Preservation Assessment of the Photographic Collections of the American Geographical Society Library

FAIN: PG-50118-07

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI 53211-3153)
Christopher M. Baruth (Project Director: May 2006 to July 2008)

A preservation survey to assess 490,000 still images in the American Geographical Society Library, a special collection housed at the university's library, that dates from the 1870s to the present and provides world-wide geographic coverage.

The American Geographical Society (AGS) Library requests funding to hire a photographic preservation consultant to advise on proper techniques and practices for the long-term care and housing of its collection of ca. 490,000 photographic images. The photographs range in date from the 1870s to the present, and are in a variety of formats, including prints, negatives (nitrate, glass plate, and safety film), slides (lantern, 35 mm, and larger formats), and moving picture films (16 and 35 mm). This request is a follow-up to an NEH-sponsored general assessment of the AGS Library conducted in 2004 (PA-50238-04). The AGS Library has placed increased emphasis on its photo collections due to monetary contributions from a donor and has refocused its priorities to enable the appointment of photographic librarian. The long-term goal of the AGS Library is to make its photo collections accessible to researchers worldwide over the Internet.