IMAGE ARCHIVES IN NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL OFFICES: A SERVICE ACTIVITY Susanne Ornager Head of Department The Royal School of Library

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IMAGE ARCHIVES IN NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL
OFFICES A SERVICE ACTIVITYSusanne
OrnagerHead of DepartmentThe Royal School of
Library Information Science. Copenhagen,
Denmark
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Introduction

• Methodology
• Analyses of empirical material
• Customers of the archives
• Co-operation with the journalists
• Indexing system in the archive
• The newspaper structure and the archives
• Visual language and the archive
• The organizational culture of the archives
• Changing the photo archives into service
  institutions
• Conclusion

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Introduction to the study

• Investigation based on newspaper photo archives
• The original study was about indexing and search
  routines
• A feeling of uncertainty in the archives
• New image - photo archives as a service entity
• Visual archive personnel are typically a back-up
  function

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The big question is

• How do we turn the visual archive into a very
  visible service entity for newspaper editorial
  offices?

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Methodologies

• Ms. Clement stresses that Service is a business
  where the customer pays for a specific result to
  be achieved
• Mr. Normann and Ms. Clement has a conceptual
  framework to be used for describing and managing
  a service system
• The magic formula by Mr. Norman will be used in
  this presentation

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The Magic formula

• Market segment
• divides customers into groups
• Service package
• is the core and peripheral service
• Delivery system
• focuses on active customer contact
• Image
• is how the customer perceives the company
• Culture
• is the "spiritual feel of the place

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Grounded theory

• The theory emerges through observation,
  interviews and/or questionnaires
• First the data is analyzed by "Open coding
• Categories are established
• Then data is analyzed by Axial coding
• The results are examined in relation to the
  various components in Mr. Normann's Magic Formula

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Empirical material

• Customers of the archives
• The customer is the journalist
• He/She is busy working with a well-defined
  quantity of material
• His/Her universe is the "material
• He/She wants the archives to relate to THEIR area
  of interest
• When this fails to happen the archive is
  "difficult to relate to"

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Empirical material

• Archival personnel say that
• Journalists are often regarded as being poor at
  formulating queries
• They are often regarded as people who always
  want everything about everything
• They are often regarded as being without a sense
  of visual imagery and very text-orientated.

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Empirical material

• There are journalists who are interested in the
  right photo
• Why do archive personnel then feel that
  journalists perceive the photo as secondary?

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Empirical material

• "The interview technique is not standardized"
• The above seem to enforce the idea that there
  are communication problems between the
  journalists and archive personnel.
• "We have not contacted them (the journalists) as
  much as we would have liked to
• Show that there is a possibility of improving
  communication

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Empirical material

• Co-operation with the journalists
• Good service
• Human relations, confidentiality and
  communication between sender and receiver
• They still trust us to choose the right ones
  (photos) for them. There is a high degree of
  mutual trust

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Empirical material

• Co-operation with the journalists
• Bad service
• Rumors, which can become self-perpetuating
• "These journalists they can't formulate a query
  correctly...

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Empirical material

• Co-operation with the journalists
• Loss of motivation and breakdown of communication
  
• No peripheral service is being given

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Empirical material

• Indexing system in the archive
• Coded systems
• Word-based systems
• The customers say that they can use the archive
  but prefer it if the archive personnel carry out
  the searches

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Empirical material

• The newspaper structure and the archives
• The picture has become a more important part of
  communicating the news
• But many archivists still feel physically
  isolated in the newspaper offices
• "We feel physically isolated from the editorial
  office. It would be nice (to have) the articles
  and also much more fun"

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Empirical material

• Visual language and the archive
• How is loneliness understood
• "An elderly man sitting on a bench
• "A person walking along a road with his back
  turned
• The above-mentioned examples of visual language
  is common for archive personnel working for
  newspapers with different object clauses

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Empirical material

• Visual language and the archive
• How do the archive personnel/journalists find
  their associations?
• "Being together with colleagues - experience

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Empirical material

• Visual language and the archive
• The dialogue with journalists is important
• "Associations are grounded in a verbal fight
  with the journalist, a sort of Ping-Pong till
  something crops up"

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Empirical material

• The organizational culture of the archives
• There is a need for stability in the daily
  routines, while at the same time there is a
  necessity for things to change and a need to
  learn from one's experiences
• Good circle is where customer and employee feel
  satisfied

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Empirical material

• The organizational culture of the archives
• Bad circle is where one has to uncover myths and
  create new understanding. In other words everyday
  life in the organization has to change

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Changing the photo archives into service
institutions
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Changing the photo archives into service
institutions
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Changing the photo archives into service
institutions

• Preparation of a short and easy-to-understand
  manual for picture retrieval
• Holding short training sessions on search
  techniques (make the system psychologically and
  intellectually accessible)

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Changing the photo archives into service
institutions

• Storing of pictures in groups, reminiscent of the
  bag system
• Interviews/help in conducting searches where
  co-operation with the journalist is called for

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Changing the photo archives into service
institutions

• The Service packet has to do with the indexing,
  where a customer must be able to count on a
  certain continuity in the description of a photo
  if he/she wants continuity in the searches.

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Changing the photo archives into service
institutions

• Delivery is to develop a customer interface
  taking the requirements of the user categories
  into account.

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Changing the photo archives into service
institutions

• Image is not common because image differ within
  private organizations.
• The staff resemble the user
• It may be a bussy business but lets remember to
  be human
• Personnel must be confident of their systems and
  appear knowledgeable

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Changing the photo archives into service
institutions

• Culture manifest itself in different ways.
• One way is that there is a psychological factor
  in being close to the customer. The customer has
  more confidence in a service entity which is near.

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Conclusion

• The photo archives do have the potential to
  become service entities in the newspaper world.
• It is necessary to chart the customers' needs and
  requirements, now and in the future
• Which type of photos the different types of
  newspapers should aim for
• Closer ties between the archives and the
  editorial offices
• Customers can relate to archive material
• Shop" at home first

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Conclusion

• Future supply systems should be based on user
  categories and there should be standardized
  guidelines for visual analysis and description

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References

• Clement, J. (1990). Service Management. Ledelse
  af servicevirksomheder. Krbenhavn,
  Civilrkonomernes Forlag.
• Normann, R. (1983). Service Management - ledelse
  og strategi i produksjon av tjenester. Service
  Management. Oslo, Bedrifts-rkonomisk Forlag.