Vcat Best Practices:

Image and Image Tabbed

There are two layouts for Image: Image and Image Tabbed. They contain the same fields, they just look different. VRC Staff have historically used the Image Tabbed layout (pictured below) and have tweaked this layout to meet our needs. It is recommended that all Catalogers use Image Tabbed.

The Image record describes the image on hand (usually a digital image.) It does NOT describe the work depicted in the image. Much of the Image record therefore is administrative in nature.

Show Work button: Opens a new window listing all image records associated with the Work Number

Character Map button: Opens the Windows Character Map program for including diacritics when necessary

Dupe button: Duplicates the current Image record

Refresh Image button: Inserts the jpeg on the server that is associated with the Digital File Name

Show Label button: Opens the Label layout. We do not produce slide labels, so this button can be ignored

Field Name	Local Usage	Notes
Work Number	Use full Work Number without spaces	This number is how the Image record is linked to the Work Record. Be very careful you use the correct Work Number!
Flag	Pull-down menu	If you have a problem to show the Staff, choose “Yes” so the record can be easily found
Accession Number	Use VRC digital accession number in full, with no spaces or hard returns
Digital File Name	Auto-entered	Adds “.jpg” to the Accession Number
Record Type	Auto-entered
Image Title Type	Pull-down menu
Image Title [View]	Free text	Use for view information; do NOT repeat the Title from the Work record!
Image Tagging	Free text; separate keywords with a comma	Keywords are used for subject information that cannot added to the Subject list. This is usually because no authority can be found for the term.
Image Description	Free text	Do NOT repeat the Description field in the Work record.
Image Subject Heading	Pull-down list	This is the same list that appear in the Work record. Subject headings in the Image record (which still apply only to the work) better describe views or details of the work seen clearly in the image. The Image record subject terms are combined with the GeneralSubject terms and the Subject terms from the Work record for export and therefore should not duplicate the Work record terms.
Original Vendor ID	Free text	Identification assigned to the image by the vendor. This may or may not be the accession number.
Image Href	Free text	Only used for outside image sources; in practice, not used
Image Rights	Pull-down menu	Ask Staff if you are confused about image copyright.
Original Photographer	Free text	Use for Slides with original photographer indicated as source on the Shelf List card or for original gift materials.
Source Institution	Auto-entered
Collection	Auto-entered
Subcollection	Free text	Use for Gift Collection title. Check the AAI database and/or ask Staff to access the Gift Collections database for established titles.
Photographer [Agent]	Pull down menu	Scanning Technician’s name. See Order Form and Order Tracking Sheet
Image Date	Use mm/dd/yyyy format	Input date of scanning completion (see Order Tracking Sheet)
Date Type	Pull-down menu
Technique	Pull-down menu
VRCcallnumber	Use for slide call numbers
VRCSlideAcqnumber	Use for slide acquisition numbers	See Staff for explanation of slide acquisition numbers
Type	Auto-entered, Digital Still
Format	Auto-entered
Size	Leave blank
Order Number	Free text	From Order record; found on Order Tracking Sheet
Source Number	Free text	From Source record; found on Order Tracking Sheet
Source Page Number	Free text; Use descriptive terms for multiple items, i.e. “top” or “plate 32”
Creation Date	Auto-generated
Modification Date	Auto-generated
Reshoot Request Date	Ignore
Reshoot Return Date	Ignore
Cataloger	Pull-down menu	Entries from the Cataloger Table

Continue to Continent