Planning a Sustainable Photographic and Film Preservation Environment

FAIN: PF-280896-21

Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc. (Atlanta, GA 30302-3999)
Christina J. Zamon (Project Director: January 2021 to present)

A planning project to evaluate and make recommendations for a new collections storage space to house the university’s photographic and film collections, which include over 8 million photographs from Atlanta’s daily newspaper, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, which date from the 1930s through the 1990s.

Georgia State University Library is requesting $48,691 for a planning grant from NEH to employ a team of highly qualified consultants and employees to develop a sustainable preservation environment where our 10 million photographs and film media can be securely housed in proper climate-controlled facilities. Currently our photographic and film media collections are housed in inadequate facilities with several documented leaks and unsustainable temperature and humidity fluctuations. The grant will allow us to assess and plan for the reconfiguration of our newly acquired storage facility’s existing infrastructure to meet current preservation standards for the care of photographic and film media while creating more sustainable conditions. The team will consist of Jeremy Linden, Owner of Linden Preservation Services; Greg Johnson, MEP; Lord Aeck Sargent architects; Christina Zamon, Head of Special Collections & Archives; and Kim Bauer, Sr. Director of Design and Construction Services at GSU.

Media Coverage

Georgia State University Preparing a Home for 10 Million Photographs (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Bo Emerson
Publication: Atlanta Journal Constitution
Date: 9/28/2021
Abstract: Newspaper article talking about the photographic collections held by GSU and the NEH planning grant to prepare a new, more suitable space for the collection.
URL: http://https://www.ajc.com/life/arts-culture/georgia-state-university-preparing-a-home-for-10-million-photographs/IS4OTAKKAVHQLJG5PU5MTZBZ5Y/

Associated Products

Breaking Down Barriers: Working Across Professions to Preserve Collections (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Breaking Down Barriers: Working Across Professions to Preserve Collections
Author: Andreina Mendez
Author: Christina Zamon
Author: Jeremy Linden
Abstract: In 2021, GSU received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to plan out a climate controlled facility to house media. In order to accomplish this we had to put together a team of architects, a shelving vendor, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, a preservation consultant and our facilities together to work toward a common goal. The result was a comprehensive design plan to build out the facility that we could take to donors and other funding sources to raise the funding needed to implement the design plan. This required going outside of the archives field to pull together an "A" team in order to complete this within the budget and timeframe of the grant. I'm hoping that this will encourage other archivists to look beyond their usual duties and feel empowered to work with others outside the field to achieve proper preservation facilities that meet their needs. This is not just about the design team but also involves donors and grants and how to pull all of it together to advocate for appropriate archival storage conditions that fit the needs of the institution.
Date: 10/13/2023
Conference Name: Society of Georgia Archivists Annual Meeting 2023

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