----------------------------Original message---------------------------- The Photo Research File at the Art Center College of Design Library contains approximately 58,000 images. Since the library and slide library have extensive collections on art, illustration, photography, design, sculpture, and architecture, we try to fill in other areas. The pictures are arranged by subject and the collection includes topics like wildlife, agriculture, landscapes, nature, people, food, business, industry, transportation, medicine, technology, military, government, social issues, recreation, sports, entertainment, celebrities, travel, places. We cater to illustration students who need reference for rendering, graphic design and advertising students looking for concept images, film students doing casting, set, or location research, transportation design students looking for lifestyle images, and product design and fine art students doing research or finding inspirational images. The collection consists of mostly of photographic images that are taken from magazines, discarded books and dust jackets, calendars, and newspapers. I subscribe to several magazines specifically for the collection, and I also go through back issues that are being discarded. I have also accepted various clipping collections from private donors. The images are cut from the source and pasted onto a backing. Any information on the image credit and source is placed on the back along with a label indicating the subject folder the picture belongs in. These pages are laminated, trimmed, and placed into hanging file folders for each subject. There are over 2600 different folders. The staff can search a custom database of the subjects on the computer using keywords. We are in the process of planning a more extensive database covering each image and including a digital thumbnail. We also have a small collection of reference books that are specifically ordered for this department, as well as a collection of catalogs from commercial stock photography companies. We also have a few CD-ROMs that come with these catalogs, and are considering developing the CD-ROM collection as well. We also try to refer patrons to online sources as well as books in the library collection. Since our database is separate from the library catalog, we have devised a method for patrons to check out pictures through the library system. Patrons come to our office and tell us what they are looking for, and the staff pulls out subject folders for the patron to look through. The patron can check out up to 12 pictures at a time which are due back the next day. The pictures are counted and placed into a barcoded envelope for the specific number of pictures. The envelope is then checked out to the patron through the library circulation system. I am the curator of the collection and work full-time assisting students, selecting images, and planning new projects. I have two part-time assistants to help with picture processing, assisting students, and refiling. I also have one part-time workstudy student to assist with picture processing and refiling. We usually add 100-150 new pictures per week. Jennifer Faist Curator, Photo Research File Fogg Memorial Library Art Center College of Design 1700 Lida Street Pasadena, CA 91103 626.396.2236 Fax 626.568.9428 [log in to unmask] __________________________________________________________________ Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] Administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) to [log in to unmask] ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html Questions may be addressed to list owner at: [log in to unmask]