International Center of Photography

The proposed project will introduce the first distributed query database system among institutions specifically devoted to the medium of photography by creating a distributed database capability hosted on the jointly managed web "portal," www.photomuse.org. ICP's partner for this endeavor is the George Eastman House (GEH) in Rochester, NY. Together, ICP and GEH will then test this distributed query platform and develop methodologies to bring information into the understanding of the photographic image. The procedures used will be shared broadly to encourage other institutional participants in the future, with interested universities and museums already identified. This accessible, information-rich, multi-institutional framework will be able to address the specific needs of the field and the general public worldwide. Anticipated results include: Coordinating best cataloging practices among photographic institutions to establish the common ground, establishing web access to each museum's collection database, designing and developing tangential database tables, demonstrating the effectiveness of the distributed query system between ICP and GEH using images locally on the server as well as on external web servers, collaborating with institutions who hold photography collections within the photomuse.org site, and raise public awareness of the web site.