Pictures and pixels : digital photographic archives at newspapers, photographic agencies and libraries

Abstract

A survey (N = 167) and in-depth interviews were conducted to examine organizational influences on the diffusion of an innovation. Daily newspapers, historical libraries and museums and photographic agencies that handle editorial content were identified for exploration of how they have created and implemented digital photographic archives. The results indicate that characteristics of the organization such as size and organization type influence the decisions that are made with respect to creating the archive and its ongoing operation. The results also indicate innovations that fit well within the established routines of the organization and within the existing knowledge an skills of the organization members are likely to be successfully adopted. The study also addressed implications of the methods of saving photographs in a digital archive have on the future of historical research.