This article proposes that a viable approach archivists might consider to meet increasing demands for access to digital images with functional presentation tools is to develop a reciprocal partnership with a digital library. The University of California's experience with the federation of licensed and UC-owned digital image collections is summarized to illuminate core issues related to collection development, system functionality, and patron usability. The resulting UC Image Service is then examined against a backdrop of comparable digital imaging projects with reflections on strategies and intersections. The range of business models and approaches to digital image collection access and developing image management and presentation tools highlight the unprecedented opportunities digital technology provides for moving archives towards an integrated environment through collaborative action. (Contains 66 notes, 1 table, and 3 figures.)