Organization
Arthur Erickson Foundation
Location
410 – 1639 West 2nd Ave.
Vancouver, BC V6J 1H3
Canada
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Supervising Librarian:
Alissa Cherry
Purpose of the project:
The Arthur Erickson Foundation (AEF) is a Canadian registered charity founded to preserve and promote the legacy of Canada’s foremost architect. The AEF has been given a significant collection of images (photographic prints, negatives, and slides) from Simon Scott, an architectural photographer who worked closely with Arthur Erickson. This collection is an immensely valuable record not only of Erickson’s built projects but also of the architect’s home and garden in Point Grey. The goal of this project is to complete a photograph scanning project to create a digital archive of these images. One hundred or more 4×5” negatives taken by Scott will be scanned to archival standards and associated metadata will be recorded. Some selection will be made to prioritize the scanning of images that document Arthur Erickson’s home and garden, followed by significant periods of his projects including the design and construction of Museum of Anthropology (MOA) building.
Summary of activities required to carry out the project:
Each image will be assigned a unique identifier – conventions for this will be worked out at the onset of the project. All relevant images will be scanned to archival standards. Minor image manipulation including cropping, straightening, and colour correction will be done using Photoshop or GIMP. Scanning will take place at the MOA Library & Archives. Metadata including when and where the images were taken, subject matter including people and buildings depicted in the images, and prior uses of the images such as publication when known will be recorded. This will initially be done on a spreadsheet. Some rehousing of the original negatives may be done as required.
Expectations of the end result of the project, for both host and student:
When the project is completed, the AEF will have digital versions of an important and at-risk collection of photographs. The metadata collected during the project will be the basis of item level archival descriptions. The student will meet regularly with the AEF director responsible for the archival project to discuss any questions and will gain experience completing an archival photographic digitization project from start to finish. He or she will be immersed in the work and life of renowned architect Arthur Erickson. Training and direct supervision on a day to day basis will be provided by professional staff at the MOA Library & Archives.
Time periods in which the project could be supervised:
- Summer Session, Term 2 (July – August)
- Winter Session, Term 1 (September – December)
Is there a deadline by which the project must be completed?
No deadline
Considering the project requirements, please suggest suitable coursework as pre-requisite or co-requisite:
Some experience doing image digitization and/or an interest in architecture is preferred.
Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis