Time Inc. Editorial Services Records
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Abstract
Editorial Services Records documents the activities of various departments and offices within this division that supported all editorial and publishing divisions at Time Inc. The majority of records are from several photograph syndication services at Time Inc. Also included are office files from the Editorial Production/Copy Processing department and photographs of staff events.
Historical Note
Editorial Services was established as a central corporate division in 1967 with four departments: Bureau of Editorial Services; Editorial Production; the Photo Lab; and the Picture Collection. These departments supported the research, editorial, and publishing efforts of the Time Inc. magazines. Departments and offices within Editorial Services reorganized frequently.
Bureau of Editorial Services, transferred from the Time Editorial Department in 1967, was sometimes known as the "Word Morgue". In 1971, it was renamed the Library.
Editorial Production transferred from the Time Editorial Department in 1967 and contained the Photon and Copy Processing operations. In 1970 Editorial Production ceased Photon operations and became synonymous with Copy Processing. In 1981 Editorial Production/Copy Processing detached from Editorial Services and transferred to separate management.
The Photo Lab transferred from the Life Editorial Department in 1967 and remained a department until Editorial Services closed in 2001.
The Picture Collection transferred from the Life Editorial Department in 1967. While at Life, it was known as the Picture Morgue then the Life Picture Collection.
Prior to closing, Life magazine operated the Time-Life Syndication Service. After Life ceased operations, Editorial Services established the Time-Life Picture Agency, also known as the Time-Life Picture Service, within the Picture Collection to take over syndication services.
Other syndication offices within Editorial Services included the Life Picture Service, Time & Life Syndication and TimePix. Time & Life Syndication transferred to Editorial Services around 1994 and may have been an office created by the reorganization of Life Picture Service and Time Pix Syndication (a Time editorial division) in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Time Inc. established TimePix around 1999 replacing Time & Life Syndication.
History of Offices in the Editorial Services Division
Arrangement
Organized into three series:
Series I. Syndication Records
Series II. Editorial Production / Copy Processing Records
Series III. Staff Events Photographic Material
Scope and Contents
Editorial Services Records documents the activities of various departments and offices within this division. The majority of records are from several photograph syndication services at Time Inc. Also included are office files from the Editorial Production/Copy Processing department and photographs of staff events.
Subjects
Organizations
Conditions Governing Access
Open to qualified researchers with the exception of restricted materials. Restricted materials include contracts with Time Inc. or any of its subsidiaries as a party; and personnel files including performance reviews or personally identifiable information. Restricted materials are located in box R62.
Materials in this collection are stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Conditions Governing Use
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 exposures of stable, unbound material per day. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This record group should be cited as Time Inc. Editorial Services Records, MS 3009-RG 47, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Time Inc. in 2015.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Nora Soto conducted the initial processing of and research on the history of the Editorial Services Records in 2020. Holly Deakyne finalized processing in 2020. The original folders were retained when possible, although some documents were transferred to archival containers in instances of overcrowding, if the original folder was in poor condition or undersized, or if no original folder was present. Deakyne created the inventory and descriptive notes for this record group using notes provided by Soto.