Identifying and Promoting Access to Photographic Documentation in Archives: International Initiatives for Surveying, Inventorying, and Registration

Abstract

There are internationally known institutions with photographic collections, which are disseminated through publications and exhibitions depending on budgets that vary from institution to institution, as well as government support or patronage. Numerous institutions and their holdings are not publicly known, hence the importance and need to conduct censuses of this documentation in different countries and to lay the foundations for an international guide to understand its volume and typology.The identification and preservation of photographic collections has been the subject of international efforts and initiatives, with emphasis on Europe, Latin America and the United States of America.The main goal is to develop a state of the art on the identification and analysis of census, survey and registration initiatives, at an international level, of institutions holding photographic documentation.The research is based on a qualitative approach and documentary research and analysis, and the analytical process was based on the content analysis method.The aim is to bring useful contributions to the field of study by presenting an international overview of scientific production in the area.