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I'm confused about when to put "image copy" in a citation and when to use "digital archives." I've read and reread the book's examples and it's just confusing. Some examples show "digital archives" in the first reference note and then switch to "image copy" in the source list entry. Help!
I meant to write "digital…
I meant to write "digital images" not "archives."
bdodge, a sparrow is a bird,…
bdodge, a sparrow is a bird, but a bird can be many things other than a sparrow. A digital image obviously is an image, but an "image copy" may be print, film, or digital—or a photostat, a lithograph, or a daguerrotype, etc. When an image copy is offered online, it is obviously digital; we don't have to explicitly say "digital," but we may if we wish.
Language is flexible, in citations as well as narratives. All words within a citation are not formulaic because (a) situations vary widely; and (b) the more rules we dictate—as in "Use this word and only this word in this particular situation," the less likely it is that people will remember them or even care to bother. With each citation, we thoughtfully consider what it is we are using and then we choose our own descriptors to describe the item. We also choose our own bridge words to accurately reflect the relationship between parts of a citation.