Fisher Fine Arts Library Image Collection - Policies and Procedures
The Image Collection of the Fisher Fine Arts Library contains over 475,000 architectural and art historical slides and over 50,000 digital images. The Image Collection is maintained for the support of the instructional programs at the University of Pennsylvania. It is open to all University of Pennsylvania faculty and students.
- I Borrowing Policy
- II How to Borrow Slides
- III Slide Requests
- IV How to Order New Slides to Be Photographed
- V Scanning
- VI How to Find Slides
I. BORROWING POLICIES
Faculty
- Slides may be borrowed for one week. If slides are needed for a longer period, arrangements should be made at the time of borrowing.
- Faculty should have their slides counted when borrowing and returning. As a courtesy to their colleagues, they may want to add a brief note as to the nature of the material being borrowed or held.
- Slides may be borrowed for the duration of an off campus conference. Faculty must provide their name and the duration of the conference. In addition, all slides being borrowed will be counted and photocopied.
- Faculty may also hold slides on a designated viewer, faculty shelf or patron shelf.
Graduate Students
- Graduate students with a Penn ID may borrow slides for one night.
- Slides will be photocopied and counted when they are borrowed and recounted upon return.
- Slides may be borrowed for the duration of an off campus conference. Graduate students must provide their name and the duration of the conference in addition to having the slides counted and photocopied.
- Slides may be pulled one week in advance and held on a patron shelf.
- Graduate students working as TAs will have the same privileges as faculty.
Undergraduate Students
- Undergraduate students with a Penn ID may borrow slides for the duration of the class in which the slides are being used. At her discretion, the Image Curator may extend these privileges for students in upper level classes.
- Slides may be pulled one week in advance and held on a patron shelf.
- Slides will be counted and photocopied when they are borrowed and recounted upon return.
II. HOW TO BORROW SLIDES
Check-out
- Slide circulation forms are located at the Image Collection's circulation desk. Please fill this form out in its entirety. Give this form, slides and Penn ID to a slide room staff member. He/she will count and photocopy the slides and ID for our records. The slides and your photocopy (if requested) will be given to you. The slides will be recounted upon return.
Reserve
- To place the selected slide on hold, hand the circulation form, slide photocopy and slides to a staff member. Your slides will be held in a box on the reserve shelf under your name. You may come down as often as necessary to work with the slides; however, the slides may only leave the slide room for the appropriate duration.
- Slides made for a seminar report may be checked out from the Image Collection as soon as they are processed. Just list the order number for the slides and how many from each order you are borrowing.
- Within two days after the date listed for your presentation, if you
have not borrowed the slides or provided us with an alternate date, the
slides will be returned to the collection.
Fines/Fees
- If slides are missing and cannot be retrieved, they are considered
lost and you will be charged a replacement fee.
Lost Fees- $10.00 per slide
- $25.00 per irreplaceable slide
- $15.00 per slide tray
- $3.00 for slides that are not returned on the day of the presentation or by 12 PM for overnight loans.
- If returning slides after a presentation or class presents some hardship, alternate arrangements should be made with Image Curator before borrowing the slides.
- If your class extends beyond the operational hours of the Image Collection, you can return slides to the circulation desk in the Fisher Fine Arts Library.
Slide Trays
- If you need slide trays, please inform a slide room staff member. You may borrow 2 slide trays per presentation.
III. SLIDE REQUESTS
- Slides will be made for classroom and lecture purposes. All slides photographed and purchased by the Image Collection are to remain the property of the Image Collection.
- For people wishing to make slides to enhance their personal
collections, we will provide instructions for use of the copystand in
Fisher Fine Arts Library. For people who wish to duplicate library
holdings, we will provide information regarding reliable slide photo
processing centers. All copyright liability lies with party making the
duplicate.
Faculty
- May request slides to be photographed or purchased from slide vendors for classroom use and collection development
- Requests should be made no later than 10 working days prior to the date the slide is needed (the slide photographer may provide special consideration for emergency purposes depending upon current workload). Request time will vary for slides being purchased from commercial vendors.
Graduate Students
- May request slide to be photographed for classroom presentation
- may request up to 40 slides per presentation (the slide phtographer may provide special consideration depending upon current workload)
- Requests must be made 10 working days prior to the date the slide is needed
Undergraduate Students
- May request slides to photographed for classroom presentations
- May request up to 15 slides per presentation. At her discretion, the slide curator may provide special consideration for students in upper level classes.
- Requests must be made 10 working days prior to the date the slide is needed
IV. HOW TO ORDER NEW SLIDES
- Photography requests are available at the Image Collection circulation desk. Please complete the form in its intirety and give the forms and book to a staff member. We will notify you when your slides are ready.
V. SCANNING
- The Image Collection can make digital versions of uncopyrighted material available to faculty for web review pages. Processing time may vary depending on the availability of digital images and scanning schedule. We do require at least two days for every 25 slide scans requested.
- We do not provide slide scanning equipment for public use. A flatbed scanner is available in the Fine Arts Library. Two flatbed scanners are also available in Van Pelt Reference.
VI. HOW TO FIND SLIDES
The slides are classified according to the Fogg system which organizes the materials by object type, ex: architecture, sculpture or painting etc.Slides are classified among the following categories:
City Planning:
Building complexes, civic centers, squares, general and historical views of
cities, urban designs and plans.
Conceptual, Imaginary cities that were never built:
- X00:Indicates an international file, the images are organized
alphabetically by designer and the third line further specifies what aspect
of the city is being pictured (ie:plan, model etc)
- X__: City planning by country. Slides are organized first by country code and then alphabetically by site name under the country. The third line further specifies what aspect of the city is being pictured.
Architecture:Buildings both extant and projects, architectural books and drawings.
- Architecture after 1789:
- 100: General file, organized alphabetically by architect with the third
line indicating building type and view.
- 100: General file, organized alphabetically by architect with the third
line indicating building type and view.
- Architecture before 1789 or buildings without an architect:
- 1__: Architecture by site. Slides are organized first by country code
numbers and then alphabetically by site under each country. The third
line indicates building type and view.
- 1__: Architecture by site. Slides are organized first by country code
numbers and then alphabetically by site under each country. The third
line indicates building type and view.
Sculpture: Works from prehistoric times to c1965. Completed works as well as casts are included. Religious, mythological subjects as well as altars, tombs, sarcophagi, pulpits and fountains.
- 2__: Sculpture organized by country of artist first then alphabetically by the name of the artist and further by iconographic break down, or by date for some artists active after 1875.
Painting: Works from prehistoric times to c1965. Also includes drawings and single works on paper.
- 3__: Painting organized by country of artist first then alphabetically by the name of the artist and further by iconographic break down, or by dates for some artists active after 1875.
Landscape Architecture: Gardens and parks as well as natural landscapes, cemeteries and various plant types.
- Landscapes after 1789, with an architect:
- 000: General file organized alphabetically by
architect. Further subdivision by site and view.
Landscapes before 1789 and those without an architect:
- 0__: Slides organized by country code, further alphabetical break down by site. Images listed by name of the specific garden or villa and the view of the garden.
- 000: General file organized alphabetically by
architect. Further subdivision by site and view.
Ethnography views of everyday life, customs and rituals.
- E__: Slides organized by country and then either geographic locations or by cultural distinctions, They are further divided up by subject matter: rituals, daily life etc.
Modern International File: mainly work after 1965. Includes all media, painting, performance, sculpture, installations etc.
- 3000: Images are divided alphabetically by artist and then subdivided further by title or date of the object. There is some division by media under each artist if the work is in more than one medium.
Material Culture: portable objects, luxury goods,and industrial design. (aka Minor Arts).
All areas of the material culture are divided by country and then further subdivided in various ways usually by time period, site or object type.
- 4000: Mineral objects, gems and jewels
- 4100-4900: Stone, mosaics, pottery, seals, scarabs.
- 500: Industrial design, instruments, weapons
- 5100-5900: Metals; ie: gold, silver, bronze, iron etc.
- 600: Furniture
- 6400: Stage design
- 6700:lacquer
- 700: Manuscripts except for Islamic and Indian manuscripts which are
under painting.
- 7100-7600: Ivories, leather, wallpaper.
- 7900: Photography.
- 8100-8900:Textiles, tapestries, carpets, and costumes
- 900: Prints



