About Facilities :: The Slide Library
The Slide Library circulates 140,000 35 mm slides to faculty and students for classroom presentation and as precedent source material for design studios. The slides are organized in a systemic manner, so that the slides are recallable by architect/creator, work date and site. A guide sheet and database are available for assistance in researching the slide collection.
In addition, two new online databases have been created to store and distribute digitized images from the slide collection. The New Orleans Virtual Archive features original images from the collection and will be universally accessible. The Tulane School of Architecture Image Library will contain everything else (images from around the world and from various sources); access will be restricted to members of the Tulane University community.
Approximately 4000 original slides of New Orleans have been scanned and will form the core of the New Orleans Virtual Archive (NOVA), a digital collection of images of the city and plans for renewal. The NOVA is in part the second effort to organize and universally distribute via the internet the TSA’s images of New Orleans. The nucleus of the NOVA website merges these images, previously online as the New Orleans Architecture Database, with Insight, a powerful and sophisticated digital asset management system. In addition, the NOVA website will include digital photos documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as well as plans for rebuilding the city generated by faculty and students through TSA’s URBANbuild, CITYbuild and GREENbuild projects. While an increased focus on digital media has halted the growth of the slide collection in general, 35 mm slide holdings of regional architecture continue to expand. Recently several local architecture firms have donated their slide archives to the School of Architecture. Eventually, these new acquisitions will be digitized as part of the NOVA.
The images and information contained on the NOVA site will be accessible to the public, amplifying Tulane University’s commitment to community outreach. However, while the site is under construction, access is restricted. We anticipate opening the site to the public by January 2008. In the meantime, reviewers may access the site under construction. Login is tsa and the password is tsa. Comments may be addressed to Francine Stock, Visual Resource Curator, fjudd@tulane.edu