List readers may recall an announcement earlier this year in which I
asked for expressions of interest in attendance at an open meeting to
discuss a collaborative approach to freezer storage of plastic and
colour photographic materials. We had a good level of response (and I
will be writing separately to all of those who responded) and I can now
announce that we will be holding an open meeting to discuss how such a
scheme, similar to our existing scheme for traditional archival and
museum collections, can be established at Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire.
All acetate plastic negatives and transparencies will need to be frozen
if they are intended to be preserved in their current format as well as
any form of copy for use. As a ready reckoner, based on substantial
survey information, the following indicates how long acetate photos will
last in a usable state if they are stored in standard archive or room
temperature conditions: 1950s all unusable by 2025; 1960s-2035,1970s
-2045; 1980s-2055; 1990s-2065; 2000s-2075.
Only freezing this material will stop the decay from advancing. Colour
in negs and transparencies changes over time and colour photographic
prints from the second half of the 20th century are also vulnerable to
image and colour loss unless frozen. Very nearly every archive and
library I have visited in the past 25years has such material and many
have already experienced the decay of plastic images, some completely
lost. We are looking for a very low cost option to help organisations
manage this problem, which can most efficiently be achieved through
collaborative purchasing of specialist storage in large-scale freezers.
If you would like to attend this open meeting to discuss how the scheme
can work and what our collective needs are, it will be held on the 9th
of January 2015 at the Royal College of Art. Please send your
expression of interest to [log in to unmask] and we will send you
information about the event and directions. Lunch will be provided free
of charge.
Chris Woods, Director, National Conservation Service
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