This manual replaces Works: General Guidelines for Cataloging in OLIVIA. Some practices have been carried over, while some areas are new recommendations. It will guide a photograph cataloger on the best practices for cataloging photographs from Schlesinger Library’s collections in Shared Shelf.
Resources used for this manual:
Works: General Guidelines for Cataloging into OLIVIA
[Previous manual]
Cataloging Historical Photographs in OLIVIA
http://library.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/HLPS_cataloginghistoricalphotos.pdf
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
http://files.archivists.org/pubs/DACS2E-2013.pdf
Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Graphics)
http://rbms.info/files/dcrm/dcrmg/DCRMG.pdf
Helpful Resources
For guidance on anything not covered in this manual, consult Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Graphics) and discuss with your supervisor.
Schlesinger Library
Schlesinger Library
http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library
VIA
http://via.lib.harvard.edu/via/deliver/advancedsearch?_collection=via
Collection Services Procedures – Harvard Wiki
Schlesinger Library Collection Services
Shared Shelf
Shared Shelf – Harvard Wiki
https://wiki.harvard.edu/confluence/display/LibraryStaffDoc/Shared+Shelf
Shared Shelf Help
http://support.sharedshelf.org/
Identifying Photographic Processes
Care and Identification of 19th-Century Photographic Prints by James M. Reilly
Graphics Atlas
The American Museum of Photography: A Primer on Processes
http://photographymuseum.com/primer.html
George Eastman House: Notes on Photographs
http://notesonphotographs.eastmanhouse.org/index.php
The Getty Conservation Institute: The Atlas of Analytical Signatures of Photographic processes by Dusan Stulik and Art Kaplan
http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/atlas.html
Victoria and Albert Museum: Photographic Processes
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/p/photographic-processes/
Dating Photographs
Collection finding aid
Notable American Women
Dictionary of American Biography
The Chronicle of Western Fashion
20th Century Fashion
Dressed for the Photographer
*Photographic process may also be used to determine dates.
Best Practices
Follow these guidelines when selecting subject and name terms:
Names (personal and corporate)- LC NAF is the preferred authority. If the name already exists in Shared Shelf, select Harvard name over ULAN (under the assumption that Harvard created the name using LC NAF). If there is only ULAN in Shared Shelf, it may be used if it matches LC or HOLLIS, or if no other authority exists. If no authority exists, the cataloger will create one.
Subject terms-prefer AAT over Harvard, if only exists as Harvard term, ok to use. If no AAT or Harvard exists, create a new term from a recognized authority.
Geographic names-TGN is preferred term.
Display Record
Image View Description
If linking more than one Display Record(DR) to a single Word Record(WR) and the images have different inscriptions, this information should be recorded here.
Image Repository
Link Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute
*Note that there are multiple records for SL in Shared Shelf, be sure to only link to this one.
Image Classification
Enter classification number for the individual image. See Repositories in the WR sections for guidelines.
Work Record Tab
Titles
Required
The title of the work record (WR) is a brief description of the work. A work have more than one image associated with it, in this case the WR title will describe all images collectively. Titles may be owner supplied (i.e. photograph caption) or devised by the cataloger.
Style recommendations:
- Do not end titles with a period.
- The use of a period may be used when there is a second descriptive phrase as part of the title.[1]
- A semi-colon may be used when adding a non-inclusive list[2] (e.g. to list out identified persons in a photograph in which not all persons are identified or if the WR has multiple images associated with it and the cataloger wishes to point out certain items of interest)
- Quotations may be used within a title, but do not start the title with quotations or have the whole title in quotes.
- Refrain from using initial articles.
- Use sentence capitalization
Owner/Creator Supplied Title
If there is title information provided by the creator/owner on or accompanying the photograph(s), this title information can be used as the title of the WR. Do not use quotations for a supplied title. Instead add a general note to provide information on where the title came from. (When caption information is not sufficient or incorrect a title should be devised by the cataloger and the caption information transcribed as an inscription)
Examples
Classification: PC32-55-R4/f41
Title: Candice Bergen being interviewed by child reporter at Democratic National Convention
Note (General): Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.
Classification: PC169-1-1-22
Title: Skiers on Deception Pass near Skoki Lodge, Alberta, Canada
Note (General): Title from accompanying documentation.
Devised Title
If there is no owner/creator supplied title or the supplied title is insufficient or incorrect, the cataloger must devise a title for the WR. The title should be a descriptive but concise narrative of the photograph(s).
Things to consider when creating a title[3]:
- The type of image
- Portrait? Group portrait? View(s)?
- The subject(s) of the image
- Are people identified?
- Is it depicting any events or activities?
- Is it an object?
In general, note the geographic location in the title if it appears pertinent to the image.
Avoid using abbreviations.
Use full names for persons and corporations.
If the cataloger is unsure of a person, but it is probably that person, include the person’s name and follow with a question mark(?).
Use “Portrait of” or “Group portrait of” when this is the only thing of note in the image.
Note the type of portrait (e.g., studio or formal)
When describing something that is taking place in a photograph, it is recommended the cataloger use the progressive verb tense (-ing form).[4] An exception to this rule is the use of seated instead of sitting.
Use outdoors, not outside.
Do not use “photograph of…” or “snapshot of…”
If describing more than one display record (DR) in a WR and it will be helpful to have the number of DRs associated with the work, use “[#] images of…” or “[#] views of…” or “[#] portraits of…”
Examples
Classification: MC770-PD.7-5
Title: Nona Baldwin playing handball aboard the SS Washington; other players include Kathleen and Robert Kennedy
Classification: MC620-PD.27v
Title: Album of Feroline Walley (Pierce) Fox. Captions identify people pictured; includes images of Pierce, Hedge, and Fox families and others
Classification: MC536-PD.1
Title: Two informal portraits of Marybelle Cochran, Mimi Dohan, and Joan Weiss
Classification: 87-M176-41a-6
Title: Portrait of Frances Fineman Gunther and her young son John Gunther, Jr. on the boarding ramp of an American Airlines flight
Agents
Required if known
Enter creator (photographer or photography studio) information here. Link the photographer’s authority and select role (role must be linked or name will not display in VIA properly)
If the cataloger is unsure, but there is a probably photographer, leave this area blank and enter attribution in a General note.
Locations: Places, Repositories, and Private Owners
Only enter repository information here.
Repositories
Required
Link repository and enter classification information.
Type: repository
Repository: Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute
*note that there are multiple authorities for Schlesinger in Shared Shelf, only link to this one
Ref ID: classification; classification #
*classification number = collection number + folder number + sequence number (do not use spaces, e.g., MC412-1066-1; AM571-1-2; MC620-PD.6-1). For collections with a range of accession numbers as the collection number, only use the first number in the classification number (e.g., collection number of 86-M74—86-M130, only use 86-M74 when generating the classification number).
Dates
Required
Enter the date the photograph was taken. Of there is no date provided, the cataloger must try to assign a date or date range (within 10 years) to the best of their ability. Clues to look for when dating a photograph include photographic process and format, photographer, subject (is person identified? Can you guess their age?), clothing and dress, buildings, cars, etc. Do not use undated or n.d. If the date of the photograph was printed or a copyright notice is written on the image and this date is different from the date the image was taken, this should be transcribed in a note. Use the following guidelines when entering dates:
Certain date
Date Description: 1920 August 18
Start Date: 1920
End Date: 1920
Probable date
Date Description: 1920?
Start Date: 1919
End Date: 1921
Approximate date
Date Description: ca. 1920
Start Date: 1918
End Date: 1922
Decade certain
Date Description: 1920s
Start Date: 1920
End Date: 1929
One year or the other
Date Description: 1920 or 1921
Start Date: 1920
End Date: 1921
Date Range
Date Description: between 1915 and 1920
Start Date: 1915
End Date: 1920
Work Types
Required
Enter information about the kind of photograph getting cataloged.
Examples
photographs
negatives (photographic)
photogravure
slides (photographs)
photomechanical prints
* Work Type field is repeatable and more than one term may be necessary.
photographs ; photograph albums
photographs ; digital images
photographs ; cabinet photographs
photographs ; stereographs
slides (photographs) ; lantern slides
photographs ; daguerreotypes
photographs ; postcards
Materials
Optional
Add material and type of material if it is not something one would expect based on the work type.
Example: glass negatives
Work Type: negatives (photographic)
Material: glass (material), Type: support
Techniques: gelatin silver process
Techniques
Required
Add the type of photographic process used to create the image.
Examples
gelatin silver process [use for most black & white prints[
chromogenic processes [use for most color prints]
albumen processes
photomechanical processes
digital imaging
*If the image requires further description than the AAT terms available, add a Techniques note type to add pertinent information.
Example: halftone
Work Type: photomechanical prints
Technique: photomechanical processes
Note type: Techniques: halftone
Measurements
Required
Enter the image’s dimensions in centimeters, height x width. Measure the photographic paper, not the mount except when the size of the mount is important[5] (i.e., cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, stereograph) or if there are multiple images on the mount that will be cataloged as one record. In general, the cataloger should enter the dimensions of the image as it will be digitized, such as the whole page dimensions with multiple photographs that will be cataloged as one record. Round up to the nearest whole centimeter. Use plate size for daguerreotypes and ambrotypes. For film in rolls (not large format or glass), enter the film width.[6] Enter the dimensions of the visible image for a cased photograph.[7] For irregular shapes enter the height x width and add a descriptive word for the shape.[8]
Examples
18 x 14 cm
sixth plate
35 mm
57 mm [use for 2 ¼ format film]
9 x 7 cm oval
Inscriptions
Required if present
Transcribe of anything written on the front or back of the photograph, mount or mat, or accompanying an image. If there is a change in writing or type of writing instrument (i.e., color of pen, pen to pencil) note this in square brackets, [in a different hand, in ink]. If the cataloger is unsure about a word[?], or if the word is [illegible] or [obscured]. If the cataloger knows what a missing word should be, write the missing word in [brackets]. If something has been crossed out, [crossed out: ]. It is not necessary to note the crossed out note if it has been replaced with a correction. In this case the cataloger only needs to transcribe the correction. If there is an incorrect spelling of a word or name, transcribe it as is and follow with the correct spelling in brackets. If Schlesinger staff has added information to the photograph, will be in [brackets], this will be transcribed inside {}. Indicate if something is [stamped:], [embossed:], [signed:] or [typed:]. If there is a blank space in a note, a cataloger may note this as [space] in the inscription.
Transcribe names and addresses of photographers and photography studios.
Precede all inscriptions with the location of the note, colon, and the transcribed text. A cataloger should separate different inscription locations with semi-colons.
It is not necessary to use all capitalization in an inscription unless it appears to be important or convey the emphasis of the writer.
It is generally unnecessary to transcribe a number unless the number is relevant.
Recto: transcribe anything written on the front of the photograph
Verso: transcribe anything written on the back of the photograph
Caption: if an image is in an album and transcribe anything written on the page (not the actual photograph)
Attached caption: transcribe anything written about the image that is attached
Associated caption: transcribed a caption that goes with the image, even if note physically attached.
[Caption from “publication title”:] use if it is known and SL also has the publication.
[Caption on dupe:] If there is a duplicate image that has more information than the actual image cataloging (this may be the case when the photograph of better quality has been digitized, but there is more information on a duplicate image).
[See individual images for captions] (If one WR is used for multiple DRs and the images have different inscriptions)
Examples
Verso: House dining room, coloring shades of brown; [in different hand:] Dining room, School of Domestic Science, 40 Berkeley St.; [stamped:] Shattuck, Photographer, 480 Boylston St., Boston
Verso: Christina and Eva in the country July 1947; [in a different hand, in black ink:] File - Miss Christina Ellwyn; [in red pencil:] Miss Ellwyn Sweden
Recto: [embossed with official seal of the American Consulate General, Paris France]; [stamped with Passport Department's amendation]: to [handwritten amendation:] include the name of the bearer's infant son, John, Jr., born Neuilly-S.-Seine, Nov. 4. 1929 [illegible signature], Dec. 23. 1929; [stamped:] American Vice Consul; verso: [stamped:] Description of bearer: Height (feet, inches), Hair, Eyes, Distinguishing marks or features; [filled in by hand]: 5, 1/2, Golden, Grey; [stamped:] Place of birth, Date of birth, Occupation; [filled in by hand]: New York City, N.Y., September 14, 1901, Writer; [signed:] Frances Gunther (Mrs. John Gunther); [stamped:] Canceled.
Verso: [typed: ] Ernest Thompson Seton and Mrs. Grace Gallatin Seton having a chat with Jim, the big lion at the Franklin Park Zoo. [Crossed out: Jim is paying strict attention.] Photo by ______ Brust, Herald Staff Photographer.
Subjects
Required
Subject terms provide added access points for users for items that might not be noted in other fields. Names and topical subject terms are entered here. When entering personal and corporate names, select type as “associated name”. When entering location, select type as “associated site”. A type must be selected or these terms will not display properly in VIA. For topical subject index terms, no type is necessary.
Subject term usage
Do not use overly broad subject terms (Social life and customs, Views, etc.)
Note the race or ethnicity of a person depicted if known.
Note nationalities if it is known, if the person is in their own country or not.
Note occupations of a person.
Use the term men [Harvard term, not AAT term for men]
Use Anti-suffrage movement (local Harvard term) for anti-suffrage activities.
Use community organizations for activities of community members working together for a cause that benefits the community, not community groups
Use the term families if there is more than one family member depicted. The cataloger may wish to also add the relationship of the family members (e.g., sisters, fathers, daughters, etc.)
Use clothing and dress [Harvard term] if clothing is of note. Add more descriptive term if applicable.
Do not use the term costumes for people in traditional clothing of their country; use clothing and dress and the nationality of the person. Costume may be used when someone is “dressed-up.”
When there is a man dressed as a woman or a woman dressed as a man, use female impersonator [Harvard term] or male impersonators [Harvard term].
*The cataloger should be aware of topics of recent research interest include (can add subject terms or note in title):
Domestic scenes
Toys/Children playing
Woman and sports
Costumes
Cross dressing / male impersonators
LGBTQ relationships
Weddings/Honeymoons
Minorities
Less formal, snapshots revealing expression/emotion
Notes
Use as needed
The cataloger may add information that is not covered by other fields in the WR.
Note types that may be used:
- General [Harvard]: include information that is not recorded elsewhere, but is considered important to the image.
- Title from accompanying information.
- Title and date provided by [photographer].
- See also
- Accompanying material includes:
- citation/references[Harvard]:
- Published in:
- Attribution[Harvard]:
- Probably photographed by
- Possibly photographed by
- In House Notes [Harvard]: add note if there is any damage or other items of note for our records but not to be published in the record.
- provenance [Harvard]: use this note if the photograph or album was purchased by SL.
- Acquired from [name of dealer/source].
- Techniques [Shared Shelf]: use this note if it is necessary to provide more information about the creation of the image that is not covered by AAT terms.
Rights
Required
Add access restriction note (required) and copyright information (required if known).
No copyright or unknown copyright:
Rights type: Access restrictions
Content: If researchers wish to publish, reproduce, or otherwise make any use of an image in the Schlesinger Library’s collections that requires permission from the copyright holder(s) of the image, it is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain all such permissions.
Known copyright:
Rights type: Access restrictions
Content: This image may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.
Rights type: Copyright [Shared Shelf, required if known]
Enter name of the copyright holder. E.g. Estate of Bettye Lane.
Local Info tab
Relationships
Required
Enter HOLLIS record and collection information here.
Collection Information (from the collection finding aid)
Relationships: part of
Relationship type: related work
Description: Collection name. Folder: photo folder title [some older finding aids will have multiple levels of description, in these cases include each level, separating each level with a colon. This is a cumulative heading].
Link: leave blank
*If a collection has no finding aid or HOLLIS record, enter as follows:
Relationships: part of
Relationship type: related work
Description: Picture collection. (or Graphics collection, Poster collection, Memorabilia collection)
HOLLIS record
Relationships: leave blank
Relationship Type: related information
Description: HOLLIS collection-level record
Link: [link]
*Note that some collections do not have HOLLIS records and therefore will have no information entered here.
Cataloging in FileMaker Pro database “PhotoTracker”
As a general rule, catalogers working in “PhotoTracker” will follow the same guidelines outlined in previous sections of this manual. However, cataloging in “PhotoTracker” requires certain modifications in certain areas.
Subjects
When adding personal subject terms, do not add dates if they appear in their authority file.
Inscription
If multiple inscriptions are present for multiple images associated with one record enter [See individual images for captions] and enter the classification # of the image and follow with the inscription for that image.
Example
[See individual images for inscriptions]: [Image 1 of 2:] Verso: [cropped]: [f]amilies. 1,3,4 Pres. children; [caption for image 1 clipped to mount]: Sons & daughter of Presidente of Silay & their muchacha. High class children. Note shoes on little girl; [Image 2 of 2]: Verso: [cropped]: [much]acha is holding is the [c]hild of one of the [n]umerous sisters of the Pres.