Re: [MCN-L] Digitizing Photographs
If it hasn't already been said, photographing in a shoot-down copystand setup will also allow you to avoid the glare from certain glossy and/or rippled prints that frequently occurs due to the frontal lighting of a scanner. For especially stubborn glare, the copystand approach also permits you to use partial or full polarization when necessary. This is also helpful for controling reflection from "silvering" that often occurrs around the edges of older gelatin silver prints especially those that have not been archivally processed. So, copystand: faster, safer handling of objects, better light control. Erik MoMA On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 4:59 PM, GTorres wrote: > Yes Rob. Scanning photographs will reduce its life. Better to photograph > the photograph, and preserve it in a master uncompressed digital format > (TIFF) and as a second printed analogic source. > Unless you manage to have cold light scanners, which flatbeds are not. > > > On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 3:05 PM, Matt Wheeler > wrote: > > > Good afternoon. We have a collection which consists mostly of black and > > white photographic prints and are beginning to digitize them using > flatbed > > scanners. However, I spoke to a conservator who advised that they be > > rephotographed with a digital camera instead due to the intense light > > exposure on a flatbed. Is this a legitimate concern? Will the scanners > > cause degradation of the originals, and would this degradation be > > considerable? Thanks in advance. > > __ > > > > Matt Wheeler, > > Photography Archives, > > Penobscot Marine Museum > > Archives (207) 548-2529 ext. 211 > > 5 Church Street, PO Box 498 > > Searsport, Maine 04974 > > > > ___ > > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum > Computer > > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu > > > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > > http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > > > The MCN-L archives can be found at: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/ > > > > > > ___ > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > The MCN-L archives can be found at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/ > > -- *Erik Landsberg* *Director, Imaging and Visual Resources* *The Museum of Modern Art* 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019 212-708-9489 erik_landsb...@moma.org www.moma.org ___ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
Re: [MCN-L] Digitizing Photographs
Yes Rob. Scanning photographs will reduce its life. Better to photograph the photograph, and preserve it in a master uncompressed digital format (TIFF) and as a second printed analogic source. Unless you manage to have cold light scanners, which flatbeds are not. On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 3:05 PM, Matt Wheeler wrote: > Good afternoon. We have a collection which consists mostly of black and > white photographic prints and are beginning to digitize them using flatbed > scanners. However, I spoke to a conservator who advised that they be > rephotographed with a digital camera instead due to the intense light > exposure on a flatbed. Is this a legitimate concern? Will the scanners > cause degradation of the originals, and would this degradation be > considerable? Thanks in advance. > __ > > Matt Wheeler, > Photography Archives, > Penobscot Marine Museum > Archives (207) 548-2529 ext. 211 > 5 Church Street, PO Box 498 > Searsport, Maine 04974 > > ___ > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > The MCN-L archives can be found at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/ > > ___ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
Re: [MCN-L] Digitizing Photographs
Matt and all, As two cents from a non-conservator who cares for a collection of works of art on paper (including their digital imaging), these days camera-based capture does most often tend to be best--safe, accurate, fast--with these materials, but each situation can be different. Your one specific factor of light intensity and duration actually may or may not be a concern with flatbed scanning of original photographic prints, depending on the specific scanner and the settings used with it, as well as the specific photographic media involved--for example, well-processed gelatin silver prints, versus more fugitive media. That said...in most museum contexts, other preservation concerns make digital photographic capture vastly preferable to flatbed scanning for works on paper that are considered part of the collection as such, as distinct from photographs considered to be internal documents, etc. These concerns arise from the need to place original works face-down in physical contact with the scanner, and one after another. Depending on the physical attributes of each photo (its surface, condition, etc.), that contact can raise concerns about causing subtle surface damage, as well as about any possible transfer of unseen contaminants--e.g., mold spores--from object to object, if one early in a run has such an issue. (Also, if any of the photographs are matted, the significant handling risks of flipping them over and down onto a flatbed while matted, or of unmatting and rematting each photograph, could both raise more acute preservation concerns and seriously slow down your capture workflow.) So, depending on your situation, it may well be much faster and safer to run rapid, camera-based capture instead, especially by the time you factor in the need to assess any object-by-object risks of scanning. But over to the conservators! (Is Dale Kronkright in the house?) hope this helps, Rob -- Rob Lancefield Manager of Museum Information Services / Registrar of Collections Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University 301 High Street, Middletown CT 06459-0487 USA rlancefield [at] wesleyan [dot] edu | tel. 860.685.2965 On 1/22/15 4:05 PM, Matt Wheeler wrote: Good afternoon. We have a collection which consists mostly of black and white photographic prints and are beginning to digitize them using flatbed scanners. However, I spoke to a conservator who advised that they be rephotographed with a digital camera instead due to the intense light exposure on a flatbed. Is this a legitimate concern? Will the scanners cause degradation of the originals, and would this degradation be considerable? Thanks in advance. __ Matt Wheeler, Photography Archives, Penobscot Marine Museum Archives (207) 548-2529 ext. 211 5 Church Street, PO Box 498 Searsport, Maine 04974 ___ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
[MCN-L] Digitizing Photographs
Good afternoon. We have a collection which consists mostly of black and white photographic prints and are beginning to digitize them using flatbed scanners. However, I spoke to a conservator who advised that they be rephotographed with a digital camera instead due to the intense light exposure on a flatbed. Is this a legitimate concern? Will the scanners cause degradation of the originals, and would this degradation be considerable? Thanks in advance. __ Matt Wheeler, Photography Archives, Penobscot Marine Museum Archives (207) 548-2529 ext. 211 5 Church Street, PO Box 498 Searsport, Maine 04974 ___ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
[MCN-L] Crowdfunding gone wrong
Having seen Mike and co present at the Museum Association's 'Let's get digital' conference, where crowdfunding was mentioned, I couldn't help but share this article: http://metro.co.uk/2015/01/21/this-misguided-hipster-is-trying-to-crowdfund-money-for-13-dates-5030246 Bilkis Mosoddik Web Manager Museum of London 150 London Wall London EC2Y 5HN Tel: Internal extension 6670 Email: bmosod...@museumoflondon.org.uk www.museumoflondon.org.uk P Before printing, please think about the environment ___ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/
[MCN-L] Seeking Omeka consultant
Hello, Wise Ones, Does anyone here know of a resource person familiar with Omeka and hopefully with Drupal who might be interested in a small consultant gig? The agency I'm working with has decided to go with Omeka to put online their relatively small collection (conveniently already "digitized"). We're seeking someone familiar with Omeka (and possibly with its new API) who is also familiar with Drupal, to serve as a go-to resource person/consultant for the team that built the agency website and who will be responsible for installing Omeka and integrating it with the rest of the website (functionally and stylistically). We're ready to do a new Omeka install on the server where the agency website resides once we have identified the Omeka/Drupal consultant. I'm hoping there are some folks reading this list who fit this description - or know of someone who does! Replies on or off-list are welcomed! Thanks! Pat -- Patricia J. Keller, Ph.D. patricia.kel...@berrettstudio.com patriciajkel...@gmail.com Curator and Project Coordinator 401 Covered Bridge Lane Oxford, PA 19363 V:610-932-2550 ___ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l@mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://www.mail-archive.com/mcn-l@mcn.edu/