Policies & Procedures
of the
Digital Media &
Visual Resource Center
of Bryn Mawr College

Contents:

History and Overview
Conditions for Borrowing Materials
DMVRC Facilities
Slide Collection Access
Copyright Policy
Guidelines for use of DMVRC’s Slide Collection
Registration Procedure for Borrowing
DMVRC Circulation Procedure

Borrowing slides
Reserve shelf
Carousels
Requesting Slides to be added to the DMVRC Collection
Requesting Personal Slides to be made by the DMVRC
Requesting Photographic Prints to be made by the DMVRC
Copystand Policy for the DMVRC
Film Recommendations
Film Processing
General Rules For Copystand And Camera Use

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History and Overview

The main purpose and first priority of the Digital Media and Visual Resource Center is to support the curriculum of Bryn Mawr College, primarily by providing images for projection in classrooms. The collection contains approximately 200,000 35 mm slides, 5,000 digital images, and 70,000 lantern slides. The strengths of the collection have evolved over the decades since their initial, separate compilation by three programs - History of Art, Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, and the Growth and Structure of Cities - which continue to be the principal, if by no means the exclusive constituencies that the department serves.

The arrangement of the slide collection is a reflection of the three progams which have contributed most heavily to its development. Within the three major divisions of the collection, a variety of arrangement schemes have been employed. Generally, the History of Art section is arranged by artist in one series for painting, in a second for sculpture, and a third for photography. Minor Arts within the History of Art section are divided into media, culture, and chronological period. The Growth and Structure of Cities section is arranged by place name, although there is a smaller section arranged by architect’s name. The Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology section is arranged first by cultural-geographical catagories, and then by media.

The hierarchical categories in which the slides are arranged serve most users, and some cross-referencing cards in the drawers also provide occasional pointers to related materials. Over the past decades the Department has been building a computerized catalog that will enhance access to the collection through a variety of database fields that may be searched. The database used in the DMVRC contains text records for over 125,000 slides and digital images, more than 50 percent of the collection. At present such searches are faciltated by staff members.

In recent years between 7,000-10,000 slides have been added to the collection annually. The majority of these new slides are the result of faculty requests, with a lesser number added to meet student requests. Additionally, a concerted effort has been made toward collection development aims over the past year.

The collection serves some 25 frequent faculty borrowers, along with a fluctuating number of student patrons. The collection circulates an average of 4,000-5,000 slides per month to faculty borrowers. Student borrowers account for a monthly circulation of between 500-2,000 slides. The Digital Media & Visual Resource Center provides a variety of web services for the Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, the Growth & Structure of Cities, and the History of Art programs. The Center's stafft helps to create and maintains webpages related to courses offered by those departments.

Current course web pages are posted on the firewalled site at: (http://www.brynmawr.edu/Trico/VR).

The Center has created over 36 websites for various course offerings. The websites contain resources that support the course material, primarily images for slide test reviews, but this also includes syllabi, bibliographies, notes and even course readings and assignments. The Center's staff can also offer assistance to individual faculty members who would like to create their own web pages in teaching or research projects.

The DMVRC also provides photographic services for faculty publications and for the College’s archives and object collections.

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Conditions for Borrowing Materials

Faculty, students and staff of Bryn Mawr College have borrowing privileges. All patrons of the collection must register with the staff of the DMVRC, and agree to follow collection polices and procedures.

The slide collection is not a lending library, per se. For the most part, slides are to be used on the Bryn Mawr campus for teaching purposes. They can be borrowed, occasionally, by faculty or graduate students to be used in conjunction with lectures given off campus. In these cases, a determination must be made by a member of the DMVRC staff as to whether or not those particular slides may be needed by another faculty member for classroom lectures at the College. If a conflict occurs, the classroom lecture at the College will take precedence.

Slides are to remain on campus, and within the DMVRC slide collection area in Rhys Carpenter Library until just prior to lectures and presentations and are to be returned as soon as possible thereafter. Slides and carousels borrowed for evening lectures and presentations are to be returned to the circulation desk of Carpenter Library. Slides removed from the collection area must be returned the next business day.

In the spirit of Tri-College cooperation, the DMVRC attempts to make small and occasional loans to Haverford and to Swarthmore when they so request. The DMVRC cannot, however, support the curriculum of other institutions except on very rare occasions and under unusual circumstances.

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DMVRC Facilities

A number of light tables line the perimeter of the collection area. The light tables are available on a first-come, first served basis. Caramate machines are available within the collection area to preview carousel presentations. The shelves lining the room are reserved for the use of faculty who are frequent users of the collection.

A number of general reference texts are available within the slide collection area for patron use.

A Nikon 35mm camera fitted with a 60 mm Macro lens and a copystand for the production of slides is available by appointment for faculty and student use.

The Digital Media & Visual Resource Center also has two slide scanners and one flatbed scanner that are used by the Center staff, mainly for creating course-supporting web pages for the Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, the Growth & Structure of Cities, and the History of Art programs. The scanners are used primarily to support the web authoring and digital media needs of the DMVRC and are reserved for their use. When the scanners are not in use, others may use them by request for incidental, non-commercial use if they make prior arrangements with the staff. Likewise, the computers in the collections room of the DMVRC are reserved for the use of the staff but when not in use may be used by others by prior arrangement.

Several in-house guides are available for patron use. The first of these, the Authority index, is useful when searching for artists with names which may be difficult to place alphabetically. (For example, Leonardo da Vinci is filed under L, rather than D or V.) Likewise, the Geographical index provides clarification to the standard used for place names within the collection. (For example, Constantinople is used instead of Istanbul, & The Hague is filed under H, rather than T.) The Cataloging Manual offers insight into the arrangement of the various areas of the collection. (For example, in the History of Art area works created after 1880 are generally filed chronologically, while those completed before 1880 are arranged according to a standardized subject scheme.)

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Slide Collection Access

The Collection area is open from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. A select group of frequent faculty users have after-hour access to the slide collection via Simplex entry cards. Others faculty members who would like such access after hours should contact DMVRC staff. Teaching assistants in certain departments that make intense use of the collections also have after-hours access through these entry cards.

Other graduate students may be permitted occasional after-hours access on an individual basis by arranging in advance with DMVRC staff. Such access has been problematic in the past, having proven itself susceptible of frequent procedural lapses involving undocumented borrowing and unauthorized use. We will continue such access provisionally, monitoring and adjusting this policy if problems should arise; we will be reminding such students who ask that they will be on their honor to comply religiously with the Center's borrowing policies and procedures.

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Copyright Policy

The images in the DMVRC have been collected for the primary purpose of on-site classroom use; most of them have been photographed as slides from copyrighted publications. Except in rare instances, the College does not own the copyright for the slides, digital images, photographs and lantern slides in the collection.

The DMVRC, therefore, cannot grant permission to reproduce most of our images. Given some advance time, the staff will be able to consult our computerized catalog or, somewhat less reliably and more laboriously, delve into old paper records to help determine the source of most images. But the fundamental rule here is that it is the potential re-user's responsibility to obtain any requisite permissions from such copyright holders for republication in any form, and to observe such copyright laws as should pertain. This would cover not only inclusion of our images in a print publication, but also on a website, a CD, on a T-shirt, in a letterhead, in advertisements or other media.

Please consult a DMVRC staff member in the event of uncertainty in this matter.

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Guidelines for use of DMVRC’s Slide Collection

At times the limited space of the collection area is heavily trafficked by faculty and student patrons. Since many are working under strict time constraints, please observe the following common sense courtesies.

Help keep the collection in good condition:

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Registration Procedure for Borrowing

All DMVRC patrons must register with the center before using the collection. In this process the staff will help orient the user to the parts of the collection most pertinent to their interests and help familiarize them with the Center’s policies and procedures. The patron will then fill out a registration form that includes all of their contact information, including name, address, school, major, dept. and phone number in case the staff needs to get in contact with them. The registration form has an agreement that must be signed by the patron in order to use the collection. The agreement stipulates that the signer has read and understands all of the rules, policies and procedures regarding the use of the collection and understands that any violation of the rules, policies and procedures can result in their borrowing privileges being revoked.

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DMVRC Circulation Procedure

Borrowing slides:
  1. You must be a registered patron with the DMVRC and agree to follow the policies and procedures listed below to borrow slides.
  2. BMC's most frequent faculty users are provided with printed white name tags to track their borrowings. Others will use the appropriate colored tags to check out slides: Green: BMC staff, infrequent BMC faculty users and others Lavender: BMC students Blue: Non-BMC faculty, staff and students
  3. Write your last name legibly on the white label affixed to each tag.
  4. Insert one tag for each slide removed from the collection, in the exact spot where the slide was found.
  5. Present the slides to a staff person at the circulation desk when you are finished so they can be counted and checked out.
  6. Slides are due back by closing time of the next business day.
  7. Slides and carousels used in presentations given outside of the DMVRC’s hours of operation are to be returned to the circulation desk of the Rhys Carpenter Library with your name affixed to the slide storage box and the carousel(s).
  8. Slides to be checked out for longer than one business day require written permission in advance.
  9. Borrowed slides are not to leave the campus, except with the express written permission of the staff of DMVRC.
  10. Slides are to be returned to the DMVRC staff person manning the circulation area.

Reserve shelf:

A reserve shelf is available within the collection for the purpose of setting slides aside in advance of student presentations & faculty outside lectures.

  1. Slides may be placed on the DMVRC reserve shelf for up to two weeks.
  2. To reserve slides, the patron must bring them to the circulation desk to be counted and checked out. The slides will then be placed on the reserve shelf by a staff member.
  3. To check out reserve slides, request them from a staff member who will retrieve them.
  4. Slides left on the reserve shelf beyond two weeks, or past the end of the semester, will be returned to the collection.

Carousels:
  1. Carousels are to be checked out from and returned to a DMVRC staff member.
  2. Carousels are to be returned by the next business day.
  3. Carousels cannot be reserved or taken off campus except by special arrangement.

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Requesting Slides to be added to the DMVRC Collection

  1. Check the collection carefully before requesting slides. (Remember that a desired image may often be filed in more than one place in the collection: by artist, location, medium, period, etc. Check all the likely possibilties before ordering what may be redundant images.) Ask a staff member to assist you if you are unfamiliar with the collection’s arrangement.
  2. Fill out a request on the proper form. This is the one titled: VISUAL RESOURCES IMAGE.
  3. Fill out the date (today’s date), and the date they are needed. Slide requests without this information will be seen as general additions to the collection and placed at the end of the processing queue.
  4. Fill out your name, phone #’s, address or department and email address. We will contact you when the order is finished.
  5. List the bibliographic information about the image source on the form.
  6. List the location of book. If you are not leaving the source to be shot with us, list where we can find it.
  7. Would you like us to return the book? Please list the location where it should be returned.
  8. If the book was acquired through an Inter-Library Loan make a note of the book’s due date.
  9. Listing Slides:
    a. In the first column, list the image to be shot by the appropriate page, plate, or figure #.
    b. If there is more than one image on the page, use the following to further clarify the correct image.
    T=Top image, B=Bottom image, M=Middle image, L=Left image, R=Right image.

    c. We normally exclude all text from an image, if you would like the text to be included note this.
    d. The second column is used for cataloging information.
    i. If there is a particular location in the collection where this slide should be filed, list it here.
    ii. If the slide description is in a language other than English, a translation would be helpful.
    e. The third column is for scanning requests. If the image is to be scanned, note it here.
  10. Processing time. The time required to have slides made for the collection is two weeks and may be longer if there is a backlog of orders ahead of your request.
  11. Student patrons may request up to 36 slides per presentation. Slides photographed for student presentations may, or may not, be added to the collection depending on the quality of the image and its usefulness to the collection as a whole.

DO’S & DON’TS:

  1. Do write clearly. Mistakes in shooting are often caused by incorrectly listed or illegible handwriting.
  2. Do list only one image per line. (Don’t list on one line something like: all images from pages 22-31.)
  3. Do make sure that you have given us a due date, if there is one.
  4. Don’t use POST IT NOTES to mark pages. These leave a residue on the pages which attract dust & dirt.
  5. Don’t use loose slips of paper to mark pages.
  6. Please limit requests for images that combine multiple items on a page within one slide. As one might imagine, these create cataloguing conundra, and may discourage the type of generic use by varied borrowers that the collection is meant to support. Generally, different types of objects, or objects from different museums should be shot separately.

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Requesting Personal Slides to be made by the DMVRC
(These are slides you purchase.)

  1. Fill out a request on the proper form. This is the one titled: PERSONAL SLIDE ORDER FORM.
  2. Fill out the date (today’s date), and the due date.
  3. Fill out your name, phone #’s, address or department and email address.
  4. List the bibliographic information on the reverse of the form.
  5. List the location of book. If you are not leaving the source to be shot with us, list where we can find it.
  6. Would you like us to return the book? Please list the location it should be returned.
  7. If the book was acquired through an Inter-Library Loan make a note of the book’s due date.
  8. Listing Slides:
    a. In the first column, list the image to be shot by the appropriate page, plate, or figure #.
    b. If there is more than one image on the page, use the following to further clarify the correct image.
    T=Top image, B=Bottom image, M=Middle image, L=Left image, R=Right image.
    c. We normally exclude all text from an image, if you would like the text to be included note this.
    d. The second column may be used to help furthur identify an image, or for specific instructions about shooting the image.
  9. Processing time. The time required to have personal slides made can range from as short as a few days to a week or two depending on how much or how little work is ahead of yours.
  10. You may pay by personal check (payable to Bryn Mawr College), cash, or journal entry.

DO’S & DON’TS:

  • Do write clearly. Mistakes in shooting are often caused by incorrectly listed or illegible handwriting.
  • Do list only one image per line.
  • Do make sure that you have given us a due date.
  • Don’t use POST IT NOTES to mark pages. These leave a residue on the pages which attract dust & dirt.
  • Don’t use loose slips of paper to mark pages.

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    Requesting Photographic Prints to be made by the DMVRC
     Fill out a request on the proper form. This is the one titled: PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT SERVICES.

    1. Fill out the date (today’s date), and the due date.
    2. Fill out your name, phone #’s, address or department and email address.
    3. List the bibliographic information on the reverse of the form.
    4. List the location of book. If you are not leaving the source to be shot with us, list where we can find it.
    5. Would you like us to return the book? Please list the location where it should be returned to.
    6. If the book was acquired through an Inter-Library Loan make a note of the book’s due date.
    7. Listing Prints:
      a. In the first column, list the image to be shot by the appropriate page, plate, or figure #.
      b. If there is more than one image on the page, use the following to further clarify the correct image.
      T=Top image, B=Bottom image, M=Middle image, L=Left image, R=Right image.
      c. We normally exclude all text from an image, if you would like the text to be included note this.
      d. The second column may be used to help furthur identify an image, or for specific instructions about shooting the image.
    8. Processing time. The time required to have prints made is at least two weeks and may be longer if there is a backlog of items ahead of your request.
    9. You may pay by personal check (payable to Bryn Mawr College), cash, or journal entry.

    DO’S & DON’TS:

    1. Do write clearly. Mistakes in shooting are often caused by incorrectly listed or illegible handwriting.
    2. Do list only one image per line.
    3. Do make sure that you have given us a due date.
    4. Don’t use POST IT NOTES to mark pages. These leave a residue on the pages which attract dust & dirt.
    5. Don’t use loose slips of paper to mark pages.
    6. FYI, publishers generally request glossy rather than matte finishes.
      Please be advised that the copyright for images and objects photographed by the DMVRC are most often held by institutions and individuals outside of Bryn Mawr College. Permission from the copyright holder is required for republication; this is the responsibility of the user, and not the DMVRC.

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    Copystand Policy for the DMVRC

    A copystand and a Nikon 35mm camera are available to the faculty, students and staff of BMC. Phone (610) 526-7917, email dramers@ada.brynmawr.edu, or come in to the DMVRC to schedule an appointment to use the copy room. You should have some basic knowledge about how a camera operates to shoot your own slides. However, a short explanation of the camera, copystand and exposure recommendations will be provided for individuals who request this service in advance.

    Film Recommendations:

    1. The copystand lights require the use of Tungsten balanced film. We recommend and sell (@ $7.50 per roll) Fuji RTP, 36 exposure, 64 ASA film.
    2. If you use film other than Tungsten balanced (almost all color slide films are Daylight balanced) you will be disappointed with your results. Your images will be orange.
    3. If you prefer to buy your film elsewhere, the following tungsten balanced films are suitable:

      Kodak EPY 135-36 (36 exposure 64 ASA) Price range $8.50-11.00/roll.
      Kodak EPT 135-36 (36 exposure 160 ASA) Price range $10.00-13.00/roll.
      Kodak EPJ 135-36 (36 exposure 320 ASA) Price range $11.00-15.00/roll.

    These are Professional films and are not available at most camera shops, drug stores, etc. You can purchase these films at The Camera Shop on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr. There are several places in Center City that stock these films, as well. Ask about Center City shops stocking this film, if you are interested in purchasing it downtown.

    Film Processing:

    The price to process slide film can range from about $7.00-12.00 depending on the lab. The Camera Shop in Bryn Mawr processes the 36 exposure Fuji RTP film we sell for $9.50

    General Rules For Copystand And Camera Use:

    1. There is a time limit of 1 hour per day to use the copystand. Users would be well-served to have the items they want to shoot chosen and queued up in advance in order to make the most effective use of limited time.
    2. Be on time. You have one hour from the time scheduled for your appointment, not when you show up.
    3. The DMVRC office is open 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. Do not ask to use the camera outside of our normal work hours.
    4. It is not possible to schedule times after 4:00 PM.
    5. Payment for film is expected before you shoot. You may pay by check (payable to Bryn Mawr College) or cash, not by credit card. Please try to have the exact amount available if paying with cash.
    6. Mechanical problems should be brought to the attention of the DMVRC’s staff. Do not force equipment.
    7. Make sure the copy room is locked when you are finished.
    8. Return the camera and copy room key to a DMVRC staff member when you have finished.
    9. If you don’t show up without notifying us, your shooting privileges may be suspended for a semester.

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    last updated 9/06/01