Cleaning photographic negatives

We have a group of about 500 ca.1930 nitrate photographic negatives
that are part of a larger studio collection we've recently
digitized.  We want to print these negatives and scan the prints for
inclusion in the database. The negatives do not appear to be in an
advanced state of decay, but are nonetheless quite dirty.  We don't
have a film conservator at hand, and don't have the resources to
send the negatives out for conservation. We are aware of the hazards
of handling nitrate film but wondered if there is a simple and safe
procedure we could use to remove the surface dirt before printing.
Could someone suggest a method for cleaning them that could be done
in-house, by an intelligent student assistant? Thanks,

Edward Gaynor
Associate Director, Special Collections
Alderman Library
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22903
804-924-3138
804-924-3143 fax

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:15
                 Distributed: Wednesday, August 5, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-12-15-009
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