Preservation of Photographic Archives: The Society of Saint Edmund in Selma

FAIN: PG-50381-08

Saint Michael's College (Colchester, VT 05446-0001)
Elizabeth B. Scott (Project Director: May 2007 to December 2009)

Hiring a photographic consultant to assess the preservation needs of 72 linear feet of photographic prints and negatives that document the work of the Society of Saint Edmund, a Catholic missionary order founded in 1843, and active in the southern United States, particularly Alabama, North Carolina and Louisiana, from 1937 to the present.

Through the " Preservation of Photographic Archives: The Society of Saint Edmund in Selma" the Saint Michael's College Archives Department will contract with Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) consultant, Kara McKlurken, to perform a preservation assessment of a collection of photographs known as the Southern Missions photograph collection, stored offsite in Selma, AL. The consultant will also engage staff members in a planning meeting. The consultant will focus on two areas: 1) the long-term storage needs for the collection, the bulk of which is scheduled for transfer to Saint Michael's College, and 2) a planning meeting focusing on recommendations for the transfer of the photos and the changes inherent in the transfer. Transferring the photography collection to Saint Michael's College will bring the complete archives of the Society of Saint Edmund under one roof resulting in a much greater comprehensive resource for teaching and scholarship.