From Picture Collection to Picture Collection Online Available to Purchase

This article provides a historical overview of the creation of the New York Public Library's Picture Collection and its evolution from a physical collection to a virtual collection – Picture Collection Online. The Library built a unique Picture Collection 90 years ago to answer the users' needs for searching pictures from the subject point of view, a venture that resulted in a rich New York cultural resource. Today, the Library has once again risen to the challenge of a new information age to break the boundary of physical walls in order to expand its service via the World Wide Web to a global audience. From Picture Collection to Picture Collection Online, this article provides an account on what and how decisions were made to provide users with online access to a digitized version of the Picture Collection.