Image CatalogingImage Cataloging
To keep track of all the images, we currently use Adobe Fetch, an image cataloging program that is very easy to use (now goes under the name of Extensis Portfolio). In the future we will be exploring another program, Canto Cumulus.
The catalogs can be viewed by thumbnails, by ordered lists of the image names, file folders, etc. You can search for individual or groups of images by using key words. It tells you where the image is located and other pertinent information that you can enter. It is very easy to add and update entries. For each individual CD, I record on the CD, its own individual catalog. We also have a master catalog of all the CDs recorded. This way we can look in the master catalog and find on what CD any image is located. The only thing to remember is that you have to uniquely name each CD and you do this at the time you record it. You should be very consistant about naming your folders and files in order to best search for images or image data.
Image Storage
If you are going to deal with large amounts of image data, I strongly encourage using a CD recorder. CDs hold about 625 MB, the drives cost about $600, and the disks are very reasonabley priced ($2-$3 each). You can make several backup CDs very inexpensively. For us, because we are generating a lot of data, CD recording was the best way to go.
Other methods of storage include Zip and Jaz disks. Zip disks hold 100 MB of data, not a lot of space when you're talking about image files. The Zip drive costs about $200 and the disks are relatively expensive (about $10-$12 each). A Jaz disk holds more (1 GB of data), the drive costs about $300 and the disks run $90-125.