PROCEDURES, WARNINGS, AND TIPS FOR END PROCESSOR
...
DIGITAL IMAGING
"DRS" (digital repository service) is marked in pencil on folder labels by Mary Haegert and her staff when items are digitized.
return to top
Anchor Photographic Photographic
PHOTOGRAPHS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS
| Photographic | |
| Photographic |
Many early photographic techniques require special handling. Consult Conservation, who may suggest alerting the Photo Conservator at Weissman Preservation Center for assistance and advice. These are marked below, that will always need assistance, but also ask Conservation if there is any uncertainty about any particular photograph or technique.
PHOTOGRAPHS *Consult Houghton Conservation with any questions. Weissman Center photo conservator can assist or advise.
...
PHOTOGRAPHS : upright storage
We put photographs into photosleeves only if the processing level is 2 or above, or if there is some special concern. They can be stored upright if in good condition, or flat according to the needs of the rest of the collection. If they are moderately curled, putting them in many folders in a flat box may help keep them from curling more. If badly curled and in need of flattening, consult Preservation staff. If badly curled, single or in a block, storing flat with no weight is best. If a photograph is a bit taller than the front of portion of an upright folder and doesn't fit in a photosleeve, we make an inner folder out of mylar, just slightly smaller than the outer folder. The inner folder can be the same height as the folder it is in. We try to make such folders uniform in size within a box, rather than have a lot of custom-sized inner folders of all different heights, even if it means that the photograph will sometimes be shorter than the inner folder.
PHOTOGRAPHIC TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS
AMBROTYPES *see: daguerreotypes
DAGUERREOTYPES *Consult Houghton Conservation (Weissman Center wants to examine all new material or problems)
Daguerreotypes can be stored upright only if: (a) the original box is in good condition, i.e. hinges in good working order, cover not loose and (b) it is in an enclosure that has been custom padded-out for protection. Otherwise, they can be stored flat, also in a padded-out box, and it does not matter whether they are stored with the image facing up or down, even though salts or degradation products from the glass from falling on top of the image can cause damage if they are facing up. In most cases, however, it is preferable to have the image face up, so the reader can see it without having to open it and then close, flip over, and open again.
...
NEGATIVES
In the past it was thought that since negatives are different than photographs chemically, they should be stored in a different sleeve made of polyethylene rather than polypropylene. However, the new photo conservator tells us that if we simply use Phototex paper (available from Archivart) rather than polyethylene to interleave or folder negatives, we can avoid doing damage to those few types of negatives that don't store well in polyethylene. Thus, we can avoid having to test each batch of negatives to see whether they are the ones that are the exception to the rule. We keep a pf size ream of this paper in stock.
SLIDES see HOUSING SOLUTIONS
TINTYPES *Consult Houghton Conservation if problems or questions, and to keep up with new procedures
Tintypes can be stored upright in a prefab, in an inner folder, with a phototex barrier. If too many to fit in a prefab, store in a card file box in individual folders upright on the long side. Pad out the box so they stay upright. However they must have enough slight pressure to make sure they don't wobble in transit. Whatever the stiff outer enclosure, it should be padded out, or double pre-fabbed, to keep it from getting bent or crushed. Tintypes can go to HD. 4-flap folders for glass slides, with an inner backing of acid-free matboard cut to size of the folder usually work well as inner folders.
...
CLIPPINGS
For levels 2 and 3 processing clippings might need to be unfolded and interleaved, especially if they are already turning brown and offsetting onto adjacent material. Use the slightly trimmed (shorter) larger sheets of permalife (8.5x14") that the end processor can provide. Or if an inner folder is required, use the next size larger permalife (11x17"), folded in half, to separate clippings from other material. Note that Permadur paper is an older equivalent to permalife, and is ok to use/use up. Both these papers have a watermark, however, which is suspected of possibly offsetting onto early manuscripts. So for those the end processor may use a paper with no watermark, selected by the Weissman Center.
Anchor Realia Realia
REALIA
| Realia | |
| Realia |
DEATH/LIFE MASKS : originals or casts of face and other parts of body
Whether plaster or metal, these are all to be stored in the VAULT together, usually in a "hat" box, padded with volara or acid-free tissue, and with tissue as a "base" for the hollow area. Consult Conservation for difficult pieces. Metal should be stored in unbuffered boxes if possible. If not possible, surrounded with tissue. See also: plaster.
FLAG
(Housing Solution for a flag).
...