I am honored to be one of the contributors to The Photo Archive Handbook:  What you need to know, by Mary Engel, sponsored by the American Photography Archives Group (APAG).  The handbook will be available for purchase at APAG’s booth at the AIPAD Photo Show, Pier 94, New York, NY, Thursday March 30 – Sunday April 2, 2017.  

  “If you haven’t been in the photography industry yourself, or been intimately involved in the collection you have inherited, this handbook will help you begin the process and make you more aware of the types of things you will have to deal with. […]

  “At the time of her passing, my mother [Ruth Orkin] was already widely recognized by curators and critics for her work. Museums had her work in their collections, and she had been included in group and solo shows. She was known in the gallery and museum world, but even so, people were still not beating down the door. I felt like I had to pursue any opportunity or person that I met to establish a relationship and interest.

   “Many photographers do not have this recognition, which makes it even more difficult to successfully manage an archive. Some of this also depends on the resources of an archive, if you are able to sustain the collection in a safe place, and have help managing everything, that can make a world of difference.”

—Mary Engel, Director, Orkin/Engel Film and Photo Archive

Contributors to The Photo Archive Handbook include:  Mary Engel (“Archives 101”); Kenneth Falcon and Paul O’Brien (“Copyright Law in Cyberspace”); Robin Moore (“Letting Go: Thoughts on Family Members as Legacy Managers”); Jennifer Schwartz and Julie Grahame (“Crusade for your Art”); Andrew Smith (“Creating and Placing an Intelligent Archive as a Legacy”); me (Jennifer Stoots “Determining Value”); and Emma Winter (“Managing Photography Archives: Best Practices and Approaches to Long-Term Planning”), plus resources and a list of museums and relevant institutions in the U.S.