How to Start an Online Image Library

Most businesses today are beginning to realise the benefits that an image library can bring. An efficient, effective photo library can bring in new audiences and even be another source of income.

Whether you simply want to share more with visitors, or want to monetise digital content, setting up an online image library is the first place to start. Creating a photo library is actually easier than you may think. Keep reading to discover how it’s done and why you should get on board…

What is an image library?

First things first, we need to know what an online image library is.

In short, a photo library is an online storage solution to bring scattered files together into one secure location. An image library isn’t exclusive to photographs, though. You can store videos, audio files and documents in the system too.

Do you need an image library?

It’s easy to put yourself into the bracket of people who don’t need an image library, particularly if your business isn’t in the digital or media industries. But, the countless benefits may surprise you.

From museums and art galleries to professional photographers, an image library is essential for many institutions. They can even be used for personal use. Keeping track of all the image and video files stored on your existing system can be difficult and things can often become messy and cluttered.

A photo library allows users to catalogue and tag each file on the system with whatever metadata that you want, for example you might want to capture event; location; date and time; key words and phrases; and rights management information. Tagging your files makes them much easier to locate, share and use. You can also keep track of who has accessed them and any changes they have made.

A good library system allows users to control access of certain files and metadata, keeping sensitive data secure and protected. Are you sold yet? Setting up an image library is easier than you might think as well…

Starting an image library

Before settling on a library software system, there are a few things to consider:

• Who will use the software? Will it be a sole user, or do you need to grant access to a whole team?
• How large are the files you need to store? Do you have 100 small images, or 1,000 video files?
• Will you need to share the files? Do you plan on sharing access with clients? Or will you be uploading the images onto a website?
• How secure is the software? Are you protected against hackers or leaks?
• How much metadata do you need to be available? Do you just need simple titles and dates, or rights, access and usage history?

Every photo library software provider is different and offers a variety of benefits. To decide on the best system for you, you need to consider the type of business you run and the files you need to store.

What we can offer

At iBase, our photo library software offers complete protection and security for your files with impressive flexibility. We can host your site for you, or you can deploy iBase in your own hosting environment. Best of all, our system can be accessed from anywhere, making photo organisation simple.

Any questions? Get in touch with our friendly team of experts today to find out more about our solutions.