File Naming Guidelines

Most archives images have a three-part accession number such as 69-98-325. The numbers stand for year, collection, image. For this image, it was added in 1969, it was in the 98th collection added that year, and it is the 325th image in the collection. Images added in 2000 or later look like this: 2001-154-1. In order for a computer to file the images properly by number, it is necessary to complete the year and add placeholder zeros in the collection and image number parts. The format is: YYYY-CCCC-NNNNN (4 digits, 4 digits, 5 digits). The image 69-98-325 becomes 1969-0098-00325, and image 2001-154-1 becomes 2001-0154-00001. This is very important to remember because if an image is misnumbered it basically is lost. Some images have an "A" or "B" or "C", etc, at the end, which is not part of the 5 numerical digits for filing. The image 58-1026-1295A becomes 1958-1026-01295A.

Master scans should have an "m" added after the number: 1969-0098-00325m. The file extension is at the end and should always be .tif for masters. Working files are saved without the "m" and can be either .tif or .jpg, depending on the use of the file.

Starting summer 2004 we began adding a format description at the end of the filename to master scans. The formats are:

_print (original photographic print)
_print copy (photographic copy of an original)
_neg (for an original acetate negative)
_neg nitrate (original nitrate negative)
_neg glass (original glass plate negative)
_neg copy (lab produced negative aka copy neg)
_postcard
_slide
_slide lantern
_map
_atlas
_book

Ignore the UA at the beginning of some accession numbers, and always ignore an "n" at the end. The "n" means that a negative was made of the image at some point.

Certain old collections, maps, and other collections have either no accession numbers, or numbers that are not three-part. Ask how to number these. When you are shooting patron archives jobs, images that do not have accession numbers should be assigned a name corresponding to the image's number on the blue sheet: image04m, for example, rather than a description or 35mm neg number, for example. When you are shooting media jobs that came directly to us (they have invoices with them), follow the patron's instructions for naming or be as exact as possible. Do not use non-alphanumerical characters in file names--only numbers, letters, and spaces.

September 15, 2004