Joseph A. Busch Managing a photographic archive means not only the acquisition, processing, storage, and retrieval of pictures, but also the collection, researching, and recording of contextual information that makes the pictures an accessible, useful resource for researchers. The problem of how to manage collections of images, particularly pictures of works of art, is considered from a records management point of view in order to be able to make sound decisions. The types of information that could be useful in improving access to pictorial collections of works of art are discussed, available technologies for managing both the visual and textual information they contain are described, and some factors that might influence desicions on what mass storage and dissemination medium would be feasible for physical access to a visual archive of images of works of art are enumerated. The factors are then used to create a model in which proposed assumptions can be tested and modified to produce different results.