At the Smithsonian Institution, the policy on staff credits for illustrations
in publications seems to vary widely from museum to museum and office to
office--as one might expect in a decentralized organization.  The trend in my
museum, the National Museum of American History, seems to be to give
designers and editors credit in publications and brochures, although I've
seen exceptions.  Usually there is no original artwork per se to be credited,
however.

The trend in our museum for a number of years generally has favored public
credits for staff work, so we're less anonymous than we used to be.
Exhibitions, for example, usually include a credit panel listing curators,
designers, editors, production staff, etc.  This personalizes the project and
informs viewers that real people are behind it and the exhibit does not
represent a monolithic institutional "voice".  Given that enlightened
mindset, I was chagrined a couple of years ago to find that, for an
illustrated mailing piece announcing an exhibition which I curated, there was
an official museum policy against naming the curator.  (I later found that
the way to sneak the curator's name into printed announcements was to include
a blurb about a scheduled gallery talk by so-and-so, the curator.  You live
and learn.)

Generally, our staff photographers get credit lines in museum publications,
which is appropriate for original photographs involving creative work, such
as pictures of people or studio setups of "three-dimensional" collection
objects.  I'm often amused by photographer credits for reproductions of
"flat" collection items like photographs, posters, drawings, etc., which
don''t ordinarily require much creativity or skill--this I consider overdoing
it.  I haven't noticed yet whether people are claiming credit for merely
scanning flat stuff.  Deserved or not, such credits don't usually survive
when the photographs are reproduced in "outside" publications.

Having said that, I admit that I once did some rushed, emergency flat-copy
photography for a colleague's book, published by a university press, and the
pictures, although sharp, were not my best work--they were muddy and dreary.
When she added my name to the caption for each image I was rather
embarrassed--I would have preferred anonymity.  (Her gratitude for my help
precipitated a tempestuous, but brief relationship. But that's another
story...)

Suffice it to say that I believe in giving credit where credit is due.  That
certainly includes original artwork, graphic design, etc.

David Haberstich

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