Why I've begun using digital images
 | They are as good (sometimes better) than many of the slides in our collection that were shot from books (see Quality Comparison) |
| They are easy to keep track of; digital images never get misfiled after use |
| When I've used images in a class lecture I can easily post them to a web site for my students to review |
| They can be made to reveal things that 35mm slides cannot (see Image Manipulation) |
| If a student emails me with a question that is best answered by reference to an image, I insert or attach the image to my email reply (though this is a whole separate problem: see email) |
| As a superior image comes available for a particular work of art, I replace the lesser-quality image with the better-quality image (in our multi-user department the tendency has been to hold on to the lesser image ((in 35mm format)) so that if more than one person needed the work it would be available). |
| I find myself consolidating various image sources (the department's slide collection, images housed in the library, slides from my own collection, slides I routinely borrow from others) into one archive--much easier to manage. |
The result of an interesting survey, Using Digital Images in the Classroom: User Survey Report, was published by Lorna Corbetta-Noyes in August 1998 (web link appears no longer available). Corbetta-Noyes concluded.
"The fact that 100% of the respondents are on-line (and came to the questionnaire on-line) points out that this segment of the arts community has a presence on-line and considerable interest in the use of digital images. Some are well along in the digitization process, while others are very interested in moving in that direction. Some are very aware of both the advantages and pitfalls of digital images, and some are still learning. There is a consensus on what constitutes good features of such a system, while at the same time the concerns of funding and copyright are universal. As long as curators, arts faculty and content providers work together, I think the future of digital images in the classroom looks promising."
Of special interest to this reader was the fact a majority of the respondents fell within the 41-50 age range. Interest in this subject is not restricted to those who grew up with computers.
