SEPIA Workshop on management of photographic collections, Amsterdam, 17-23 October 2002

[Anne Muller <ECPA _at__ bureau.knaw.nl>]

With apologies for multiple postings.

***
Announcement
SEPIA Workshop on management of photographic collections
Amsterdam, 17-23 October 2002

Librarians, archivists and curators in charge of photographic materials 
need to know about the role of new technology in collection management. 
Digital imaging offers unprecedented opportunities for access to historical 
materials. But how can it be combined with established preservation methods 
in an integrated strategy, to ensure optimal access today as well as in the 
future?

Three workshops on management of photographic collections in 2001, 2002 and 
2003  will address this issue. The workshops will cover essentially the 
same topics and will be organized by the European Commission on 
Preservation and Access (ECPA).
They are part of the SEPIA (`Safeguarding European Photographic Images for 
Access') project, subsidized by the Culture 2000 programme of the European 
Union.

Introduction.
The characteristics of various photographic processes and the different 
materials encountered in photographic collections will be reviewed. 
Specific requirements for their handling and preservation will be related 
to the nature and function of different types of photographic collections. 
The workshops will explore the different methods for capturing images 
(especially for fragile or sensitive materials), technical requirements in 
relation to image quality, and long-term management of digital files. 
Issues will be approached as management problems, and due attention will be 
given to aspects like needs assessment, setting priorities, planning, 
budgeting and outsourcing, and project management.

In the scope of the workshop, participants will acquire knowledge of 
technical issues that will enable them to make informed decisions about the 
role of digitization in care and management of photographic collections.

The speakers include leading figures from the field of photographic 
conservation, preservation management, and digital imaging,  who have 
first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing managers of photographic 
collections. They will present outlines of issues and practical cases, and 
a substantial part of the workshops will be spent on discussions and group 
assignments to develop participants? skills in finding their own solutions.


Topics and features

The nature of photography: history of photography, identification of 
photographic materials and techniques, forms of deterioration

Preservation: preventive measures, environmental issues, storage, 
packaging, handling, effect on life span; duplication: analogue or digital; 
financial and managerial aspects of preservation

Digital imaging: planning a digitization project, goals, selection 
criteria, technical specifications, scanning, color management, image 
enhancement yes or no? quality control; scanning & preservation, management 
of digital assets: long-term access to digital archives, descriptions & 
metadata

Collection management: photographic collections & institutions, users? 
requirements, defining preservation policies, storing and displaying 
photographs, digitization as one option in collection management

Case study: participants will work in small groups on a project combining 
digitization and preservation aspects. key words: planning, assessment, 
defining goals and priorities, workplan, budgeting, staffing

The course will be in English.

Daily sessions from appr. 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Course ends Wednesday 
appr. 4 pm.


Target group
All those responsible for photographic collections in archives, museums, 
libraries. For this introductory course, no specific expertise of 
photographic techniques or digital imaging is required. Participants are 
expected to have a working knowledge of English in order to participate in 
discussions.

Workshop leaders
Mattie Boom, Curator, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Franziska Frey, Associate Professor, School of Printing Management and 
Sciences, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, Rochester Institute of 
Technology, USA
Hans de Herder, Director, National Photographic Conservation Studios, Rotterdam
René van Horik, Digital imaging specialist, Netherlands Institute for 
Scientific Information Services, Amsterdam
René Kok, Head of the Photo Department of the Netherlands Institute for War 
Documentation, Amsterdam
Simon Tanner, Senior Digitisation Consultant, Higher Education Digitisation 
Service, UK
Clara von Waldthausen, Photographic conservator, Amsterdam

Organisation
National Photographic Conservation Studios, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
European Commission on Preservation and Access, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

For more information contact the ECPA:
P.O. Box 19121, 1000 GC Amsterdam, The Netherlands
tel.: ++31 20 5510839
fax: ++31 20 6204941
e-mail: ecpa _at__ bureau.knaw.nl

Location and scheduling
The workshop will be held from 17-23 October at the Royal Netherlands 
Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam.

Registration fee
The fee for this 5-day course is 500 euros. This includes coffees, teas, 
lunches and a course pack with reading materials. Participants from 
institutions that are SEPIA partners or ECPA contributors will pay 450 euros.

How to apply
For online registration: http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/form.html

The form should be sent to the ECPA before 22 June 2002. By 12 July you 
will be informed whether your application has been accepted. In view of the 
character of the workshops which require group work and active 
participation, the number of participants is limited. If the number of 
applications exceeds the number of available places a selection will have 
to be made. Preference will be given to those applicants who manage a 
photographic collection. A detailed programme will be mailed after 
confirmation.


Accommodation and travel
Participants should make their own hotel reservations and travel arrangements.


SEPIA
Historical photographic collections are an essential part of the European 
cultural heritage both for their artistic as for their documentary value. 
Photographs speak a universal language, and as a record of past times 
appeal to a large audience. However, many of them are fragile and the 
preservation of the wide variety of photographic materials is a problem for 
all institutions. Digital imaging, offering new opportunities for access 
and care, is now widely explored for its role in management of photographic 
collections.

In 1999 the SEPIA (Safeguarding European Photographic Images for Access) 
project was set up aimed at the long-term preservation of all kind of 
photographic materials, and defining the role of new technology in 
collection management. The success of these activities encouraged the 
partners to formulate a follow-up program for another 3 years which has 
been selected for subsidy by the Culture 2000 programme. More partners and 
associate partners have joined, so that the group now consists of 17 
institutions in 10 countries.

For more information see: http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/sepia

The SEPIA partners:
British Library (London)
European Commission on Preservation and Access (Amsterdam)
Finnish Museum of Photography (Helsinki, Finland)
National Library of Spain (Madrid)
National Photographic Conservation Studios (Rotterdam)
Public Record Office (Kew, Richmond)
Royal Library of Denmark (Copenhagen)
Sächsische Landesbibliothek -Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden, 
Deutsche Fotothek (Dresden)
Stockholm City Museum (Stockholm)

Associate Partners:
Centre de Recherches sur la Conservation des Documents Graphiques  (Paris)
International Institute of Social History (Amsterdam)
Netherlands Institute for Scientific Information Services (Amsterdam)
Netherlands Institute for War Documentation (Amsterdam)
Norwegian Museum Authority, The Secretariat for Historical Photography (Oslo)
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (Amsterdam)
Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Angewandte Photophysik (Dresden)
University College Dublin, Department of Archaeology (Dublin)

*****


European Commission on Preservation and Access (ECPA)
P.O. Box 19121, NL-1000 GC  Amsterdam,
visiting address: Trippenhuis, Kloveniersburgwal 29, NL-1011 JV  Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
tel. ++31 - 20 - 551 08 39   fax  ++31 - 20 - 620 49 41
URL: http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/