Shannon Griffin
Introduction to Archives
April 8, 2013
Research Paper
The Center for Creative Photography
The Center for Creative Photography is located in Tucson, Arizona on the University of
Arizona’s campus. According to their website, they are the largest institution in the world that
focuses on documenting modern North American photography. The Center “houses the archives
of well over 100 photographers, photographic critics and historians, photographic institutions
and photographic galleries” (Meyers, 2011, p 1). In addition, they have other materials that
relate to photography, photographers, galleries, scholars and organizations such as journal
articles, books and other items to help extend the scholarship and appreciation of photography in
North America. “Envisioned by Adams as a complementary institution to museum photo
departments – which focus on collecting singular works and masterpieces of the art form – the
CCP is first and foremost a place to study photographic history, housing not only great works of
art, but also photographers’ personal papers, articles and books written about them; and evidence
of their working process such as negatives, contact sheets, and proof prints” (Taylor, 2006, p. 1).
The Center for Creative Photography has a variety of different users, some that come to the
Center are tourists, and some are photographers looking for inspiration and some are scholars as
well as writers doing research for articles, journals, books and even web sites.
Founded in 1975, the Center for Creative Photography was conceived of, in part, by
world renowned photographer, Ansel Adams. The University of Arizona president at the time,
John P. Schaefer, approached Ansel Adams during a one-man exhibition of his work and asked if
he would be interested in archiving some of his work at The University of Arizona. He did not
want to have his work be the only collection there, so an idea came about to look at creating an
archive of the works of many other North American photographers. As Schaefer and Adams
talked about what the archive would be, the idea of the Center for Creative Photography came
about with Harry Callahan, Wynn Bullock, Frederick Sommer and Aaron Siskind joining Adams
in founding the original archives.
Today, the Center for Creative Photography is still growing and expanding its collection.
Their website now features an online gallery of some of the photographs that are in their archive.
Right now, there are about 33,000 pictures in this online collection which features the work of
Edward Weston and Ansel Adams, as well as many other North American modern
photographers. “In the last 36 years, The Center for Creative Photography has acquired more
archives and individual works by 20th century North American photographers than any other
museum in the nation” (Museum Publicity, 2011, p 1). This makes the Center one of the most
important archives in this field. “Philip Block, the director of education at the International
Center of Photography in New York, says, ‘While there are numerous museums that have more
diverse collections of photographs, and more important prints of “master” and vintage quality,
few, if any, have the depth of archival and print material necessary to understand a working
photographer’s practice’”(Meyers, 2011, p 1). Therefore, this shows, that although the Center
may not have the most prints or the most diverse collection, especially given their focus on
modern North American photographers and history, but their supplementary material makes this
collection vastly important to the history of photography. As we enter a new era of digital
photography and digital archives, the Center for Creative Photography will have to face these
challenges head on and adapt to the ever-changing technology of the world. A good way for this
to happen is for the Center of Creative Photography to expand their online offerings, including
adding records other than photographs and embrace Web 2.0 technologies in the archival setting
as well as outreaching more to users and the community.
In order to gain a better understanding of the archive, an interview was conducted with
David Benjamin, the assistant archivist at the Center of Creative Photography. Mr. Benjamin has
his bachelor’s in History of Art and after ten years of working as archivist, he received his MLS.
He began working at the Center in 2012, although he has been an archivist since 1987. He has
worked at the Kansas Collection Regional History Archive and the Wisconsin Historical Society
before he came to Tucson in January of 2012. He took the position at the Center for Creative
Photography because of the opportunity to work at the institution.
Currently, the archival material available for access online is a small portion of the
Center’s holdings. The focus of their digital records that are available online is fine art
photography with little to no supplementary materials accessible through their web site. The
archives, located in Tucson, Arizona are part of the University of Arizona’s library system,
which means that they are funded under the general libraries budget, according to David
Benjamin, the assistant archivist at the Center. They do receive additional funding for projects
from the Dean on occasion for “special projects or to purchase needed equipment” (Benjamin,
personal communication, March 2013). In addition, they receive endowments which they use to
purchase some fine art photography, but most of the archival material is donated, including the
photographs the Center has, both online and in their physical archive.
In addition, artists can submit their portfolio to the Center for Creative Photography for
consideration to be included in the archives. According to their website, they are done accepting
portfolios for the year, but they will likely reopen submissions and will continue to accept
portfolios in the years to come, since it is an excellent way to acquire new materials as well as
outreach to the photographic community. The Center, as mentioned in the introduction, collects
more than just fine art photographs. They also “collect archival materials related to the artists
represented in out fine art photograph collection and artists, galleries, historians, writers and
scholars who have played or are playing a significant role in the history of photography”
(Benjamin, personal communication, March 2013). These additional archival records allow for
researchers and students to expand their knowledge in the history of photography as well as gain
a better understanding about a photograph or an artist. Although photographs seem to be the
focus of their collection, these other archival records gives users of the archives a more rounded
and complete picture of this field. These additional materials really expand the scholarship of
the field and allow for users of the archives to get a more complete history of photography.
According to David Benjamin, the CCP has many of the same core archival functions as
most archives, however they do have “different tools and technological knowledge [that] is
needed to deal with digital materials. Preservation of digital materials adds additional issues
with data migration and software specific program issues” (personal communication, March
2013). The workflow is still remarkably similar, as David Benjamin states: “We acquire,
accession, process, reserve/ conserve, and provide access to both types of materials” (personal
communication, March 2013). The differences lie in in how digital materials are dealt with.
“Rehousing and shelving digital materials will most likely involve the creation of digital
surrogates and moving both the surrogates and the original materials to servers. One of the
servers should be a ‘dark archive’ where material is stored and not accessed” (Benjamin,
personal communication, March 2013). As of right now, there are not as much digital archives
as there are physical, but in coming years, it is likely that this will change. There is a lot to
consider when it comes to digitizing these records, as stated in the interview. A few things that
will have to be considered relate to criteria as well as copyright concerns, since many of the
items in the collection are fine art pieces, which means that, in a lot of cases, the creator still
holds the copyright, which could affect what it digitized. “As we move toward digitizing
archival materials we will have to determine criteria for what is digitized. Donor agreements and
copyright will also play a role in what archival materials are available for digitization”
(Benjamin, personal communication, March 2013). In addition, this would be a huge
undertaking, requiring collaboration across many different departments. “When it comes to large
digital projects, archivists cannot do it alone; outside expertise is required in areas such as
metadata and programming” (Hunter, Legg & Oehlerts, 2010, p 89). Also, the Center would
likely need to hire more staff and consider collaborating with librarians and other archivists
employed by the University of Arizona.
The Center does have plans over the next few years to expand their records that are
available online as well as continuing to expand their collection. According to The University of
Arizona Libraries Strategic Plan (2009-2013), “other projects to make materials more accessible
include the CCP project to enter 66, 767 records into their new online inventory system which
will lead to remote users being able to search this collection” (n.d., p 4). David Benjamin also
mentioned that the Center will be “working to add collection level catalog records for all our
archival collections to the UA Library’s online catalog. We are also going to be adding EAD
finding aids to the AA) website” (personal communication, March 2013). In addition, the
University of Arizona Libraries are focused on adding to their open access digital collections and
increasing outreach, so before they released their strategic plan they had scanned 14, 256 images
from the CCP print collection. (The University of Arizona Libraries Strategic Plan, n.d., p 3).
The Center for Creative Photography will also continue to add new archival materials as well as
continuing to expand their collection of fine art photography.
One technology that has just started impacting the Center is digital photography. They
are starting to see artists that work in digital only, which requires the CCP to think about how
this will impact their collection and what new ways they will have to archive this material. “We
are just beginning to see the impact of digital photography on our archival collection. We are
talking with artists, whose work and archives we would like to add to our collection, who work
digitally. Digital files will significantly impact our work” (Benjamin, personal communication,
March 2013). In addition, besides the archival records of photographs, many other files a
photographer would have now are digital. Journals, letters and various supplemental material
may all be electronic, which changes how the archive would allow access to these materials.
“We will have to deal with data migration and the storage of digital files. We will also have to
look at ways to provide access to surrogates of the digital items in our collection if we do not
want patrons using original digital materials” (Benjamin, March 2013). These changing
technologies are affecting all archives, and it is easy to see with the Center for Creative
Photography. Although, in the course of the interview, there was never any exact plans about
how the Center will deal with this, it is obvious they are thinking about it and over the next few
years, a solution will, no doubt, be found.
One things that the Center should consider doing is expanding their online collection.
The photographs available on their website are only a slight sampling of the fine arts
photographs the Center has in their collection. It would be really interesting to see the Center
add more fine arts photographs to their website, so that more people have access to the
photographs. This is a huge undertaking, and will obviously take a very long time, but the
Center would most likely benefit in the long run. In addition, it would be good to see the Center
add additional archival material that could be accessed online. It would allow researchers from
all over the world to gain access to this material without having to travel to Tucson to view the
records. There are many cases like this, where a researcher from elsewhere in the world might
not have the funds to fly to Tucson and stay there while conducting research. However, if they
could gain access to the photographs and other archival records they need online, then they
would still be able to conduct their research and others would be able to learn something new as
well. This would potentially allow for new areas of study to be undertaken as well as expand the
research that is already being done in this field. There would be no limitations on the research,
which is quite an interesting thing to imagine.
In addition, CCP should also consider using Web 2.0 technologies in order to expand
their user base, as well as allow archivists, researchers and users to interact with one and another
as well as expand the knowledge of the field. “The Web is moving toward a shared
environment, presently labeled at Web 2.0, that embraces collective intelligence and
participation, and affords previously passive recipients of content the opportunity engage with,
combine, share and ‘mash up’ information in new and imaginative ways” (Samouelian, 2008,
43). The idea that this should be applied to archives is relatively new, but has been gaining
popularity in the last few years and the Center for Creative Photography should, at least, consider
using these technologies in their digital archive. This could include something like allowing
researchers and users to leave comments about what they learned or even, more details about the
history of the photograph. The Center might also consider a rating system, allowing users to rate
the photographs while encouraging discussion on them or maybe allow users to tag photographs
to make them easier to search. A blog would also not be a bad thing for the Center to consider,
since it would allow people to read about the work the Center does, new art shows that are
coming up and even, what new items have been added to the collection, both digitally and
physically while also allowing readers to leave comments and interact with the blog.
Web 2.0 has a lot of facets to it that could really impact archives, and the Center of
Creative Photography should examine the potential for Web 2.0 to change archives in future
years. Although, it may not be practical or too expensive to do right now, the Center should at
least think about Web 2.0 and how they can possibly take advantage of the technologies it offers.
According to a study by Mary Samouelian, after using Web 2.0 technologies in archives,
“respondents spoke of spikes in patron requests for scans of digital objects, more patrons
donating materials to their collections, and an increase of patrons wanting to see the original
materials” (2008, p 69). Although this is a relatively new idea, it seems that some archives are
using Web 2.0 technologies to improve the experience of the users and are having several side
benefits.
Finally, the CCP should do more outreach, especially through digital platforms to expand
their user base. In the interview, I asked what brings users to the archives. The reply was “it is
the strength of our collection and the uniqueness of our archival holdings that brings users to the
archive” (Benjamin, personal communication, March 2013). This is a valid point, since it such a
large collection related to the history of photography and there isn’t any archive in the United
States that is extensive on this subject. However, by outreaching more to the community of
users, I think that they could greatly expand their user base. When asked about what he thought
should be improved, changed or expanded in order to satisfy users, David Benjamin stated,
“completing the cataloging of archival collections into the UA Library’s catalog and marking-up
our finding aids and making them available online would improve patron access to collections.
Providing access to digital surrogates to portions of our archival collections would expand access
to our collections for patrons prior to visiting the Center to do research” (personal
communication, March 2013). This idea ties in with several points made in this paper, but it
seems to fit well into the category of outreaching to users since these improvements would vastly
improve the user experience as well as potentially expand their user base.
The Center is well-known by many researchers, artists and archivists, but not as well
known by the general community, or so it seems. They do have a Facebook page, but there are
other ways they could try to gain more users. It is something that the Center should look into
and possibly consider new ways to make their archive well-known throughout the world. There
are people who may be interested in viewing the collection for enjoyment purposes, but may not
be aware of its existence. They may also be researchers who are not familiar with it, possibly in
other states or countries. Users are such a large part of the archival institution and it would be
interesting for the Center for Creative Photography to consider asking users and the community
at large what they would like to see in the future. In addition, it might also be worthwhile to talk
to photographers and see what they would also like to see at the CCP. Archives appear to
function better and increase usage when they reach out to their users and figure out what they
want from the archive. By doing outreach of this sort, the Center may be able to expand their
influence and open up new areas of interest for researchers, users, students and artists. Therefore,
the Center should consider ways of expanding their user base and making the general public
more aware of what they do and its importance.
In conclusion, the Center for Creative Photography is an important archival institution
that helps contribute to the constantly expanding nature of digital archives. The Center provides
access to a major part of art history and allows people to see a large number of photographs that
reflects the history of this field, especially in the United States. The Center is considered one of
the largest of archives of photography and they are still continuing to expand their collection as
well as their online records. As the years pass, and digital archives become an even larger part of
the human experience, it is interesting to think about how the Center may change. The core of
their archival functions will most likely remain the same, but digital photography could have a
large impact on the way their archives are run and what functions the archivists will have to
perform.
As mentioned earlier in the paper, there are a few things the Center should consider in
order to continue to grow as an archive. First, they should possibly consider offering more than
just photographs on their website. It would be interesting to have access to other records in order
to further explore the history of photography. In addition, the Center should also consider ways
that they could apply Web 2.0 technologies to their archives. By using these technologies, the
Center could help expand the knowledge of this field as well as offer users, including researchers
to connect with others from all over the world. Finally, the Center should try new ways to
outreach to the community, which would help expand their user base. The Center is well-known
in certain fields, but it would be interesting to see them try to reach out to a larger community
and interact with people who may just want to use the archive to view photographs and not
necessarily as a student or researcher. Regardless of the path that the Center for Creative
Photography chooses to follow, they are an important institution of fine art photography and they
will continue to build their collection on the years to come.
Bibliography
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Holliday, T. (2006, March 29). Mining a rich load of photographs. Wall Street Journal, n.p.
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