Acquisitions

When thinking about appraisal of photographs and other archival materials, I immediately begin considering the responsibility that acquiring an object entails.  To acquire a photograph, the archivist must consider the cost (time, preservation, access, housing, etc.) that it will take to maintain stewardship of the photograph in perpetuity.  In many cases, I think this cost can be significant and a good way of measuring whether or not a photograph should be acquired in an Archives.  These considerations also come into play when appraising a photograph in terms of it's value to an individual Archives.  In other words, "is the cost of stewardship for this photograph worth it to our Archives?"

Another important consideration in determining the value of a photographic collection is to consult one's collection scope and acquisitions policy.  A collection scope should outline what types, themes, or geographic regional collections an Archives' is focused on developing.  An acquisitions policy can often outline the necessary conditions of a collection, physical, legal, etc.

Origin info and provenance are also important in determining and appraising the value of a collection.  A photograph will likely have very little research value, unless there is significant information and metadata about where, when, why, who, etc.  Some of these questions can be answered with an understanding of historical photographic processes and concerns.  With knowledge of these processes and historic conventions (of dress, posture, theme, etc.), an archivist or historian could date a photograph and provide important appraisal information.