photographs may be used for publication, research, or exhibition.

                        Another labeling scheme I have used when no accessioning system exists is to use the collection name or initials.   For example, WW followed by series number, file and item number.  Any other tracking device, like bar codes, work well too.  Just remember the goal is to maintain the link between the print or negative and the information about it.  Tedious task but worth it in the end.