Workshop on management of photographic collections

SEPIA Workshop on management of photographic collections
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Kloveniersburgwal 29
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
October 16-22, 2003

Librarians, archivists and curators in charge of photographic
materials need to know about the role of new technology in
collection management. Digital imaging offers unprecedented
opportunities for access to historical materials. But how can it be
combined with established preservation methods in an integrated
strategy, to ensure optimal access today as well as in the future?

Three workshops on management of photographic collections in 2001,
2002 and 2003 will address this issue. The workshops will cover
essentially the same topics and will take place in Amsterdam.

The characteristics of various photographic processes and the
different materials encountered in photographic collections will be
reviewed. Specific requirements for their handling and preservation
will be related to the nature and function of different types of
photographic collections. The workshops will explore the different
methods for capturing images (especially for fragile or sensitive
materials), technical requirements in relation to image quality, and
long-term management of digital files. Issues will be approached as
management problems, and due attention will be given to aspects like
needs assessment, setting priorities, planning, budgeting and
outsourcing, and project management

In the scope of the workshop, participants will acquire knowledge of
technical issues that will enable them to make informed decisions
about the role of digitisation in care and management of
photographic collections.

The speakers include leading figures from the field of photographic
conservation, preservation management, and digital imaging, who have
first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing managers of
photographic collections. They will present outlines of issues and
practical cases, and a substantial part of the workshops will be
spent on discussions and group assignments to develop participants'
skills in finding their own solutions.

Topics and features:

    The nature of photography: history of photography,
    identification of photographic materials and techniques, forms
    of deterioration

    Preservation: preventive measures, environmental issues,
    storage, packaging, handling, effect on life span; duplication:
    analogue or digital; financial and managerial aspects of
    preservation

    Digital imaging: planning a digitization project, goals,
    selection criteria, technical specifications, scanning, color
    management, image enhancement yes or no? quality control;
    scanning and preservation, management of digital assets:
    long-term access to digital archives, descriptions and metadata

    Collection management: photographic collections and
    institutions, users' requirements, defining preservation
    policies, storing and displaying photographs, digitization as
    one option in collection management

    Case study : Participants will work in small groups on a
    digitisation project from a preservation point of view. key
    words: planning, assessment, defining goals and priorities,
    workplan, budgeting, staffing

The course will be in English.

Daily sessions from approximately 9:30 am-5 pm
Course ends Wednesday approximately 4 pm.

Target group: All those responsible for photographic collections in
archives, museums, libraries. For this introductory course, no
specific expertise of photographic techniques or digital imaging is
required. Participants are expected to have a working knowledge of
English in order to participate in discussions.

Workshop leaders:

    Mattie Boom
    Curator, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

    Franziska Frey
    Assistant Professor, School of Print Media, College of Imaging
    Arts and Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology

    Hans de Herder
    Head Conservation, Netherlands Photo Museum, Rotterdam

    Rene van Horik
    Digital imaging specialist, Netherlands  Institute for
    Scientific Information Services, Amsterdam

    Edwin Klijn
    SEPIA project manager on descriptive models, European Commission
    on Preservation and Access, Amsterdam

    Simon Tanner
    Senior Digitisation Consultant, Higher Education Digitisation
    Service, University of Hertfordshire, UK

    Clara von Waldthausen
    Photo conservator, Amsterdam

Organisation:

    Netherlands Photo Museum, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
    European Commission on Preservation and Access, Amsterdam, the
    Netherlands

    The workshops are subsidised by the EU as part of the SEPIA
    project

For more information contact the ECPA:

    PO Box 19121
    1000 GC Amsterdam
    The Netherlands
    +31 20 5510839
    Fax: +31 20 6204941
    ecpa [at] bureau__knaw__nl

Registration fee: 500 euros, includes coffees, teas, lunches and a
course pack with reading materials. Participants from institutes who
are SEPIA partners or ECPA contributors will pay 450 euros. An
invoice will be sent to those whose application has been accepted.
Payment should be received by 1 September. In the event of notice of
withdrawal from the workshop being received earlier than 1 month in
advance of the workshop, i.e. before 16 September 2003, a
cancellation charge of 25% will be made to cover administration
costs. Refunds for withdrawals after that time cannot be made.

For online registration go to
    <URL:http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/form.html>

The registration deadline is June 1, 2003. By July 1, 2003 you will
be informed whether your application has been accepted. In view of
the character of the workshops which require group work and active
participation, the number of participants is limited. If the number
of applications exceeds the number of available places a selection
will be made. Preference will be given to those applicants who
manage a photographic collection. A detailed programme will be
mailed after confirmation.

Accommodation and travel: Participants should make their own hotel
reservations and travel arrangements

The SEPIA Project: Historical photographic collections are an
essential part of the European cultural heritage both for their
artistic as for their documentary value. Photographs speak a
universal language, and as a record of past times appeal to a large
audience. However, many of them are fragile and the preservation of
the wide variety of photographic materials is a problem for all
institutions. Digital imaging, offering new opportunities for access
and care, is now widely explored for its role in management of
photographic collections.

In 1999 the SEPIA (Safeguarding European Photographic Images for
Access) project was set up aimed at the long-term preservation of
all kind of photographic materials, and defining the role of new
technology in collection management.  More partners and associate
partners have joined, so that the group now consists of 19
institutions in 11 countries. For more information see:
<URL:http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/sepia>

The project is subsidized by the Culture 2000 programme of the
European Union.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:66
                  Distributed: Tuesday, April 29, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-16-66-009
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