Module 2: The Image Worksheet

Any work not completed in class, must be completed and approved before the next class session.

Use the Image Worksheet to gather the relevant information for your images

Ask Special Collections staff and your instructor for help.

First, check the “Archival Object Checklist” section to make sure you’ve chosen an appropriate object/image for the project. Be sure to have your instructor(s) sign off on your choice(s).

Next, take lots of photographs! You will only need a few images for your published article (at least 1, no more than 6), but you might want to take extra photographs to capture details that you want to remember or to ensure that you have the best shot to use in your finished article. For the best images, follow these guidelines:

• lay your objects flat to photograph them
• photograph from above so your images are not at an angle
• make sure to avoid fingers, hands, and other things that interfere with your photo

Once you’ve decided on an object (or objects), record all the information below for each object.

• Archival collection name – This should be the full official title. You may need to consult with Cesar for this.
• Image title – Check to see if the image has a title; if not, work with Prof. Jaurretche or Cesar to give your image a title.
• Attribution information – Since these images will be hosted on the web, we’ll need to know (if available) the creator and date the object was created.
• Alt-text (description of the image) – You’ll need to write a short description of your image(s) for use with screen readers. Screen readers are used by the sight-impaired to read web pages. Your description will not display on the page, but will be read aloud to users with screen readers. For guidelines on writing these descriptions, or alt-text, visit: http://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/
• Full citation for your object(s) – You’ll need to include the object in your bibliography, so make sure you have the full bibliographic citation recorded before you leave the session. Ask Cesar for help if needed.
• Image file naming scheme – Think about the naming scheme for your image files. We want these to be consistent and reflect the subject of your article. For example, if your are writing about Dalton Trumbo, your image file names might be: trumbo1.jpg, trumbo2.jpg, etc. Do not use any spaces, underscores, hyphens, or other extra characters - keep it simple!

Any info that wasn’t completed needs to be done and submitted before the next class session. Make sure you save all this info and bring it with you to class for our hands-on session.