Today, the Picture Collection still thrives as an essential resource for New York City's creative communities. But the Internet and the emerging technology of digital imaging is revolutionizing how we retrieve and perceive pictures, and it may soon be possible to extend access to the collection to researchers around the world. Along with these new technologies come challenges for today's picture librarians and curators. Maintaining subject terminologies that reflect the diverse cultures present in New York City is challenge enough. Copyright issues also loom large.
Software now allows for the manipulation of a picture, or even a section of a picture.
A specific horizon, a silhouette of a tree, or the face of a man may now be excised and pasted onto any other form of graphic. This provides exciting new creative possibilities for the artist, but it also complicates questions about what constitutes an original work of art and throws into disarray the traditional view of authorship. With any new revolutionary medium comes the ability to rewrite old norms and standards, just as Javitz did. Librarians will be in a position to write new standards for visual materials in the digital age. The traditional role of picture librarians has been to provide free access to imagery for research and reference.