Hello from Phoenix!
My experience with binders is that they allow the images to bend at the
inside edges, becoming permanent after a while. Gravity also can work
against them since the sleeves are loose when standing on a shelf. The
temptation is always to overstuff the binders, and that increases the
possibility of items getting bent.
I do use binders as a finding aid, however. You can stick hundreds of
photocopies into a binder and not worry about careless handling from the
public. Then, whatever means of indexing you use to locate the original
photo or negative, it can just be written on the photocopy. It is quick to
repair or replace. In addition, you can use the binders as an index,
instead of trying to file everything in them in their numbered order. So if
one photo shows a great photo of two subjects, you can make two photocopies
and stick it in both sets. This works well for browsing prints of digital
images or providing quick access using terms the public likes to use rather
than the official subject headings your database might prefer. The computer
is great, but everyone can use a binder.
I love the album sleeves sold by Gaylord and others, but store them in file
folders in file cabinets or archival boxes. I try to keep same sized photos
together in their subject folders, or by however I arrange them. By not
varying the size of the images within each unit, I minimize the possibility
that the pressure will put a dent in another image in the same folder.
Of course, since I use subject folders, and not all photos in each folder
are the same size, using the album sleeves allows me to file them all
together since the sleeves themselves provide a good deal of support.
Good luck with your work. Sounds like an interesting collection!
Erin
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Erin Foley
Archivist, Mercy Heritage Collection
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
350 W. Thomas Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85013
(602) 406-1070
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-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Chuck Penson
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 6:56 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] photo storage
Greetings;
I am an archivist for the Titan Missile Museum, near Tucson AZ. The museum
is a
former ICBM launch complex and has been preserved complete with a Titan II
missile.
When the system was retired in 1986 we received lots of historical materials
from the Air Force. Among these are hundreds of what I will call
"industrial"
photographs--mostly 8x10 black and white, mostly taken by the Air Force or
the
Army Corp of Engineers to document both the construction and deactivation of
the missile sites. My question has to do with how to store the photos safely
and still permit easy access for researchers, scholars, and our docents. I
would like to give each photo an index number and store them in
polypropylene
sheets (allegedly safe and available from Gaylord and others) in three-ring
binders. A computer database would describe and cross-reference each photo
for
ease of retrieval. Digitizing the photos is in the plans but until then, can
anyone see a problem with this? Thanks for any advice.
Chuck Penson
Titan Missile Museum
Green Valley AZ
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