Appraisal of Photograhic Collections

The chapter on the appraisal of photographic collections makes me
think about how small the local history room is where I work and how
wonderful it would be to accrue some more photographs documenting the
history of the city. Just in the past two weeks I have had three reference
questions that included requests for images we do not have. One was for
an image of a local restaurant/club that burnt down in the 80s. Another
was for an image of an ice storage shed from when people used to
harvest ice off ponds in the area. The third was for photos of
street views from the 1950s of certain parts of the city. I am sure
plenty photos of this kind exist somewhere. It has become frustrating
that we are so ill equipped to give our patrons qualified referrals. It
is understandable that so many people expect the City Library to be
the place to house such materials of historical value.

Reading Ritzenthaler and O'connors' chapter on photographic appraisal
made clear some options for what I could do to improve our
photographic collection. To start, we have a collection policy that
could probably use some updating. Contacting other institutions such
as surrounding colleges, local newspapers, heritage and historical
centers to get a better idea of the collections they possess would be
helpful for referring patrons to repositories that have what they are
looking for. It will also help us to know what collections are
available so we don't take on the duties of preserving a set of
photographs that are merely a duplicate of a near by collection.
Making connections with these institutions may also put us in contact
with potential donors, which would be a step in the right direction to
acquiring more photographs. Making people aware that we are looking
for this material by communicating the criteria that meets the mission
of the library, while also being realistic about the resources we
possess to process and preserve a larger photographic collection is
likely the most important part of getting the collections we want and
are qualified to take care of.

Assessing value, use and risks require skills and experience. As discussed in the reading, photographic collections are often the most heavily used materials in an archive. It is no doubt that this would be the case at the library where I work, as indicated by the constant request for this material by current patrons. I would
not be so concerned with acquiring collections of monetary value as a
public library obviously does no have the means to pay for an expensive collection. Collections that require considerable research or significant processing time is also out of the questions due to staff and monetary constraints on the public institution. What is most important would be acquiring photographs with research value for both current and potential users of the collections. The chapter includes some useful suggestions on how to go about assessing user needs. Keeping track of the requests made will help make well informed acquisition decisions in the future.

Thoughts on Readings

Acquisition and appraisal is a challenging aspect of the archival field. In my current job as a processor at Trinity college, appraisal scares me a bit (even though I do it on a very small scale basis). I never know if I ought to keep something or throw it away and thus, I tend to err on the side of caution and retain everything. However, this fear is most likely due to a lack of practice. Recently, I spoke with my boss, Rick, to ask about his experience with acquisition and appraisal. During the course of our conversation, Rick told me a great story about a Rhode Island man named Don D’Ammassa who has collected over 50,000 science fiction/horror titles (check out Don's web site here). Though Don has not expressed a specific interest in donating his collection, Rick has been “courting” him for years because such an enormous and comprehensive collection would be a huge boon to Trinity College. In Rick’s words, it would put Trinity "on the map." This collection would make Trinity the largest science fiction/horror book repository on the eastern seaboard. In turn, this would draw researchers, potential donors and generally get Trinity College some excellent PR. The University of Rhode Island has also been “courting” Don. However, they have asked Don for a monetary donation for preservation/conservation needs (which, as we learned from P:ACM, is not an unusual practice). To get an edge over URI, Rick has told Don that he need not contribute money. Instead, Rick will hold fundraisers and other events to garner necessary resources. In conclusion, I learned that as a curator, you always have to have feelers out to find collections that fit your mission policy and increase your user group. Additionally, you have to be creative in how you court potential donors. 

In terms of the Chapter 4 of P:ACM, I appreciated the focus on proactive archivism. On page 79, the authors state, “Passive accumulation of all photographs offered to the repository places great burdens on future resources.” This makes a lot of sense to me, even though I do not think it is a popular stance in the field. In my own (limited) experience, I have seen that most acquisitions are via donor gifts. These donations are taken with little thought as to their value, whether it be informational, artifactual, associational or evidential. In most scenarios, donations are accepted to remain in good graces with the donor, who may eventually give money to the institution. However, in P:ACM, it is very clear that we archivists should give deeper consideration and care when acquiring photographs. 

An additional thought that kept popping up in my mind as I was reading is the interesting relationship between a photograph as a piece of information versus its value as an object. It is fascinating that a photograph may have no informational value to an institution and yet, the institution will acquire it due to its artifactual value. This, of course, all depends on the mission of the institution. For example, an all-women’s college may want to acquire photographs of suffragettes for reasons of promoting feminist scholarship, while a technical college may want those same photographs due to the process that created the image. 

Finally, as I read the Charbonneau article, I was confused by a statement in the first paragraph. He states, “Photographs are distinct from textual documents in that their most important value is informational.” In P:ACM, informational value is defined as "data on activities, events, places and processes not otherwise captured in other forms of documentation" (p. 102). I believe that such a definition also applies to textual documents. Perhaps Charbonneau meant to imply that the technical elements of a photograph often take precedence over other appraisal values. If I interpreted this incorrectly, feel free to clarify this for me! As a side note, I really appreciated Charbonneau’s appraisal chart on p. 130--very helpful to a novice. 

-Meg Campbell 

photo acquisitions for an archive or research institution

P:ACM is straight forward and detailed in stating what skills an appraiser should have, what to look for in a potential gift or purchase, how to assess candidates for potential acquisition, and a lot more. I think the most important thing to consider when appraising photographs is finding the best materials to meet your institution’s needs (and in the same light finding the best home for the materials offered.) Developing and working with a collection policy is helpful and efficient, I also thought that the photographic accession appraisal form was a good tool for appraisers to use for organizational purposes.

After evaluating the potential acquisition (in terms of functional value inside the institution, informational value and original context, degree of documentation, preservation or legal risks, relevance to the current collection, and  ) the appraiser needs to seriously consider if their institution is the best home for the proposed works. 

• Will the institution be able to provide monetary support in terms of preservation? 
• Can they provide appropriate access to the photograph for researchers? 
• Is there another place in which this work could thrive more so? 

A photograph of value for a fashion archive is not of the same value to a scientific institution dedicated to the study of plants. That is why archival agencies should refer materials to appropriate institutions. By providing the best context for a work, the value of it is immediately increased. In terms of art work, I think the best placement for a work would be in the context of its cultural heritage. I am not sure if I believe that to be true with photographs, because they are not only to be considered works of art but scientific documentations as well.

Appraisal Issues

Appraisal of photographic prints has many similarities with appraisal methods for other archival records and documents. As with other archival materials, repositories should develop a collecting policy that guides what the institution acquisitions. They should also seek to develop good relations with potential donors and implement donor agreements that give the repository intellectual control over the collection or photographs reproduction rights. Also, as with other formats, archivists need to consider certain aspects of the photograph itself when appraising it for acquisition. For example, who is the creator or photographer? What is the subject of the photograph and is it rare or pertinent to the repository’s collection policy? Who is the intended audience and does it fit with the repository’s users? What is the condition of the photograph? Does the photograph have any contextual information?

However, photographs have many unique characteristics that warrant special consideration when appraising a potential acquisition. First, photographs convey visual information rather than textual information. The value of this type of information is often hard to determine. While it may be easy to recognize that a portrait of Abraham Lincoln or an image from an historically significant event such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor is valuable, other images such as a collection of survey photographs from the American West may not have such clear value. In this case, I think that appraisal of photographic prints may sometimes require archivists to think outside the box. Photographs are not just useful for their depiction of historically significant persons or events, they can also be useful for documenting and graphically illustrating change over time. In the case of the survey photographs, these photographs do not have important historical subjects or creators, but they are scientifically valuable in demonstrating climate change since the 1870s, especially the decline of glaciers. Therefore, when appraising photographs, I think that archivists need to take a very broad approach in determining the potential value of a photograph and its future use.

In addition to future use, I think that archivists need to take into consideration future care and preservation of photographic prints. In contrast to many paper-based textual documents, photographs can be extremely delicate and highly sensitive to climate change, handling, and light exposure. Photographs often require special – and expensive – preservation measures that do not fit into the “more product, less process” mentality of many archival institutions today. For example, daguerreotypes need to be protected from handling. As was noted in our reading from the December 2012 issue of Scientific American, many rare daguerreotypes suffered irreparable damage when exposed to light during display. Other photographs, such a nitrate film negatives, are highly flammable and degrade easily when exposed to humidity and high temperatures. In addition, many photographic prints come in odd, small sizes – such as the cartes-de-viste – which require special housing. Therefore, when appraising photographs, I think that archivists need to not only assess the current condition of the photographs, but also factor in the future costs of maintaining and preserving the photographs.

Overall, I think that archivists should take a very broad approach when appraising photographs. Rather than determining the value of a photograph based on the condition of said photograph or on how famous the photographer is, archivists should consider potential future uses and costs of photographs. Appraisal of photographs, like appraisal of all archival records, should include some measure of long-term responsibility or archival stewardship on the part of the repository. Can the repository provide proper environmental conditions and housing for photographs? Do they have the means to provide adequate access – through exhibits, descriptive finding aids, and digitization – to their photographic collections?  Finally, while particular photographs may have little historical value, is there any potential value to non-traditional users, such as physicists or environmental scientists?

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.

Masked Mystery � underbelly

 This is interesting - be sure to read the comments (even though some are completely inane) so that you get to the one that actually explains what happened.

Masked Mystery � underbelly

Appraisal: A personal experience

Determining the value of any collection of photographs in terms of being in line with the collection goals and user needs of the institution is first but before a collection is considered I think the requirements of the donor should be thoroughly discussed and agreed upon for the sake of the institution and the users as well as the donor. I think this is a crucial item along with the risks associated with preservation, legal concerns or the resources needed to process and maintain the collection.

I have had the experience of offering a set of photographs that I own to the Mystic Seaport Museum. They are approximately 100 black and white gelatin silver prints most in the 4 in. x 6 in. range. They are images my father made while he was in the Navy and stationed in Greenland in 1943. They have evidential and informational value to the museum. They are in excellent condition with a known provenance. I was interning at the museum at the time and I was curious to see what they thought of them but I was also considering finding a good home for them. I brought the photographs to the curator and he was not only “willing” to take them but thought they were an appropriate addition to the museum because of the subject matter; American naval and maritime history. He seemed genuinely interested and agreed that the museum had the space and resources to accession them.

I was happy about that but soon after realized that once I gave them away, they were out of my control and decided I wasn’t ready to part with them. Instead, I have done my own preservation that included digitizing them to share with my siblings and anyone interested. At some point I would like to contact the/a Greenland Historical Society (if there is one) and discuss the collection with them. I think they may also have intrinsic value because of their uniqueness and probable scarcity as well as the value of the informational content. There are landscapes and seascapes as well as images of the native people of Greenland.

I think archivists need to be sensitive to donors and really explain what will happen to their collection once they hand them over.