SJPA/012126: Brick Making Factory (The Rock & Brick Company), Bellozanne Valley, St Helier. Date: 1887. Photographer: Ernest Baudoux
Dating back to 1927, when Emile Guiton was appointed to manage the Société Jersiaise Library’s first cabinet for housing photographic records, the collection, care and preservation of photographs have played an important part in the development of the Société Jersiaise as an organisation. Today, with responsibility for managing over 140,000 photographic records, the Société Jersiaise – through its dedicated Photographic Archive, established as a separate department in 1992 – has a longstanding reputation as a highly regarded and respected photographic repository in Jersey, holding some of the island’s most important and significant records, from the beginnings of photography in the mid-1800s to the present day.
As a result of this reputation, we receive interest from countless individuals, institutions and organisations throughout the year looking to deposit photographic material in our archive. Such donations range substantially in size, from a single photographic print or a holiday snapshot album to a handful of assorted items, several dozen slides and negatives, and substantial collections reaching into the hundreds, or even thousands, of photographic images.
The willingness of individuals and organisations to donate and deposit photographic items is an essential part of our continued growth as a photographic archive, and as such it is a process we treat with the utmost importance. It is not simply about ‘taking in’ new items; it is an opportunity to reflect on what we hold, identify any noticeable gaps, and explore how we can add further depth and value to our existing collection.
Therefore, whenever we receive new donations, we follow an extensive process to accession items into our collection. This article outlines that process from start to finish.
WHAT IS A DEPOSITOR?
A depositor is anyone wishing to deposit photographic material into our collection. The types of depositors we work with, and what they choose to deposit, vary.
Examples:
- Someone looking to donate a personal collection of family photographs
- A Société Jersiaise researcher depositing photographs related to their field of research
- An established local photographer depositing their archive of work
- A fellow archive transferring an item from their collection to ours
Family photo albums and colourslides are examples of items we regularly receive offers of donations for.
OBJECT ENTRY
Typically, we receive items through a depositor contacting us to express their intent to transfer material. Upon receiving this request, we ask for some basic information about the item(s).
We then ask the depositor to complete an ‘Object Entry’ form. This form describes the material received, outlines how long it will be ‘loaned’ to us, and records any specific requests.
Ideally, we meet the depositor in person at our office, where they can drop off the items, discuss them in more detail, and complete and sign the form. However, this is not always possible – for example, when the depositor does not live in Jersey – in which case we carry out all relevant steps virtually.
Object Entry Form
PROPOSAL AND REVIEW
The next step is to carefully consider the material and decide whether to accession it. Throughout this stage, we refer extensively to our Collections Development Policy, which outlines the factors we must consider before deciding.
Proposal Form: At this stage, we will first complete a Proposal Form outlining our justification, along with any additional considerations.
Accession Meeting: As a department, the SJPA holds regular accession meetings, where we review deposited items and decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether to accession them. If we decide to retain the material, we continue the process; if not, we contact the depositor to arrange its return.
Proposal Form
APPRAISAL
For all items selected for accession, we conduct a thorough appraisal process. This involves reviewing the material in its entirety and deciding whether to retain all or only part of a collection.
This stage can be seen as a fine-tuning process, filtering down exactly which items we wish to keep. In some cases, while most material is suitable for accession, certain items may not be. This ensures we retain only material that is relevant and adds value to the collection.
ACCESSION
Once we have determined what to retain, we formally accession the material into our collection. This is done by completing an accession form, which is signed by both us and the depositor.
This form acts as a formal agreement, outlining the items being accessioned and the terms of that agreement. At a minimum, we require the depositor to grant essential copyright permissions; however, agreements are always considered on a case-by-case basis, and depositors are invited to provide their own ideas and suggestions where appropriate.
Once the paperwork is signed, the material is officially accessioned into our collection and assigned a unique SJPA accession number. We also fill out/update our ‘accession spreadsheet’, which outlines everything we have accessioned from that year, and is an easy way to review everything in one go.
Accession Form
DESCRIPTIONS
Once the material has entered our collection, we prepare descriptions by completing our Accession Description form. This allows us to record key information about the collection’s content and scope, along with relevant background context.
A major part of this process is writing item-level descriptions. In this context, ‘items’ refer to individual photographs or pieces of photographic material (e.g. a single negative, colour slide, or photographic print).
For smaller collections, this can be done within the accession description spreadsheet. For larger, more extensive collections, we complete this process using a separate spreadsheet. These item-level descriptions will eventually form our catalogue entries, so accuracy and attention to detail are critical.
Once completed, this information is transferred to our internal database.
The Accession Description form we use to document accession information
DIGITISING
Digitising is the process of creating digital files by scanning and/or photographing physical photographic material.
There are three main reasons why we digitise:
Time and access: Digitisation makes it far easier to show and share material. Rather than requiring in-person access, we can quickly provide digital copies, making the collection easier and faster to access.
Preservation: Despite the best preservation efforts, it is inevitable that all photographic material will degrade over time. Digitising material as early as possible ensures a digital copy, highlighting the best-preserved version of the physical item, exists.
Disaster management: In the event of a disaster, such as fire or flooding, digitised material ensures that, even if the physical item is lost or damaged beyond repair, a digital version at the very least remains.
We use two main approaches:
Scanning: A high-resolution flatbed scanner provides maximum quality and full control of the scanning environment. However, it is limited to flat items no larger than A3 and those robust enough to withstand being placed inside the scanner with the lid closed. It is also preferable for negatives, as it can be set to invert the image to a positive during the scanning process.
Copy stand: This involves photographing items using a high-resolution camera mounted on an adjustable overhead stand. It is used where material is too large or fragile for scanning, where digitisation must be carried out in high volumes, or where items are three-dimensional (e.g. photographic albums).
Max digitising colour slides using the copy stand
EXPORTING
Once items have been accessioned, digitised, and fully described, the information and images can be uploaded from Adlib to our online catalogue. As part of this process, we will assign all photographic items a unique reference code, ensuring they can be searched for easily. Item entries can then be batch exported onto our shared catalogue with Jersey Heritage.
Example: SJPA/009981, photograph by Francis Foot, on our catalogue with full description
REHOUSING
By this stage, all information has been gathered and processing is complete. The final step is to physically and permanently rehouse the material within our storeroom.
Photographic material which has been rehoused and stored into our archive storeroom
Thank you for taking the time to learn about our accession process. We hope it provides helpful insight into how photographic material moves from initial receipt into our collection to becoming fully accessioned.
Should you have any items that you are interested in potentially donating to our collection, or would like to discuss anything mentioned in this article then we would be delighted to hear from you. Please get in touch either via email on photoarchive@societe.je or alternatively give us a call on +44 (0) 1534 633398.
Article and images (except SJPA/012126) by Max Le Feuvre, Photographic Archive Assistant, SJPA
