The Prism of Visual Literacy for
Archivists: A Course Prototype
Mary-Elizabeth A. Keefe
meakeefe@verizon.net
Bridging the Spectrum: A Symposium on Scholarship and Practice in
Library and Information Science
The Catholic University of America
School of Library and Information Science
January 30, 2009
What is Visual Literacy?
3 Levels of Awareness:
1. Superficial - what’s the picture of?
2. Concrete - what’s it about?
3. Abstract - what’s the context? What did the
creator intend to evoke in his/her audience?1
1Elisabeth
Kaplan and Jeffrey Mifflin, “’Mind and Sight’: Visual Literacy and the Archivist.” In American Archival Studies: Readings in
Theory and Practice, edited by Randall C. Jimerson. Chicago, IL:Society of American Archivists, 2000.
Look at a picture for over a minute:
o
o
o
o
What are your first impressions?
Name everything you see;
Look at each part of the picture again; and
Write a narrative caption about its meaning:
o Read accompanying text;
o Describe what it shows;
o Who made it, why, when, where, and how?
o Assumptions?
Now to research:
Confirm your caption information:
o Where to verify original and additional info?
o What do colleagues see that you missed?
o Study photo, housing, and written information
o Describe details for research of place and time
o What events led to photo’s creation?
And note . . .
o The image’s style, form, and genre re: creator
and provenance
o Physical features to research for image
processes, formats, sizes, color/b&w, e.g.:
o The types of image mounts used; and image
bases – film, glass, metal, paper? Film
negatives, e.g., are unusual before 1900.[2]
1]
2Helena
Zinkham, From “Reading and Researching Photographs.” In Archival Outlook, Chicago,
IL:Society of American Archivists, January/February 2007
With courtesy from The Society of The Cincinnati, (Call No. PHOTO L2008D8m “Larz and Isabel Anderson [with
Emperor Taisho and entourage], American Embassy, Tokyo [1912]”)
Graduate Archives Courses in Visual Literacy: Highlights
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: M.A., Archives and Public History
Historian and the Visual Record:
 Types of visual materials found in archival collections,
challenges (from conservation to theoretical) for archivists and
historians
 Photographs, prints, architectural records, film, ephemera, and
other media
 Histories of individual formats, how used as historical records
to shape culture
 Specialized literature surrounding visual formats regarding
challenges of describing and interpreting visual materials as
historical artifacts. 3
3http://history.fas.nyu.edu/object/history.0709.grad.courseofferings.html
SIMMONS COLLEGE: M.S., Archives Management Concentration
Visual Communication:
 Illustrated lectures for study and analysis of visual forms of
information and communication
 History of graphic forms of communication, semiotics,
philosophy, and media analysis for theory and iconographic
languages regarding visual information resources
 Topics: visual literacy, rare books, prints and printmaking,
typography, photography, posters, ephemera, propaganda,
digital images, exhibit construction
 Readings and activities from graphic/visual knowledge, theory,
history, and application in LIS
 Preparation for media studies, human-computer interaction,
information architecture, etc.3
SIMMONS COLLEGE
Photographic Archives and Visual Information:
 Photographs as visual information; problems of meaning,
context, and definition
 Responsibilities of photo archivists
 History of photographic artifacts; development of photo genres
 Characteristics of 19th century processes
 Special problems of subject access and remote access
 Use by scholars, visual researchers, communication industries
 Onsite exams of management practices among institutions
 Guest speakers from special libraries, historical societies, major
archives, museums, and picture agencies4
3http://my.simmons.edu/gslis/courses/descriptions/ms-electives.shtml#LIS470
4http://my.simmons.edu/gslis/courses/descriptions/ms-electives.shtml#LIS471
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA: M.A.S., Master in Archival
Studies
Visual Literacy for Information Professionals:
 Intro to visual literacy as part of information literacy: effective
gathering, organization, use, and evaluation of visual
information
 Theories of visual information, contexts of visual information
use and users, physical and subject attributes of images,
intellectual aspects of organizing and describing images in
visual resources collections
 Skills in visual information and visual literacy for work in visual
resources in libraries, special collections, multimedia digital
collections, and cultural heritage collections5
5http://www.slais.ubc.ca/COURSES/coursdes/libr/libr514b.htm
Criteria Matrix for Development of Course Prototype:
The Prism of Visual Literacy for Archivists
CRITERIA
NYU
SIMMONS
UBC
Departmental
Affiliation
M.A., Archives &
Public History
(History Dept.)
M.L.S.,
concentration in
Archives
Management (Grad.
School of Library &
Info. Science)
M.A.S., Master in
Archival Studies
(School of Library,
Archival & Info.
Studies)
Course Status
Elective-1 semester
Elective-1 semester
Elective-1 semester
Offering
Frequency
Summer/Fall 07
470: Fall 06, 07;
Spr. 05. 471:
Sp./Fall 08, Sp./Fall
07, 06; Sp./Sum. 05
Summer 08, 09
CRITERIA
NYU
SIMMONS
UBC
On-line course
updates
Fall 2007
LIS 470: Jan. 2005
LIS 471: Mar. 2005
Aug. 2008
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
470:
Yes
No
No
No
No
Research &
Writing: Critiques
Yes
Yes
Yes
Required
Readings
Betz, Natanson, J.
Schwartz, Zinkham
(2)
Ritzenthaler, et.al.
Information not
available
Instruction
Classroom
Field Trips
Guest Lecturers
Workshops
Labs
471:
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
CRITERIA
Vis. Lit. Skills
Technology
Law & Ethics
Photography
NYU
SIMMONS
UBC
Lectures, Readings, Lectures, Readings, Yes-student evals
uses BB
471 Prereq.: Info.
Org.
Lecture, Readings, No
Yes
Field Trip
Lectures, Readings, Lectures, Readings, Yes
471: Field Trips
Field Trips
Yes + 471 Prereq.:
Info. Org.
Metadata
Standards
Lectures, Readings
Course & Career
Goals
Describe & interpret Media studies, HCI,
historical imagery
info architecture
Yes-student evals
Visual resource
specialists
Benefits of Standardized Coursework in
The Prism of Visual Literacy for Archivists
Academic:







Departmental Affiliation: M.L.S., Archives focus features
librarianship skills for libraries and cultural heritage
institutions
Course Status: Required cohort format for learning flow
Annual Scheduling: 1st semester strengths develop for 2nd
semester Practicum assignments
Course Materials: Annual on-line updates begin Fall
Instruction Methods: Lectures/Readings/Workshops/Field
Trips/Guest Speakers/Lab
Research and Writing: Empirical research, literature
critiques
Required Readings: Bibliography of research literature
 Vis. Lit. Skills: Workshop: Web 2.0 Tech., et seq.
Workshop & Visit: Photography &
Photo Archives
Guest Speaker: Digital Age Law & Ethics
Lab: Metadata Standards for Visual
Imagery
 Course Goals: Prepares M.L.S., Archives students for
careers in Libraries, Special Libraries, and Cultural
Heritage Institutions
 Recruiting Tool: Attracts students to academic
programs committed to preservation of cultural
heritage within increasingly visual realm of archives
And prepares students for opportunities to benefit:
Institutions:
Administrative:
Establishes employers’ best practice benchmark hiring criteria
Develops job description requirements; performance expectations
and appraisals; and succession plans
Economic:
Limits hiring expense to one skilled MLS/Archives graduate
Saves costs of staff time and contracted in-house/off-site training
Serves as outreach to universal audience via website
Encourages continued remote and local use of resources
Stimulates “digital tourists’” visits to view original images
Public:
Establishes bibliography of resources for researchers
Promotes casual browser interest
Provides archival resource for community commemorations
Prototype Course Description:
The Prism of Visual Literacy for Archivists:
 Required of all Archives, Information Management, and Library
Science graduate students for
 Research and analysis of visual forms of information and
communication.
 Two-semester course in cohort format for learning continuity:
 Fall: Readings, Visual Literacy Skills workshops, guest
speakers, field trips, BB discussions, research and experiential
papers, collaborative article presentations for final portfolio.
 Spring: Practicum assignments, BB discussions, instructor and
classmate “on-site insight” visits, experiential papers and
evaluations. (6 credits)
Prototype Course - and Career - Goals
•
•
•
•
•
Semester I:
Critical thinking re: origin and impact of visual materials via literature
reviews, field trips, and guest speakers. Workshops and labs in technology,
photography, and metadata standards enhance approaches to visual literacy.
Semester II:
Practicum employs academic theory and visual literacy skills in an archive
setting.
Career goals: Prepares Archivists, Librarians, Curators, Photographers for:
Media, A-V, Metadata, Film Preservation, Image Collections: Cataloging,
Resource/Image Services; Visual Resources Reference, Rare Books, Gallery
Education, Digital Conversion, DB/Slide Management, Special Collections
And enables graduates to pursue new opportunities in light of emerging
technologies.
Prototype Syllabus
FALL SEMESTER I
1. Previews course topics and assignments, including small
group article collaborations, experiential and research papers
2. 1st Impressions and Ideas
3. Web 2.0 Tech., et seq. and Visual Literacy Workshop
4. Student article briefings re: Web 2.0 Tech. and Visual Literacy
5. Digital Age Law & Ethics Guest Speaker
6. Student article briefings re: Digital Age Law & Ethics;
Photography Workshop
7. Visit to Photo Archive
8. Student article briefings re: Photography Workshop and
Photo Archives Visit
9.
10.
11.
12.
Metadata Standards for Visual Imagery Lab
Article briefings re: Metadata Standards for Visual Imagery
Group presentations of collaborative articles
Symposium: The Future of Visual Literacy for Archivists
Great networking – bring resumés!
13. Final Portfolio Presentations
14. NO CLASS: Course Evaluations due; Happy Holidays!
SPRING SEMESTER II: Practicum: 14 weeks (140 hours)
Proposals, Assignments, BB discussions, instructor site visits,
experiential papers in Wiki portfolio; “on-site insight” visits:
students brief class on projects at worksites; evaluations.
Prototype Required Readings:
• Benedict, Joel and Irene. From Joel and Irene Benedict Visual
Literacy Collection
• Betz, Elisabeth W. Graphic Materials: Rules for Describing
Original Items and Historical Collections
• Farmer, Dr. Lesley. “Visual Literacy: The Truth is Out There.”
From Eye to I: Visual Literacy Meets Information Literacy
• Goin, Peter. “Visual Literacy”
• Kaplan, Elisabeth and Jeffrey Mifflin. “’Mind and Sight’: Visual
Literacy and the Archivist.” In American Archival Studies:
Readings in Theory and Practice, edited by Randall C. Jimerson
• Lesy, Michael. “Visual Literacy”
• Munoff, Gerald J. and Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler, “History of
Photographic Processes”
• Natharius, David. “The More We Know, the More We See: The
Role of Visuality in Media Literacy”
• Newton, Julianne H. The Burden of Visual Truth: The Role of
Photojournalism in Mediating Reality
• Ritzenthaler, Mary, et.al., Archives and Manuscripts:
Administration of Photographic Collections
• Schwartz, Joan M. “Counterpoint-Coming to Terms with
Photographs: Descriptive Standards, Linguistic ‘Othering,’ and
the Margins of Archivy”
• Schwartz, Joan M., “Review Essay: Negotiating the Visual Turn:
New Perspectives on Images and Archives”
• Schwartz, Joan M. and James R. Ryan. Picturing Place:
Photography and the Geographical Imagination
• Zinkham, Helena. “Reading and Researching Photographs”
The Prism of Visual Literacy
leads the eye to the image, lends it life, informs the mind, and
creates the memory to enrich all heritages protected, preserved
and promoted with images cataloged, arranged and described
by the M.L.S.-trained archivist.
Thank you.