Marking photographs

We use the "permanent" black Sanford "Sharpie" pens which also come with
a "needle-nose" for fine writing, to mark on the back of photographs.
However, we use this for COPY photographs.  Our original photographs are
either marked on the back with pencil, or placed in a mylar envelope
along with any text that is typed or written on acid-free paper.  I'm
not sure that you need a lot of text on an original photograph; why not
key it to a numbering system?  Then the numbered sheet could include
other data as to donor, when received, reprinted in a book, mislabeled
on the back by the donor, etc.  I don't know how permanent the Sharpie
pen is, but it is fine for these copy photographs which become the
Reading/User file instead of the original.

Dean DeBolt
Univ. of West Florida
Pensacola

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 6:39
                Distributed: Saturday, January 23, 1993
                        Message Id: cdl-6-39-005
                                  ***