Digital imaging policy and procedures
The mission of the Virginia Historical Society is to collect, preserve, and interpret the commonwealth's past for the
education and enjoyment of present and future generations. Digitization of selected materials from the VHS collections
will increase access to its holdings and provide physical documentation to the collections, as well as decrease the need
to handle increasingly fragile items.
Material prioritized for digitization includes items that are most heavily requested by users, items that are representative
of the subject areas that are most broadly represented in VHS holdings, or items that suffer from serious preservation
issues. Our goal in digital reproduction is not to create a new, "flawless" image, but rather to ensure that digital images
or other reproductions of collection items closely resemble the originals.
Formats used for digitization are 72 dpi JPEGs for Web access and 300+ dpi TIFFs for archival storage and
reproduction. Images are accessed throughout the VHS web site, as well as the
VHS online catalog (STAR).
The VHS provides photographic and digital reproductions
of items in the collections by request. The VHS
may refuse to accept an order based on condition of the item or on issues regarding ownership or donor-instituted
restrictions. Digital images are sent either on a CD-ROM or via email. Most TIFF images will be delivered on
a CD-ROM, as the average image is too large to mail electronically. Photographic reproductions and images
on CD-ROM are delivered to the customer either by first class U. S. mail or by a pre-paid commercial delivery service.
Individuals commonly use VHS images for personal, non-commercial research or study. If patrons have acquired
a copy of an image for research purposes and wish to reproduce it in any format, including personal, non-commercial
web sites, they must seek the written permission of the VHS, include a credit line statement, and follow the criteria set
forth in the usage policy. The VHS reserves the right to request the removal of its
images from any web site. Anyone wishing to reproduce an image may be required to pay use fees.
For more information, contact:
Jeffrey Ruggles
Associate Curator for Prints and Photographs
Virginia Historical Society
P.O. Box 7311
Richmond, VA 23221
Telephone: 804.342.9683
Fax: 804.342.9697
Email: jruggles@vahistorical.org
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