Assessment of the D.J. Angus Photograph Collection

FAIN: PG-50743-10

Grand Valley State University (Allendale, MI 49401-9403)
Nancy Richard (Project Director: May 2009 to December 2011)

Hiring a conservator to conduct an evaluation of the D. J. Angus Photograph Collection. The assessment will emphasize storage and environmental conditions and recommend best practices for digital reformatting. Approximately 2,000 prints (1902-1962) are adhered to now disbound photo album pages. Angus (1887-1966) was a pioneer in electrical engineering and manufacture, and his collection documents engineering feats and construction and disasters such as floods and tornados, and also includes travel photos and family photographs.

The Grand Valley State University Special Collections and University Archives is seeking funding in the form of a $6,000 grant to hire a photograph conservator. The purpose of the grant would be to conduct an overall evaluation of the photographic materials in the D.J. Angus Photograph collection including the storage and display areas. This assessment will provide a more in depth evaluation of the proper storage conditions and environment needed to improve the housing of the collection with particular focus on the 35mm negatives and the 16mm films. The evaluation would also provide recommendations in best practices for creating sustainable digital collections, reformatting for access, and care and handling of materials during digitization.