The following questions are suggested when evaluating an image archive system.

Searching:

• Is the search system easy to learn?
• How many simultaneous users does it allow?
• Does search and retrieval slow as the number of users increases?
• What parts of the image record are searched?
• Can search syntax be saved? Search sets?
• Can the system interact with your text archive?

Display:

• How are search results displayed?
• Can you change the preferences?
• Do these options meet work-flow needs?
• Can results be displayed in a preferred order?
• What are the print options?
• How will the selected high-resolution images be moved back into production?
• Are images right-side up or easily rotated?
• Can photos be browsed without a text search?

Storage:

• How many records and gigabytes can be stored?
• Can or should databases be set up by year?
• What storage medium will be used?
• Can more than one storage medium be used?
• What image formats are accepted?

Networking:

• Can different kinds of stations access the database?
• What departments need to use the collection?
• How will editors access it?
• How does the archive interact with equipment and software on the photo desk?
• How does it interact with the color lab?

Updates and Maintenance:

• How is the system updated?
• Must the system "go down" during update?
• What needs to be done to move photos into the archive?
• To complete or enhance the text records?
• Can the tasks be done on batches of photos?
• Can this be scripted or automated? How?
• Can text records be updated, corrected or modified after an update?
• What type of backup needs to be done and how?
• Can images and text records be stored off the system?<
• What type of information tracking is available?
• What type of password and system administration is available?
• Who will support the hardware?

--by M.J. Crowley, library manager, Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. E-mail: mooseclass.org.

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