Archival Collections of Asia Photographs: Asia Photographs at Harvard

Abstract

This is the first in a series of introductions to archives in libraries, museums, and other institutions that collect, preserve, and make available for research photographs of Asia. Within some of its seventy-five libraries and several museums, Harvard holds scattered collections of photographs of Asia. Some of those collections are static while others continue to expand through donations or purchases. Some are subject-focused, such as those of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum and the Harvard Business School. Except at the Harvard-Yenching Library, the collections are not centered solely on Asia. All of the collections support the university’s educational mission. Making the many thousands of photographs available for researchers is a heady undertaking that involves issues of cataloging, conservation, restoration, access, copyright, digitization, and publication permissions. This essay will focus on the larger and most accessible collections Harvard collections.