I wasn’t sure what I was looking for last night but I ended up at the Saskatoon Public Library’s database of archival images. I checked out some old historic collections from Saskatoon’s past but I have to admit that it wasn’t the easiest to use, it was slow, you can’t save any images, and it is obsolete technology when you compare it to many of the collections in Flickr’s Commons.
For those of you who have been out of the loop for a while, The Commons are a series of institutions that upload photos that they own the copyright to or are in the public domain to Flickr where users can take, describe, and fill out the history regarding. Since the photos are in the public domain (or licensed with some restrictions under Creative Commons), they can be easily viewed (or used by the masses). Many of the participating organizations upload 50-200 photos at a time and then allow people to tag, leave comments, and fill out historical details on all of them.
As Flickr says, the goals are to:
- To increase access to publicly-held photography collections, and
- To provide a way for the general public to contribute information and knowledge. (Then watch what happens when they do!)
I am picking on the Saskatoon Public Library but the same could be said for the City of Saskatoon archives, University of Saskatchewan’s archives, the The StarPhoenix photo archives (they could also take down the paywall on their archives while they are at it), the Diefenbaker Centre photographic collection or even the Western Development Museum’s archives. They are all owners of vast amount of archival photos that would be best served being served up electronically, even if small increments.
I was noticing on the Saskatoon Public Library database that they own the copyright to quite a few images historical I was checking out. I am assuming that they took over the copyright when the original owner donated the originals to the archives but that can be released and licensed and released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License for non-profit or private use. There are some images that are still held by families or companies and of course those copyrights will need to be respected but for those images that are in the public domain, release them and make them easily available to the public. All of Saskatoon would benefit.
Two thoughts…
-though it isn’t as convenient, many public libraries will make digital scans available to the public for free or nominal cost upon request.
-as someone who worked at a museum/archives for many years, I can certainly understand the desire to give the photographs/documents as wide an audience as possible. The only issue is that caring for these things in environmentally controlled conditions is pretty expensive, and making copies of archival holdings for researchers and writers is one way to help defray the costs. Museums and archives rarely have the funds they need to do their work well. Libraries exist in a completely different paradigm. They function essentially as a news stand. When materials are dated, or no longer being sought out by the public, they’re removed from the collection. In Ontario, libraries fall under special legislation requiring funding. No such thing exists for museums and archives. And yet, museums must care for their holdings in perpetuity.
As for archives, it is just the photographs that I think should be digitally released, I know this would cut back on some revenue but it’s not a lot (there isn’t a whole lot of use for these services) and opening up the collection will generate more excitement in both history and the collections not released. I think if done right, you would both open up the collection to new patrons and generate more revenue from an increased interest.
I hear you. I really do. I can see only benefit from getting images out there. But it pretty much always comes down to time and money. If someone is going to scan and post images online, and maintain the presence… what other work will get cut?
Most institutions are looking for skilled volunteers
Kidding. I know how busy your life is. But it’s the kind of help that’s often really needed.
I understand and agree with what you are saying, but I don’t know if you understand the implications of what you are suggesting. I have worked for a museum and archive in the past, and I think you have grossly underestimated the cost (the software alone would be well over $2000 per institution) and loss of profit associated with scanning and releasing the millions of photos in the archives of Saskatoon. Your idea works well for the people, and would work well in Europe (where the operating costs of museums and archives are paid primarily by the government, rather than admission, and fee-for-service.)
Sorry buddy, not trying to rain on your parade.
Nolan, of course there would have to be some funding but $2000 is a not a lot of money for any organization and it can and is done for a lot cheaper than that. The quality that the Library of Congress or even smaller archives are putting online are not super high resolution shots but rather putting them out so the public can enjoy them and in some limited ways actually enjoy them.
An astute library or museum could actually use this as both a public relations, partnership, or a fundraising tool.
Many are putting out 50, 100, 200 at a time. Not their entire collection.
Plus, a lot of this stuff is online but not in a way that is easily accessible (bad database software, no permalinks). Flickr handles the back end sharing of photos better than anyone and there is a community of other institutions that are doing it as well.
I am not sure why institutions dedicated with preserving history are so terrified by sharing some of it.