Long Range Preservation Plan
 

Environmental Assessment and Control

Photographic Preservation
Two most important steps
1.  Climate control
2.  Proper Storage Materials

Enclosures must pass the Photographic Activity Test
ANSI IT9.2 1988

Environmental Standards
Ideal
65 F
30-40% rH
Air purification and filtration
Cold Storage
Ideal for film and color processes
Acceptable
68 5 F
45 5% rH
AVOID--High temperatures, Humidity (>60% rH)
AVOID--Fluctuations

Sources of Chemicals Causing Deterioration

1. Fumes from curing oil-based paints
2. Electrostatic copiers
3. Wood and wood finished, especially plywood
4. Plastic foams (carpeting, insulation)
5. Cleaning fluids and cosmetics
6. Air pollution
Heating and cooking systems
Car exhaust
Industry
 

Preparation of Handling Guidelines
Storage, exhibition, researcher use
Housekeeping guidelines
Disaster Plan
 
Effects of Poor Quality Enclosures
1. Deterioration of silver image
2. Staining of binder and support
3. Alternation of surface
Ferrotyping
Fiber offsetting
Texture embossment
 
Considerations for Enclosures
1. Institutional resources
2. Environmental conditions
DO NOT USE PLASTIC IF HIGH RH
3. Collection Use
Low use--paper
High use--plastic
4. Special requirements of photographic processes
Nitrate/Acetate--buffered paper
Platinum--buffered
Cyanotype--unbuffered
Color--buffered
Disaster Plan Recovery
 
Three Options
Immediate recovery
Air dry
Recovery delayed
Freeze, thaw, air dry
Freeze dry in vacuum chamber
(except wet plate negative)
Salvage color processes and negatives first
 

Inspection of Film Base Negatives
 
Identify Nitrate, Acetate
Separate from collection, separate from each other
How best to preserve
Storage enclosures
 

Duplication Program for Deteriorated Negatives

Duplication

1. Copying
Copy Print - photograph of print
Electrostatic copying onto archival bond paper
2. Negative duplication
Interpositive/Duplicate Negative
Direct Duplicate
Camera System
3. Electronic Imaging (not archival, not permanent)
Video tape
Video disc
Optical disc
4. Microfilm
 

Surveying Collection/Preservation Needs
Storage
Conservation priorities
Conservation Priorities
1. Mold
2. Flaking binders
3. Pressure Sensitive Tapes
Target fresh tapes first
4. Rubber Cement
5. Brittle Mounts

Rehousing/Stabilization Glass Plate Negative Collection

Storage of Glass Plate Negatives

1. Vertical
Sizes smaller than 10 x 12
2. Flat
Sizes larger than 10 x 12
Small stacks (weight causes breakage)
3. Individual paper envelopes
4. Seamless envelopes
Glass negatives easily abraded
5. Boxes, drawers
Stiff spacers every 5 inches for vertical storage
Avoid overstacking for horizontal storage

Rehousing Albums and Scrapbooks

Rehousing of albums and Scrapbooks

1. Boxing
2. Interleaving of pages
Platinum prints
Corrosive bronze powders
Glossy prints
Acidic, brittle pages and colored pages
Improperly processed prints

Rehouse/Stabilize of Cased Objects such as Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, and Tintypes

Deterioration of Cased Objects

1. Corrosion of Daguerreotypes
2. Flaking Collodion on Tintypes
3. Corrosion of Tintypes
4. Broken glass on Ambrotypes
5. Flaking black backing on Ambrotypes
6. Cover glass deterioration
Weeping glass
7. Damaged case
8. No case

Long-term Preservation of Contemporary Color Processes
Cold Storage

Color Image Deterioration

1. Loss of highlight detail
2. Shift in color balance
3. Stain in highlights
 

ONLY PREVENTION ---  COLD STORAGE, LOW HUMIDITY

Grant Funding
 
1. Obtain grant information
2. Define project
3. Phone to check eligibility
4. Survey
5. Propose project/budget
6. Submit grant
Sources:
• IMS
• NEH - National Endowment for the Humanities
• NEA - National Endowment for the Arts
• NHPRC - National Historical Publications and Records Commission
• Private foundations