FAQ

Are all of the Charlotte County Archives’ photographs online?

Not by a long shot! We hold over 25,000 individual photographs. Currently just over 2,000 are online.

 

Why aren’t all the CCA’s photographs online?

Two reasons: time and copyright.

It takes considerable time to make a photograph available online to archival standards. We must make high-quality scans, handling the photographs with care to prevent damage. Identification numbers must be assigned and files organized. With context key to archival work, we must preserve as much of the photograph’s information as possible, from size to captions to provenance. Uploading images takes time; back-ups take time. Though we are fortunate to have a dedicated volunteer photo team, as well as an archivist with a background in archival photographs, we are a small institution with many demands on our resources.

Secondly, though we value the importance of public access to our holdings, we are also conscientious of copyright. Ownership of an item does not automatically come with copyright, which remains with original creators and their heirs until it is explicitly transferred or expires. Unless we hold a photograph’s copyright, have permission of its copyright holders, or reasonably believe it to be in the public domain, we are not including it in the online collection at this time. However, all the photographs that we hold, regardless of copyright, can be viewed in-person at our Archives, physically or digitally depending on their status.

Will you be putting more photographs online?

Yes! We will be adding more photographs on a regular basis, including new donations. Check back often!

 

How can I add information to the CCA’s photo records?

Many of our photos come to us without identification of people and places, and if you are able to fill in any of those gaps, we would be delighted! Please share with us via email, phone, or mail, including the identification numbers or links to the relevant photographs.

 

How can I add photographs to the CCA’s collection?

We are always open to donations of original materials, including photographs. Please see here to learn more about the process of donating to the Archives and reach out to us about your photographs at contact@ccarchives.ca . Note that we do not acquire scans of photographs without the originals, although we do accept digital images made with a digital camera.

 

Can I save copies of these photos for my own personal use?

Yes, our online images may be used for personal, non-commercial purposes. Note that all photographs in the online collection are provided in lower resolution web versions, which looks best on a screen. If you would like images for printing, publication, or other purposes, please consult our image reproduction page.

 

Can I get higher-resolution versions of these photos?

Certainly! See our image reproduction page for details and costs.

 

Why are there so few photos of (Rollingdam, Upper Mills, Beaver Harbour, Deer Island, etc.)?

Our collection comes entirely from donations. While we cover all of Southwest New Brunswick, there are admittedly areas that are not yet well-represented in our collection. We are especially interested in acquiring more photographs (and other materials) from those areas that are currently less represented. If you have, or know anyone who has, photographs from across the region, please consider donating them!

 

What is “Dublin Core”?

You may have noticed our record pages are titled “Dublin Core.” This is simply an international cataloguing standard that comes built-in to our collections database. Despite the name, it is not Irish; Dublin was simply where the first meeting regarding these standards was held.

Who is behind the CCA's photo collection? 

We are extremely fortunate to have a team of dedicated photo volunteers who record, catalogue, scan, and know all about our photographs. This site would not be possible without current photo team Irene Scarratt, Donna Walsh, and Vicki Smith, as well as past members Mary Myers, the exceptionally committed and dearly missed Lila Haughn, and others. 

Thanks as well to project staff D'Arcy L. J. White and Erika Baker, who helped bring the work of our photo team to the world, and to the Documentary Heritage Communities Program, funded by the Government of Canada, for the grant that enabled this project. 

How can I ask a question of my own?

Simply email us at contact@ccarchives.ca!