Table of Contents for: Section J | Entire RFP

SECTION J - ATTACHMENT 3

CIVIL WAR PHOTOGRAPHS FROM

PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION

READING ROOM FILES

3.1 BACKGROUND

The Prints and Photographs Reading Room makes available a collection of Civil War photographs in its open vertical files. The collection, formally known as the Anthony-Taylor-Rand-Ordway-Eaton Collection, is organized by subject matter. The photographs were acquired from various sources, including the Brady-Handy Collection. Other photographs were printed by the Library from Brady negatives held by the Library.

3.2 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED MATERIALS

Almost all of the photographs are mounted on boards. Most of the full-size boards are 11x14 inches. Smaller sized boards are variable: from about 4x5 to 5x10 inches. Many of the largest boards have more than one photograph mounted on them. As many as ten photographs are mounted on a single board. Large boards do not necessarily indicate that large photographs are mounted upon them. The photographs range in size from 2x3 to 10x13 inches. The library estimates that there are 7,400 photographs on 3,800 mounts. The boards are housed in mylar, which will be cut open on two adjacent sides by Library staff prior to scanning; this will leave the boards in what is called an "L-sealed" mylar housing. Approximately 350 stereographs are included in this project.

The bulk of the photographs are gold-toned albumen prints. Most other prints are silver gelatin copy photographs or reprints.

The Library has assigned a unique item identification number to each photograph. The staff has written this number on the back of each photograph. For mount boards with more than one photograph, the number for each image will appear directly behind its corresponding mounted print.

3.3 IMAGING REQUIREMENTS

3.3.1 Types of Digital Images

In accordance with C.4.3, the following set of mandatory images shall be created for each item in the collection:

If applicable, the desirable image type to be created shall be as follows:

3.3.2 Cropping

The contractor shall capture each individual photograph, cropping out the surrounding mount and other photographs which might appear on the mount. The contractor shall leave a narrow edge of the background surrounding the photographic print in the digital image, to demonstrate that the entire original items has been captured.

For each stereograph, the contractor shall capture the entire image pair and the board on which the stereograph is mounted. The Library may additionally instruct the scanning technicians to capture the verso of some of the stereograph cards as well. If the verso is scanned, the Library will supply a separate item identification number for the verso image.

3.4 FILENAMING AND DIRECTORY STRUCTURE

The contractor shall use the item identification number as the digital item identifier for each digital image. The four-digit item identification number will appear on the verso of each photograph. The filename extensions specified in Section C.4.2 complete the filename.

Filename examples:

A directory structure shall be created which organizes the digital image files into groups of one-hundred. The digital image files shall be stored in this single-level directory. Some path examples:

Path examples:

3.5 HANDLING AND SCANNING REQUIREMENTS

Most of the backing boards are brittle and fragile with age. Many exhibit broken corners, cracks or tears. The contractor shall use care when removing the boards from the L-sealed mylar housing. Neither the boards nor the stereographs may be captured on a flat-bed scanner. Nor may they be flattened with glass plates or weighted frames for capture by overhead digital camera.

After scanning, the contractor shall return the prints in the same mylar housing and refile them in the same order as found.

3.6 WORKFLOW

3.6.1 Project Setup Activity

During the setup activity, a set of confirming sample images shall be created that can be used to determine tonal value ranges for these materials.

3.7 DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY

The collection identifier for the Civil War photographs is cwp. This collection identifier shall be used as the first part of the volume name for the delivered CD-ROMs.


Table of Contents for: Section J | Entire RFP