I could certainly see the images as a part of the historic record of  
the area.

Here is another question: although the museum was given permission to  
use them, is the general public given the same permission? If I can  
view an image online, I can also (in most cases) grab it and store it  
in my computer. From there I can print it, which could lead to using  
the photo in posters, notecards, etc.

It's another can of worms — while the owner's intention may be that  
you use them in your own displays and graphics, what do they think of  
them being made available for wider use?

-Carol Kocian


> On Dec 17, 2010, at 9:37 AM, Sarah Griswold wrote:
>
>> I am wondering what the general wisdom is regarding the cataloging  
>> of scanned photographs, when the original photographs remain in a  
>> private person's possession. If they allow us to scan them and  
>> then use the scans as we choose, should we consider the scans part  
>> of our photograph collection, and add them to Past Perfect? For us  
>> they exist ONLY in digital format.
>>
>> The curator would like to add them to the collection so that  
>> online viewers can see the images, but I'm not sure that they  
>> should be accorded status equivalent to actual artifacts.
>>
>> We don't have any specific wording in our collection policy that  
>> addresses the issue of copies vs. originals, and in the case of  
>> photographs, it's a very thorny issue anyway.
>>
>> Thanks for any comments
>>
>> Sarah Griswold
>> Curatorial Consultant
>> Curatorial Assistant, Gunn Memorial Museum, Washington, CT

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