Janeen,

You should also develop a photography and filming policy for internal
and professional / commercial photopgraphy of the house and
collections in addtion to one that covers visitors and staff.

In terms of still photography you want to minimize light exposure and
eliminate "hot" lights, as historic and conservation adhesives can be
seriously impacted by temperatures in excess of their glass transition
temperature (e.g. mended shards can fall apart).

In terms of commercial filming you want to avoid prolonged "hot"
lights in areas that have sensitive collections and also prohibit the
use of commercial fogging or smoke machines as they either disperse
finely suspended oils or particles that will coat every surface they
contact. Dry ice may be ok but you need to keep humidity sensitive
collections well away from the dry ice source as the difference in air
temperature can initiate condensation.

You'll also want to add policies about using dollies on historic
floors and not nailing into walls and object handling should only be
done by collections staff, etc.

All photography and filming that is done by folks outside of the staff
should be monitored by collections personnel.

I believe that I remember someone doing a fairly comprehensive review
of this topic for their masters program a couple of years ago (for JFK
Univeristy perhaps?). If that information is accessible it would make
a great candidate to post of the Musedocs list on yahoo groups.

This sort of policy should be formulated to be part of a larger
collections management policy and long range conservation plan - both
documents are important for sites and institutions who are seeking
preservation and conservation grants.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Conservator
Los Angeles, California  USA



On 12/20/05, Janeen Burkholder <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
>
> I'm betting this topic has been discussed before, and if so please forgive
> this new subscriber asking again. We're the owner of a small historic home
> with that was the home of Mary Todd Lincoln's sister) and are developing
> policies for new interpreters. We have a policy of not allowing photography,
> but wonder if this is overly restrictive. We currently only have visitors
> touring a couple of times a week, though with the opening this year of the
> Abraham Presidential Library we are getting more visitors and we plan to
> promote harder. What are the policies of similar historic homes?
> Janeen Burkholder
> Volunteer Coordinator
> Springfield Art Association
> 700 N. Fourth Street
> Springfield, IL 62702
> 523-2631, ext. 207
>
> Every experience deeply felt in life needs to be passed along, whether
> it be through words and music, chiseled in stone, painted with a brush,
> or sewn with a needle, it is a way of reaching for immortality.
> --Thomas Jefferson
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