Sarah Bay Williams Sarah Bay Williams manages hundreds of thousands of digital photographs for one of the largest, historic collections in the world. She now offers advice to the everyday photographer on how to keep personal photos easily organized, accessible, and safe.

Williams, a Jamestown summer resident with family here that dates back generations, is an expert in digital media archiving. After securing a film and media arts degree from Temple University, Williams went to work for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif. Her friends knew she was the "digital girl" at the Academy, and started approaching her for tips on what to do with photographs that piled up in digital cameras and computers.

Questions she received ranged from simple downloading of pictures to frustration with applications that try to organize the material automatically. Williams soon realized there was a need for a straightforward, airtight way to organize pictures, without getting stuck in computer applications. "Ease of taking digital photos should not compromise the ability to enjoy them," she says. "Photographs are a digital journal of your life. Keeping them organized makes sense."

Williams is keen to educate the everyday photographer on how to simplify workflow and not lose photos. She considers original photo files "sacred" and likes to keep a log of every picture she uses. She can then reference when and where she sent images, from e-mail to posts online. "Storage is so cheap," she adds.

If you ask a librarian trained with distinct rules for archiving, "Nothing like that exists for digital," Williams explains. All kinds of media are currently available for storage, such as compact discs, digital video discs, and hard drives. Professional photographers may opt for tape drives, known for their long archival stability. "The secret is keeping it (a digital collection) in more than one place."

Williams found inspiration from Peter Krogh, a professional photographer who has helped to develop standards in digital management. After reading his publication, "The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers," Williams asked for his consultation in setting up a professional system for digital asset overflow at the Academy in Los Angeles.

Williams is now putting the finishing touches on her own book on how to manage digital media simply. The small paperback, due on bookstands in January 2009, will be convenient to carry and to be used as a quick reference for downloading pictures, accessing them, and all other steps in between. "This book is general to different kinds of computer users," she explains. "It speaks to people who think in analog terms."

Williams plans to publish her original photographs of Jamestown in her upcoming book.

"It's more like home than any other place," she says about the island. She is even named after the body of water off the coast, with her middle name Bay. "It's easier to say than Narragansett," she laughs.

Williams led the creation of the communications photography department at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which included managing a team of photographers, editors and runners for events, including the Academy Awards. She now works in the photo archive of the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library, long regarded as one of the most complete collections of film-related materials ever assembled. Williams also takes on new projects and enjoys consulting for personal collections of photographers.

More information about Williams' work can be found online at www.Oscars.org, and follow the link for the Margaret Herrick Library.