Explanation of the MPHA Photo Collection

GENERAL

The Association maintains archived photos. Each archived photo is given a 4-digit accession number, which is entered into the Association’s FileMakerPro (FMP) database along with the indexed subject and a brief description. Before about 2004, all these photos were on photographic paper and filed under the subject headings originally developed for news clippings. With the advent of digital photography, there are 2 possibilities. Digital photos are stored on a special hard drive. Paper photos are scanned, and the scanned version then also stored on the same special hard drive.

SCANNING

Scanning of paper photos is done in a somewhat arbitrary order. The month and year of a photo’s scan is added to its accession number; e.g., 05-0007-2009 for photo 0007 scanned in May 2009. The scanned photos are stored on the hard drive in folders (collections) labeled by month and year of scan. The scanned photos in TIFF format are generally each 1-10 megapixel depending on the physical size of the original paper photo.

ONLINE PHOTOS

Online photos consist of both historical and non-historical photos. Non-historical photos are generally originally digital (and thus recent). The online historical collections are low-resolution (about 50 kilopixel in JPEG format) versions of the high-resolution digital photos. To make identification of a given collection easier, each collection is given a single number (replacing the month and year) beginning with “1” and increasing with each added collection.

SHARING POLICY

Personal, non-commercial use of digital images posted on the Photos page of the MPHA working web site is permitted with attribution to MPHA. All other uses require the written permission of the Association for each use as well as the payment of required fees. The complete photo policy of and contact information for the Menlo Park Historical Association is here.

YOUR SEARCH FOR A PHOTO OR PHOTOS

The Association has only a part-time, completely voluntary staff. In only the most exceptionally cases will the Association entertain written or verbal requests to search for a photo or photos relating to a specific person or subject. Instead, the online photo collections, which now represent nearly all the Association’s photos, are available for anyone to search with the aid of the online Photo Subject Index.

HOW TO REQUEST NON-PERSONAL OR COMMERCIAL USE OF PHOTOS (whether low- or high-resolution)

After noting the photo-numbers of the desired photos, fill out the Photo Permission Form. There is an example of a filled-out form. After signing the completed form, it can be mailed to MPHA, dropped by the office during office hours, or a scanned copy emailed. See the MPHA home page for contact information. The required fees (generally $25 per photo) can be paid by check. For purchases, please do not use the Donate button on the MPHA home page.

DELIVERY OF HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS

Once a request for high-resolution photo(s) is processed, including payment of fees, the photo(s) will be made available in an online folder and the link to the folder sent to the requester. Note that for this reason it is important to include an email address on the Photo Permission Form.