Abstract
Archives and libraries hold significant collections of historic aerial imagery; improvements in geographic information system (GIS) technology and computer vision, a field of artificial intelligence, are dramatically expanding their research potential. This case study describes the activities of the University of Montana’s Archives and Special Collections to facilitate access to a collection of 1930s aerial images, outlines the rationale for investing time and effort in the project and offers considerations for other repositories with historic aerial photography collections. The authors encourage archivists and librarians to be involved in creating both best practices and technological tools that meet the needs of repositories and researchers.
Author Biography
Donna E. McCrea, Head of Archives and Special Collections / Professor, University of Montana; Bruce Godfrey, GIS Librarian / Associate Professor, University of Idaho; Elizabeth Singh-Search, Archives and Special Collections GIS Project Manager, University of Montana
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
McCrea, Donna E.; Godfrey, Bruce; and Singh-Search, Elizabeth
(2026)
"Providing Access to Historic Aerial Photographs at the University of Montana’s Archives and Special Collections,"
Journal of Western Archives: Vol. 17:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
DOI: 10.59620/2154-7149.1201
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol17/iss1/2
