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Image Collection - Frequently Asked Questions
The Image Collection is where the graphic materials housed at the Congregational Library. These materials can be found in our online catalog, with more records added on a regular basis. This list of frequently asked questions will help you locate graphic materials at the Congregational Library.
Contents
- What kind of materials are in the Image Collection?
- How many pictures are in the Image Collection?
- Can I browse for pictures in the Image Collection?
- Do you have any images of [a specific person]?
- Do you have any images of [a specific place]?
- Do you have a high-resolution version of [a specific image file]?
What kind of materials are in the Image Collection?
The majority of the items in the Image Collection are prints, including engravings, postcards, and photographic prints. The majority of the images within the collection are people and places. There are only a handful of images that do not fall into either category. The bulk of the people represented in the Image Collection are Congregational clergy, as well as some missionaries. The following are a few examples from the People series:
- Finney, Charles Grandison, 1792-1875. Portrait
- Abbott, Lyman. Portrait
- American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Portrait
- Newell, Harriet, 1793-1812. Portrait.
Most of the Places represented in the Image Collection are church buildings. Other places represented include educational institutions and locations related to missionary work. The following are a few examples from the Places series:
- Boston, Massachusetts. Park Street Church
- Honolulu, HI : Makiki Christian Church.
- Istanbul, Turkey: Girls Orphanage.
- Grinnell, Iowa. Iowa College.
How many pictures are in the Image Collection?
As of December 2010, there are more than 1,000 records in online catalog from the Image Collection, with about 800 from the People series and about 225 from the Places series. More graphic materials are added to the online catalog on a regular basis.
Can I browse for pictures in the Image Collection?
To search the Image Collection, it is easiest to use the Guided Search so as to limit the search to the image collection. For a general search, enter "Image Collection" in the first box and select "Series" from the drop down menu that reads "Title" by default.
This search will call all of the images in the Image Collection, allowing you to browse through the results.
To find out more about an item, click on its title. Now you can see more information about this image, including subject headings and a description. By clicking on the subject headings, you can browse for related records, some of which will not be part of the Image Collection.
This search can also be conducted using the terms "Image Collection – People" and "Image Collection – Places" to browse for people and places, respectively.
Do you have any images of [a specific person] at the Congregational Library?
To search the Image Collection, it is easiest to use the Guided Search so as to limit the search to the image collection. Enter "Image Collection People" in the first box and select "Series" from the dropdown menu that reads "Title" by default. In the next box, enter the last name of the person for whom you are searching. Leave "Title" selected on the dropdown menu. For this example, we will use "Edwards".
From this list, browse until you find the proper person.
Do you have any images of [a specific place] at the Congregational Library?
To search the Image Collection, it is easiest to use the Guided Search so as to limit the search to the image collection. Enter "Image Collection Places" in the first box and select "Series" from the dropdown menu that reads "Title" by default. In the next box, enter the name of the city in which the place you are looking for is located. Leave "Title" selected on the dropdown menu. For this example, we will use "Boston".
From this list, browse until you find the proper place.
Do you have a high-resolution version of [a specific image file]?
By default, the images attached to the catalog records are smaller thumbnails. Most records in the Image Collection do not, as of yet, have high-resolution images online. If high-res images are online, there are two locations where you could find them. The first is the Congregational Library Flickr page. You can go directly to the Flickr page to see what has been uploaded so far. If an image in the catalog has a high-res image on Flickr, there will be a link to the Flickr page. An example of this can be seen here.
Alternatively, some catalog records have high-res images attached directly to the record as "copies on shelf". To view the high-res images, click on the link "Main – Rare Book Room", which will open up a new window listing the images.
To open the image, the blue link labeled "Click to Open". A prompt will open; select "open with" and click "OK".
An example of this can be seen here.