BlockRestore, organize, and cite historical photographs and documents
Keep the original file unchanged, create a working derivative for restoration or annotation, and preserve the connection between each file and the repository or owner that supplied it. A useful filename is not a substitute for a citation.
A careful starting sequence
- Make a read-only original and a separate working copy. Record the source institution or owner, identifier, file name, and acquisition date.
- Use a consistent folder and filename pattern that captures subject, approximate date, and source identifier without inventing a date or location.
- Describe what is visible separately from what is known from a caption or catalogue. Mark uncertain identifications as uncertain.
- Cite the holding institution, creator when known, title or description, date when known, collection or identifier, stable URL, and access date.
- Check rights and reuse information item by item. A public scan, an old photograph, or a government website does not by itself establish every reuse right.
Work with your copies
Use an optional local tool for working copies. Preserve the source file and its rights statement alongside it.
Open a scanned document in PDFb2