Prevent Abrasion and Scratching of Your Photos
Not only are old photos usually faded and yellowed, they are also often scuffed and scratched. This kind of damage is usually due to poor handling, stacking prints, or sliding them in and out of storage envelopes. The most common form of damage to traditional photos is surface scratches, which reduce the print’s glossiness or cloud the image making it harder to view. This type of damage can also occur with digitally printed photos. Some digital photos are even more sensitive to abrasion than traditional photos, especially pigment inkjet. Many of these prints are easily scuffed or scratched.
Read More...
Visit a Living History Museum
Now that we’re moving into fall and back into the school year it’s harder to get away for any significant length of time. Autumn is the perfect time for a weekend trip (with or without kids). Why not take one to a living history museum? Living history museums utilize entire towns or farms as a back drop for the display of historic artifacts, combined with knowledgeable, costumed interpreters to bring history alive for the visitors. Some of these museums specialize in a particular time period, while others have buildings that cover decades or even centuries of life in that locale.
Read More...
Photographs and documents can be delicate things, and old photographs and documents can be very fragile things. Some of your collection may be in great shape, but likely you have many things that aren’t in such great shape. Maybe you’ve even thrown out something that you thought was just too fragile or decayed to deal with. While there are some things you can do to improve the state of your own materials (see Tips and Tricks on the Archival Advisor website), there are some things better left to a professional. For your most important and valuable items you might consider finding a conservator to help you get it in better condition. Many people don’t know that there are local conservators in many big (and some not so big) cities. You can find one through the AIC website. In addition to these private practice conservators, there are also regional conservation centers. Conservation centers often offer a great variety of services on a larger number of object types. They can also help with other problems such as flood or fire response. Below is a list of the twelve regional centers. Visit the website of the one closest to you to find out what they do.
LIST OF REGIONAL CONSERVATION CENTERS
Balboa Art Conservation Center
San Diego, CA
http://www.bacc.org
Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.ccaha.org
The Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center
Omaha, NE
http://www.nebraskahistory.org/fordcenter/
Intermuseum Conservation Association
Cleveland, OH
http://www.ica-artconservation.org
Midwest Art Conservation Center
Minneapolis, MN
http://www.preserveart.org
Northeast Document Conservation Center
Andover, MA
http://www.nedcc.org
Williamstown Art Conservation Center
Williamstown, MA
http://www.williamstownart.org
Preservation and Conservation
Preservation is the practice of preventing the deterioration of objects. This can be for brand new objects in excellent condition or old objects that have already shown decay and need a safe environment to prevent further damage. Preservation is sometimes referred to as preventative conservation. Conservation is broader and includes preservation practices. It also involves other activities from simple repairs of objects to full restorations. Most of what you will be doing to care for your personal collection will be preservation. Beyond that, you may want the help of a conservation professional. Homemade repairs often backfire and cause even more damage in the future.
|
