The Practical Archivist has MOVED!

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This practicalarchivist.blogspot.com blog, the one you're reading right now, is frozen in time.

It is obsolete.

I should probably nuke it (all the content has been imported into the new site) but this was my very first blog, and I've gotten surprisingly nostalgic about it. ::sniffle::

The Practical Archivist has a new cyber-address *please update your links*

If you are kind enough to link to my writing via your blog or website, please help The Google find my new site by updating your Practical Archivist links. If you need help finding a specific article on the new site, drop me a line.

• The new home page: Practical Archivist


• The blog: Practical Archivist Blog


• Be sure to check out my neat-o Preservation Answer Machine.

• I get asked all the time by family archivists "What scanner should I buy?" Since it's such a popular question, I've created links to the two scanners I personally own and use (one portable, one that can scan slides & film): Practical Archivist Recommends
  


• Follow me on Twitter I come from a long line of clippers, and as far as I'm concerned Twitter is the new scissors n' newspaper. @sally_j

Welcome, Madison Magazine Readers!

Please pardon our dust as I move my online presence from this blog to a full website at practicalarchivist.com. Er, please don't visit the website today. It appears to be broken this morning. My webmaster is currently scrambling to fix all the broken parts. I know, great timing. Murphy's Law and all.


You need help conquering the clutter of your photos. (Hint: They don't all have the same value.)

You want to be a better family archivist and take proper care of the antique photos entrusted to you.

You've come to the right place!

Arrange a one-on-one consultation with me (Sally J, The Practical Archivist) or a custom workshop for you and up to a dozen friends.

Actually, I take that back. Workshop isn't really the right word.

It's more like an "Organize, Scan & Share Photo Party." Perfect for family reunions and girl's weekends. Call me for rates and scheduling: 608-332-1494
In the meantime, please have a look around.

There is a list of my most popular articles over there on the left.

I've also pulled together a few articles I think you might like about how to organize photos.

Cheers!

-Sally J.

P.S. This one is also really useful: Practical Tips for How to Scan Photos Safely.

Great Read: The Museum of Obsolete Technology

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Alexander Stille is one of my favorite writers. Here is a link to the first essay of his that I ever read. I discovered it while I was in grad school over a decade ago, and I never forgot it. It's free to read, and I hope you enjoy it.

Free Online Essay:
Are We Losing Our Memory? Or The Museum of Obsolete Technology

This essay comes from a collection called The Future of the Past. I devoured the entire book earlier this year and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's a fascinating look at the big picture of historic preservation. If you like the free essay in the link above, you'll probably enjoy the entire book:

Discussion Topic: Do Replicas Count?

This was one of the most interesting points of Stille's book...

In China, it's considered preservation to rebuild crumbling treasures. Since the new parts are in the same style, they make no distinction between the original and the copy. Stille talks about how this cultural difference has caused problems when treasures go on exhibit to western museums. Westerners don't want a copy, they want what they consider to be the only authentic copy...the original.

What do YOU think?

• Would you feel cheated if you went to a museum that only had replicas?
• Would it make a difference to you if the reproductions were created using the same tools as the original?
• Does it bother you if your historic family photograph is a modern print from a recent scan and not the original antique?
• What is lost when you create a copy?
• What is gained when you create a copy?
  

Sound off in the comments section, below.

Oh, and feel free to leave your comments about Stille's Museum of Obsolete Technology essay if you like. I'd love to hear what you thing about it.

SLAIGAT: Using strong chemicals to clean photos

SLAGIAT = "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

In the past, conservators used poisons like cyanide and arsenic (!) to kill insects and other pests. Even though they didn't always work. Eeeek. After apologizing for preaching to the converted, a conservator on a professional email list had this to say:

More than one of the chemicals that were considered safe early in my career have been discredited because many existing "approved" fumigation facilities were, in fact, unsafe, because the chemicals affected the chemistry of objects over time, or because there is continued off gassing from the treated object.

What seems like a good idea today may cause real harm in the long run.

This is precisely why I never recommend chemical solvents to clean prints or film. Even though professional photographers do this regularly. My argument is this: It might look better today, but what will happen 10, 50, 100 years from now? Better safe than sorry.

This is also why I urge you to wear cotton gloves when handling photographs. That fingerprint might not look so bad today, but it could start eating into the emulsion one day down the road.
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Clickety Clack!

I have a weakness for obsolete technology in general, and typewriters in particular.

This is a marvelous video about a small family owned business, remarkable customer service and (of course) clickety clack:



Got a typewriter story or memory you'd like to share? Use the comments section!

How to organize pamphlets and protect them at the same time

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This video from UNC-Chapel Hill reveals a neat-o way to store fragile pamphlets upright on a book shelf. If you want to get fancy, you can scan the original cover and attach a printout to your new cover. You can even add an edge label so you will know the title without opening anything up. Why should you bother?

Less Handling = Less Damage

With this system, the pamphlet lives in a custom envelope, so it stays dust free. Why is it important to keep dust away? My years as an archivist and my former career in a used book store showed me that if you wait long enough? Dust turns into gritty dirt. And not only is dirt is more difficult to clean -- the grit can scratch and permanently damage your treasures as you attempt to clean it. D'oh!

Dust = Dirt = Damage

Another advantage of this system is that it protects ephemeral items from UV rays.

Light = Damage