Copies of most photographs found on the Baltimore County Public Library Legacy Web site may be purchased.  They are available in the following sizes:

5" X 7"
8" X 10"
11" X 14"
16" X 20"
20" X 24"
24" X 30"
30" X 30"

Special arrangements may be made for larger, mural sized pictures.  Prints are available in glossy, matte, and sepia-toned matte format.   Any print ordered can be delivered ready for framing or pre-mounted for display purposes on gaterboard.  Depending on the size of your order, allow two to three weeks for photograph orders.

Arrangements may be made to convert any image found on the web site to a slide.  The charges for slides vary, depending on the number of different slides ordered.

For prices of these services, and any other charges which may apply, call Richard Parsons at 410-887-6194, mornings, Monday through Friday.  When ordering please describe the image from the details provided on the web page and the ordering number found on each individual images web page.  Many of these photographs come from old family albums, taken by amateurs.  We recommend glossy paper to keep more definition and a stronger, sharper image.  Charges, delivery and billing procedures will be explained when you call.  You may also email at rparsons@bcpl.net

The Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) photograph collection preserves more than 20,000 images of Baltimore County, Maryland, the Independent City of Baltimore, and associated locations. Librarian and community leader Richard Parsons established the collection in the late 20th century, accepting donations, borrowing family and institutional albums, and arranging for copies of material in local repositories. The initial collection was assembled in the Publications Department of the BCPL administrative offices. Sources of note include Edmund Kenney, George Blakeslee, Marvin Thomas Jr., Paul Dorsey, John McGrain, James Lightner, Herbert Harwood, Kenneth T. Wright Sr., the Historical Society of Baltimore County, Patuxent Publishing, and the BCPL history rooms in the Catonsville, Reisterstown and Towson branches. In 1988, BCPL published Baltimore County Panorama, a pictorial essay presenting the best selections from the collection.

The digitization effort known as the Baltimore County Legacy Web originated in 1995 as an unfulfilled Maryland Department of Education grant candidate. In the absence of funding, in 1996 BCPL technology specialist Jason Domasky and library volunteer Dr. James Hitzrot started scanning and organizing the thousands of photos in the Publication Department archives. In the ensuing years, additional volunteers joined the project and Mr. Parsons composed the metadata of several thousand images, fueled by the research support of county historian John McGrain and others. The project received support from the Maryland Department of Education and the Friends of the Towson Library in the form of temporary staff funding for a database specialist, new computer equipment, and furniture.

In 1999, the BCPL Web site introduced the Legacy Web, an online database of digitized photographs accompanied by descriptions. In the decade that followed, Mr. Domasky and Mr. Parsons maintained and expanded the volunteer-staffed project in the BCPL Towson branch mezzanine offices. Now, nearly 20,000 indexed images constitute the database, and additional photos, slides and negatives are donated and digitized on an ongoing basis. Over the years, the collection has been highlighted at several community and public events.