ABSTRACT
Newspaper “photo morgues” have traditionally served as archives for images, both published and unpublished, that have the potential for future use. The contraction of the newspaper industry and the steady displacement of print by digital technology have led to the acquisition of numerous photo morgues by university and public libraries, archives, and museums. These collections have great potential for research, education, and exhibition, and this value is increased when they contain images supplied by news agencies (such as AP, UPI, and others), as is frequently the case. The author surveyed photo morgue collections in 55 libraries, archives, and museums, and collected data on the inclusion of news agency photographs as well as the extent, date range, arrangement, description, accessibility, and rights and reproduction policies. The survey data and the data collected during physical assessment at 10 repositories indicate that the presence of news agency photographs, which in some cases account for the majority of a morgue's contents, adds to the challenge of managing the collections. This is due largely to the retention of copyright by the agencies or other third parties, and the unstable (and varied) print technologies frequently used to produce the images. This article describes obstacles to preservation and access and details current efforts to render these significant visual resources available to users. Appendixes provide information about facsimile prints as well as specific recommendations for storage and housing of newspaper photo morgue collections.
