RIT seminar on preservation of photographs

A seminar on identifying, handling, and storing photographs for
archivists, curators and historians who work in museums, historical
societies, and libraries.

Cosponsored by the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman
House, RIT's Image Permanence Institute, and RIT's Technical and
Education Center of Graphic Arts.

August 14-19, 1993 (and August 13-18, 1994)

Preservation of Photographs

As with all artifacts, the management of photographic collections
involves many important details, from finding suitable storage space to
handling legal copyright issues.  But a photographic collection can only
be managed if it is properly preserved, and that demands specialized
up-to-date knowledge.

Archivists, curators, historians and others who are responsible for
photographic collections can learn the basics of preservation technology
in this seminar, cosponsored by the leaders in photographic preservation
and education.  Preservation techniques and technologies will be present
in layman's terms, concentrating on how to *identify* 19th- and
20th-century image-forming processes, and color photographs, and how to
*recognize* image deterioration.  Selected collection management topics,
cataloging, video disk access tools, and archive organization will also
be covered.

What Participants Will Learn

Through lectures and workshops, participants will learn to:

    * Identify processes used to make 19th- and 20th-century images
    * Recognize various forms of deterioration
    * Document and plan preservation strategies
    * Choose appropriate enclosures and housings
    * Respond to emergencies
    * Coordinate preservation with collection management
    * Store and display photo collections

Topics covered in the practical lectures will be expanded upon in the
hands-on workshop sessions.  Participants may also submit specific
problems they've had in working with their photographic collections for
discussion by the instructors and other participants.  The program will
also include a discussion of the role of the conservator and an overview
of photographic conservation.

Special Features

Unique features of this program include access to the latest information
on preservation delivered by leading professionals in the field, in an
intimate, collegial setting where theory can be seen in practice.
Participants will be taken on an exclusive tour of the International
Museum of Photography at George Eastman House and will have the unique
opportunity to visit the Museum's archival storage area, which is
carefully and precisely controlled with respect to temperature,
humidity, and external contamination and not open to the general public.
Of course, participants may also enjoy the museum itself as well as the
benefit of proximity to Rochester's other photographic institutions and
resources.  At some point during seminar week, suppliers will be on hand
to exhibit state-of-the-art preservation and storage materials.

Who Should Attend

Curators, archivists, librarians, conservators, and others responsible
for photographic collections owned by libraries, galleries, historical
societies and private and governmental archives will benefit from this
program.  Because the seminar is an introduction in layman's language to
photographic preservation technology and archival practice, participants
do not need extensive experience or knowledge.

The Faculty

James Reilly (Program Co-Chairman)--
Director, Image PErmanence Institute, ROchester Institute of Technology,
Rochester, NY

Grant Romer (Program Co-Chairman)--
Conservator and Curator of University Education, International Museum of
Photography/George Eastman House, Rochester, NY

Debbie Norris -- Assistant Director, University of Delaware, Winterthur
Museum, Conservation Program

Douglas Nishimura -- Research Scientist, Image Permanence Institute,
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY

David Wooters -- Chief Archivist, International Museum of Photography at
George Eastman House, Rochester, NY

Key Topics

  Lectures

    How Photography Works
    History and Technology of Photographic Materials
    Color and Photomechanical Processes
    Process Identification
    Collection Management/Preservation Interaction
    Storage Enclosure Design and Materials
    Exhibition Issues
    Conservation Treatment Strategies
    Grant Funding of Preservation Efforts
    Collection Survey Techniques
    Glass Plate and Film Negative Preservation

  Workshops
    Housing and Stabilization
    Handling and Emergency Intervention
    Process Identification
    Collection Survey
    Storage Environment
    Electronic Image Access Technologies

Cost: $850

For More Information

To learn more about these programs, call Val Johnson at 716/475-2736, or
write to RIT/T&E Seminar Center, Frank E. Gannett Memorial Building,
P.O. Box 9887, Rochester, NY  14623-0887

-Doug

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 6:50
                 Distributed: Saturday, March 13, 1993
                        Message Id: cdl-6-50-004
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