Arrangement
The 300,000 slides are arranged according to almost 85 different project names assigned by the Eames Office and listed alphabetically in the Contents List. The quantity of slides in each project category can range from as few as 200 slides to as many as 10,000 slides. For some of the slide groupings, the Eames Office provided specific information about the topics represented within each slide box. (Example: Copernicus used in film/books, details, Durer, Almagest, maps, 1972) For some groups, only broad project information is available. (Example: Copernicus The exhibit, December 1972).
The entries in the finding aid include the Description, initials of the photographer when known, and Date or Date Range. The second line is the Call Number which is made from the Project Code, Eames Slide Box Number, and Single Item or Range of Item Numbers. The Extent entry lists the Quantity of Slides (in a range or box), followed by the Cross-Reference Category (in all caps), and finally any additional notes. The Container Number needed to retrieve the materials from storage appears at left. A breakdown of meanings and origins of different terms are listed below in the Table: Eames Office Slides (LC-E14 Series) Glossary of Terms
Example:
Box 152 | Boeing: Plane assembly, wires, panels 1966 (CE), August 1966 |
Call No.: LC-E14-BOE001.001 to 164 | |
Extent: 164 slides (35mm) | |
Eames Cross Reference: LEADING EDGE FILM | |
Note: some shot by CE |
At the Eames Office the slide boxes were organized by project in a grid of cubbies in the Eames location area 19 J-R. In the 1980s the boxes were assigned a Project Code according to a scheme developed at the office, which was then used by the Library in processing much of the Work of Charles and Ray Eames materials. At the Library of Congress the slides are organized alphabetically by this code, and within that, by the original Slide Box number which preserves the office's groupings. Slides in boxes were filed in roughly chronological order from back of the slide box toward the front. The individual slides were numbered sequentially by the Library of Congress when processing the materials. In our containers, slides follow the same order but start at the front of the box and move to the back.
Descriptions may be at the individual slide, group, or entire box level, and slides may be represented in more than one entry in the finding aid. Entries for duplicates are usually at the end of a box, and often don't have exact numbering. The Cross-Reference usually refers to another related project where you might find similar slides, or where slides were relocated to and from by the Eames staff. Some references were listed in the inventory database created by the Eames Office in the mid-eighties, but LC staff supplemented during processing of the slides.
Table: Eames Office Slides (LC-E14 Series) Glossary of Terms
Term | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
Box | Number assigned by the Library of Congress describing the current storage location | Box 152 |
Description/Date | Describes a single slide or grouping of slides. Two letter codes, are usually staff initials, e.g. CE is for Charles Eames | Boeing: Plane assembly, wires, panels 1966 (CE), August 1966 |
Call Number | The Library of Congress assigned unique number to identify a specific item or range of items. It is composed of multiple parts described further below. | LC-E14-BOE001.001 |
Series Code | Library of Congress code to identifying the collection item format and series. All processed 35mm slides in the Work of Charles and Ray Eames have the code LC-E14. | LC-E14- are 35mm slides |
Project Code | Eames Office 1-4 letter code to identify the primary project the slides were used for | BOE is Boeing |
Eames Slide Box Number | Number assigned to original Eames box groupings within a Project Code. These numbers appear before the decimal in the Call Number. | 001 is the 1st Eames slide box in the Boeing project |
Item Number | Number identifying individual slides. These numbers appear after the decimal in a Call Number. | .001 is the 1st slide in Boeing Slide Box 1 |
Extent | Describes the estimated quantity and the media format | 164 slides (35mm) |
Eames Cross Reference | Describes a related project where slides were used and possible similar slides exist. Assigned by the Eames Office, and occasionally supplemented by LC Staff | LEADING EDGE FILM |
Notes | Includes comments written by the Eames office staff and occasional Library of Congress processing information. Two letter codes, are usually staff initials, e.g. CE is for Charles Eames | Some shot by CE |
Selects | Eames Office identified as the best images | |
1sts | Eames Office identified as the next best images | |
2nds | Eames Office identified as the next, next best images |