Make catalogues available via a web-searchable database
Currently individuals seeking information about the Photograph Collection and its contents have to visit the Library and search the numerous typescript catalogues manually. The Photograph Project aims to make these detailed catalogues available via a web-searchable database. This will allow researchers to evaluate the collection remotely and to determine which images are beneficial to their work.

The information entered into the CANTAB database will be output in Encoded Archival Description (EAD), a standard for encoding archival finding aids using the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). This data will then be uploaded to Janus, a system designed to provide a single point of networked access to the descriptions of the archives and manuscript collections held throughout Cambridge. Janus includes records for a growing number of Cambridge institutions and allows users to browse individual collections as well as search across repositories.

Digitise images from the collection to create an online gallery
The RCS Photograph Project has digitised approximately 700 images to create an online gallery. The digitised images demonstrate the richness and variety of the collection as well as providing a useful resource for those unable to visit the Library.

The images have been digitised in accordance with the Higher Education Digitisation Service (HEDS) and the Research Library Group (RLG) guidelines. TIFF images have been created for archival purposes and JPEG images for web delivery. Metadata, in the form of Dublin Core, has been created to facilitate access and preservation.