ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Preservation News

Jane Hedberg is preservation program officer at Harvard University, e-mail: jane_hedberg@harvard.edu; fax: (617) 496-8344

Cornell tutorial online

“Moving Theory into Practice: Digital Imaging Tutorial,” the third product in Cornell’s digital imaging training program, is now available on the Web to everyone. Although this Web site can stand on its own, it is designed as a prerequisite for Cornell’s week-long workshop of the same name or to be used in conjunction with the print publication, Moving Theory into Practice: Digital Imaging for Libraries and Archives by Anne Kenney and Oya Rieger. The tutorial’s chapters cover basic terminology, selection, conversion, quality control, metadata, technical infrastructure, presentation, digital preservation, management, and continuing education. The content will be updated regularly and the developers encourage comments and suggestions. The URL is www.library. cornell.edu/preservation/tutorial/preface.html.

Salvaging photographs technical bulletin

The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) in Philadelphia has mounted “Disaster Recovery: Salvaging Photograph Collections,” a technical bulletin by Debra Hess Norris, on its Web site. Originally published in paper format, this technical bulletin deals primarily with salvage of water-damaged photographs. Topics include recovery options, special considerations, salvage priorities, initial steps, and recommendations for air-drying and freezing methods. It also includes a bibliography and two summary charts, one for recovery of photographic materials (e.g., negatives, positives, and prints) and the other for recovery of photographs by type (e.g., daguerreotypes, albumen prints).

The URL is http://www.ccaha.org. Print copies are also available for $3.50 each from CCAHA, 264 South 23rd St., Philadelphia, PA 19103; phone: (215) 545-0613; fax: (215) 735- 9313; e-mail: ccaha@ccaha.org.

Photo conservation online

Luis Nadeau, the photography historian, conservator, and consultant, has created a Web site he describes as “dedicated to the study of printing and photographic processes.” The heart of this site is a “Process Museum” that contains references to dozens of reproduction processes in the three general categories of printing, photography, and photomechanical methods. The museum is still under construction, but when complete, it will contain definitions and images representing every process. The URL is http://www.photoconservation.com.

Caring for personal treasures

Heritage Preservation and Harry Abrams, Inc. have published Caring for Your Family Treasures, by Jane S. Long and Richard W. Long. Consulting a group of experts assembled by Heritage Preservation, the authors have compiled practical infoπnation about caring for objects in daily use, as well as, fragile heirlooms. The book covers preventive measures, safe care practices, security and insurance, professional conservation, materials, and tools for the wide variety of personal objects that have sentimental and/or monetary value. In addition to books, scrapbooks, and photographs, there is advice for preserving videotape and film, fabrics, furniture, clocks and watches, ceramics, glass, silver and other metals, jewelry, musical instruments, dolls, teddy bears, and toy soldiers.

Copies are available for $24.95 (retail) in bookstores, from book distributors or Heritage Preservation, 1730 K Street, NW, Suite 566, Washington, D.C. 20006-3836; phone: (888) 388-6789; www: http://heritagepreservation. org/PUBS/treasures.HTM.

Skin deep online

All ten volumes of Skin deep, the biannual newsletter of J. Hewit & Sons Ltd., is available online. Hewit is an Edinburgh tanning and leather dressing company that also supplies materials used in craft bookbinding. Among the articles of interest are “About Paper Grain,” “How Leather Dressing May Have Originated,” and a ten-part series—“The Manufacture of Leather.” The URL is http:// www.hewit.com/skindeep.htm. ■