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I have just become an evening librarian at an academic art library,
and this question is directed at those academic art librarians who have
worked with picture files.
The "picture files" I refer to might require some degree of definition,
because in your own library you may refer to them by a different name. The
picture files at my library are simply photos and/or drawings of various
subjects that are cut out from old magazines (those magazines which are
slated for discard or are not part of the collection, that is!), placed
in file folders, labeled, and made available to the students at a group
of file cabinets. They are in high demand at this library, because art
students are always looking for pictures they can use in order to practice
their drawing or to fulfill academic assignments.
As I have worked at keeping this file organized, a number of issues
have come up. Collection development: What pictures are most appropriate?
Cataloging: Which headings are best, and what type of sub-headings should
there be? Circulation: What is the most efficient way to circulate the
pictures and ensure their return (Currently we use a system of placing the
picture in bar-coded folders that are circulated just like books, which
works ok but might not be the best method.)
In doing a search of the library literature on this subject, I
have not found much that so far addresses the management of picture
files. What I would appreciate, then, is one or both of the following:
1) Some references in the art or library literature that deal with
the topic of picture files.
2) Personal experience and advice about how you manage your own
picture file collection.
Thank you for your assistance. I can be reached at:
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