Glass plate negatives

We have a glass plate negative photograph collection about about 7,000
plates; these are roughly 30% the 8x10 size and 70% the 5x7 size.  They
are primarily people pictures from a local photographer for the period
1900 to 1930, perhaps even as late as 1940.  I accepted the donation
because they are in fading/deteriorating brown envelopes with
IDENTIFICATION!  We have been slowly transferring them to acid-free
envelopes and then to small Hollinger-type boxes for storage.  As we
work with them, we enter the information on computer and produce new
indexes as we work--alphabetical, etc. I decided not to have copy
photographs made unless (1) there is something very special about the
photograph--picture of a Florida Governor, etc., (2) the plate is
cracked or shows sign of emulsion flaking, and (3) if we receive a
request for a copy of the picture.

The list of names as we compile them are available to users who may
order photographs made of the pictures.  When we get an order, I usually
request two photographs and absorb the cost of one...I decided it would
be too prohibitive to have the entire collection copied (a direct
contact print, then a 35mm neg of the contact)...

Preservation has NOT been a problem; they are in fairly good shape
despite being rescued from a warehouse storage.  Our facility is
temperature and humidity controlled and offers a fairly uniform climate.

--Dean DeBolt
  Special Collections, University of West Florida   ddebolt@uwf

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 5:24
                 Distributed: Sunday, October 20, 1991
                        Message Id: cdl-5-24-006
                                  ***