This paper focuses on types of images indexed by museum practitioners, the indexing procedures and elements, and types of tools and systems used. The six participating museums are in the states of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Washington, DC. Their conventional cataloging and indexing practices are not suitable or transferable for the new image management system. The lack of indexing standards and tools is the common challenge faced by the six museums involved in the study. Most image management systems are not metadata/XML ready and the expansion of the systems onto the Web may be limited, which contributes to the internal conflicts that exist within the museums.