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Protocols

Handling of Photographic Prints and Negatives
(Source: A Manual for the Visual Collection in the Harvard University Archive, Chapter 3. Reprinted with permission.)

Some very common situations are dangerous to photographs and negatives. Photographs can be damaged by careless handling, exposure to light, extremes of heat, high humidity, air pollutants, residual chemicals, insects and untrained attempts at repair or restoration.

Careful Handling is one of the simplest and most important conservation techniques. Photographs and negatives should be handled as little as possible. Users should have clean hands when touching prints and negatives. Use of protective gloves is desirable.

The following procedures should be observed when handling photographs and negatives:

1. Photographs and negatives should be handled by the edges only, held securely on two sides and supported from underneath with thumbs and palms.

2. To prevent permanent stains or damage, the image surface should not be touched with fingers or objects of any kind.

3. Do not allow or cause one print or negative to slide against another. This can cause abrasion of the fragile surface.

4. Do not place anything on top of a photograph or negative.

5. Paper clips, elastic bands, staples or similar binders should not be used in contact with negatives, prints, mounts, albums or backing.

6. Glass negatives and transparencies should be handled with clean protective gloves.

7. Users should not change identifying information with or on images.

8. Photographs may be damaged by the extremes of light and heat if reproduced on electrostatic copy machines. Therefore, photographs should not be copied by such a process.
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Scanning Photographs

File Naming Protocol

We have employed the following rudimentary organizational scheme for naming files. At a glance, a librarian familiar with the designations would be able to identify the image by file name. This method of naming also makes it simple to sort file names in an Excel file. And it does not conflict with being “user friendly” because the Web archive will be searchable by name, location, and many other descriptors.

This is how this simple system works. First two numbers indicate the most important feature; in our case this is location. We have designated the following numbers for the following locations.

01 THE VILLAGE – MAIN STREET
02 THE BOROUGH (EXCLUSIVE OF MAIN STREET)
03 CHURCH HILL ROAD
04 SANDY HOOK INCLUDING THE GLEN AND WALNUT TREE HILL
05 BERKSHIRE, GREY’S PLAIN AND ZOAR
06 BOTSFORD AND MIDDLEGATE
07 DODGINGTOWN INCLUDING FLAT SWAMP AND POVERTY HOLLOW (HOPEWELL)
08 HATTERTOWN – GREGORY’S ORCHARD
09 HANOVER AND NORTH NEWTOWN (INCLUDING LAKE GEORGE)
10 HOUSATONIC AND LAKE ZOARD (INCLUDING SUMMER COMMUNITIES
11 HUNTINGTOWN
12 LAND’S END AND HAWLEYVILLE
13 PALESTINE
14 STEVENSON AND HALFWAY RIVER
15 TAUNTON
16 UNKNOWN

The second number in the series designates the second most important piece of information; in our case this is what the image depicts.

Second two digits indicate “depiction” –

01 OVERVIEWS/PANORAMAS
02 RESIDENCES
03 PEOPLE/PORTRAITS
04 CHURCHES
05 SCHOOLS
06 BUSINESS/INDUSTRY
07 MONUMENTS/LANDMARKS
08 RAILROADS
09 PUBLIC BUILDINGS (OTHER THAN SCHOOLS)
10 FIRE COMPANIES/FIRES
11 SPECIAL EVENTS (THIS CAN BE EXPANDED USING (A) (B) ETC.)
12 GRAPHICS, MAPS, ILLUSTRATIONS
13 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (WE CAN EXPAND USING (A) (B) ETC)
14 RECREATION
15 FAMILY LIFE
16 AGRICULTURE/FARM

Last four digits indicate year image was captured –

The third and last number in our series indicates year or decade in which the photograph was taken; this allows for endless expansion possibility. All other specifics such as provenance, copyright owner, photographer, size of original image, etc. will be included in metadata rather than file name.

We decided to use underlines between each designation to make it easier to sort electronically and identify visually. But the main reason for using underline rather than period is that PCs do not recognize periods in the same manner as Mac (PCs get confused by too many periods in a file name). The underline protocol enables either system to work well with the naming scheme. If we want to name a file of Hawleyville Fire Department that was taken in 1925, the designation would be:

12_10_1925.TIF

12 = HAWLEYVILLE
10 = FIRE DEPT
1925 = DECADE/SPECIFIC YEAR
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Adjusting Raw Scans

It is the intention of the Newtown Historical Images Archive to preserve images in a way that “best” interprets the original. To that end, images are not to be “over-sharpened” but try to match the character of the original material as well as possible. This could mean a reference copy would mimic an image even if the entire photograph or edges of the photograph were out of focus. It is important to note that many images will have a brown cast to them, often not because the print was sepia toned, but because the print has discolored. In this case, the image will not be represented in a reference copy as “sepia” or “brown” because we can determine the original was black and white with no coloration. If, on the other hand, a photograph was sepia-toned or was hand-colored, we would scan it in color and try to reproduce it as closely to what the current state of the original is.

Contrast and Brightness are two factors in adjusting scans. Unfortunately there is no formula for this step because it is aesthetic judgment that will guide the person making the adjustments. However, it was critical to test and adjust our equipment so what we saw on the screen is what printed out. Our technical consultant did the calibration for us.
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Retouching

At this time, the Newtown Historical Images Archive does not retouch any photographs. We may decide to do so once the initial 2,000 photographs are scanned, adjusted for contrast and brightness, digitally cataloged and the physical copies archived. At that future time when images are retouched, they will be prominently marked as such, and include information on who retouched the photograph, what was changed, and the file name of the original.
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Archiving Materials

Original images are placed in archival paper sleeves that have been labeled. The choice of sleeve is that size envelope closest in size to the original, but one that completely encases the image. These originals are file in archival storage boxes and kept in the vault of the Newtown library, which is the most desirable of all available options when considering: low-light, low-humidity but not brittle dry, even and moderate temperature. A paper index is kept inside the lid of each box to explain the organization of the material. But this material is archived with the intention that it will not be disturbed, because both digital surrogates and physical copies will be available.

Slides and film negatives are placed in archival polypropylene sleeves. Slide sleeves with memo space for each image are used. We have approximately 200 slides and very few film negatives.

Glass plate negatives are held by the Newtown Historical Society. These are each placed in an archival paper sleeve (with identification on the top of each sleeve) and housed in an archival box with a paper index to materials inside the lid of the box.
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Copies for Public Reference

After originals are scanned and adjustments to contrast and brightness are made, digital files are printed as 5x7 prints. Images that are not proportionate to this size are printed as large as possible and full frame within these dimensions. All digital prints are then placed in archival polypropylene sleeves and placed in photo binders for public reference. Because human nature is to be sometimes tempted, these reference images are watermarked at the printing stage.
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Oversized Originals

Oversized original images (meaning larger than 8x10) are placed in an archival box with archival paper sheets inter-leafed. Again, a paper index to materials in the box and the method of organization is attached to the inside lid of the box.
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CDs and DVDs

CDs and DVDs which are back-ups for the digital files of all the images are placed individually in archival polypropylene sleeves designed to house these particular media. The sleeves are placed in a binder, along with digitally produced contact sheets as reference for what is archived on the CD/DVDs. A paper index is also included in each binder. These disks are, in a very real sense, “original” materials in that they house all “raw” and “adjusted” scans; and these disks need to be cared for in a fashion similar to paper medium.
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Cataloging Images