I have read with interest the various storage and cataloging methods used by others on this list and have a few comments. On the surface, it doesn't make much difference what system you use as long as it meets your needs, but you should consider future uses of your collection. That includes uses after you have gone to that great depot in the sky.
I file my slides by railroad in Logan boxes (about 150 of them). For each particular railroad, I file first all the miscellaneous equipment, stations, cars, etc., then locomotives (roster-type shots) by engine number followed by actions/scenic views in chronological order. (The actions/scenics of my Santa Fe collection, however, are filed by state and subdivision.) I started this filing many years ago and just stuck to it. It works and I don't need a computer to find my slides. Like many, I used to file slides to be accessible for slide shows. I rarely put on spontaneous slide shows these days, but rather pick and chose views I want to use in shows. Finding slides, therefore, is important to me; storing them in slide-show order isn't. My collection now primarily supports my publishing efforts and the way I file slides meets that need. To me, how you file your slides isn't all that important as long as you can quickly find what you are looking for. If a computer database and yellow/green boxes are your filing system, that's great if it works for you. In my opinion, the most important aspect of one's slide collection is not how you file your collection, but how you document it. Having been involved with the publishing business for years, I place great importance on documentation. Very few of us started out taking slides for publications. Having your work published is just part of a natural progression as your collection gets older and you get better at your photography. To me, the most useless item is an untitled/undated slide, no matter what the subject or quality of the slide. Trying to come up with a caption for a 30-year-old untitled/undated slide is often exasperating. I believe each and every slide should have at the very minimum the date, location and name of the photographer. I think those who have systems where there are files of untitled slides on one hand and a computer or manual log system on the other are just asking for a tragedy. If something happens to the computer or the log, the entire collection becomes instantly far less valuable as a resource. The tragedy usually come after one's death when the log is separated from the slides or the computer goes its way. And, our memories grow dim as time passes. I visited a photographer the other day to pick out slides for a book. Most of the slides were dated, but many didn't have locations stamped on them. The photographer said he thought he would always remember where he took his slides.....but he doesn't. He has forgotten many of the locations. When I get a box of slides back from the processor I review the contents and if there are any bad slides (i.e., bad exposure, composition, etc.) I throw them away and title, date, sort and file the rest. I have always done so. Obviously It takes time and sometimes I get behind, but I manage to catch up. I use a printer to title/date slides so I put a great deal of information on them, including the date, milepost location, time of day, all consist engine numbers, train symbol/direction, etc. If I were still titling by hand, I obviously would skip some of these items. When in the field, I try to take good notes so that I can refer to them for additional information. The important thing to at least have the basic information on each slide. The important thing is to think about how your collection will be used in the future...your future and after you are gone. Will your photographs contribute to history, or just confuse it? Will the resouce value of your collection disappear when you do?? Give it some thought. Joe McMillan Arvada, Colo --> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects X-Mozilla-Status: 0011 Content-Length: 3051
