Where did I see that photo? Try Gale or Factiva
Jinfo Blog

By Jan Knight

Abstract

Images and pictures are becoming increasingly important in the digital age and companies need to take note. More than 100 years of the National Geographic magazine will be archived in a fully searchable interface, and Factiva is also adding 1.2 million images to its  database.

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We’ve all heard the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. In this world of multimedia and infographics it certainly appears to be an efficient shortcut to presenting information for many purposes. Recently two vendors are making sure their customers are the beneficiaries of even more pictures, photos and images.

If you’re one of the thousands of people who occasionally have to rummage through the stack of 10 year old National Geographic magazines for “that photo you know you saw three years ago”, it’s time to rejoice. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, has announced it will be archiving more than 100 years worth of the magazine.

The archive will include all issues of the magazine in a fully searchable interface. What’s most exciting to many is that it will also include the legendary photos that have helped to make National Geographic Magazine one of the most famous publications in the world.

The President of National Geographic Publishing describes the Archive as a “vast knowledge base, an unparalleled resource on cultures, nature, science, technology, energy and the environment”. Rather than just include the original pages with the photographs, the archive will also include each detailed map that the magazine has published throughout its history. These will provide context and reference for the readers.

Also this month Factiva announced it will be adding more global sources, blogs and images. In fact over 1.2 million images are going to be added to the database. The global aspect is impressive; content and images are being added from Europe, the Americas and from the Asia-Pacific regions.

I recently attended an Edward Tufte Workshop on the Presentation of Information and am now more convinced than ever that there’s much more companies can do to make their information more scannable, readable and even more relevant when sharing it with others. That’s the topic of a future posting however.

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