Preservation of Mixed Media Photographic Collections at the Peabody Museum, Harvard

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With National Science Foundation support, the Peabody Museum of Harvard University will curate the approximately half a million photographic images in its collections. It will install environmental controls in a room dedicated to this purpose. Included is an air filtration system. Custom-fitted powder coated steel shelving units with proper storage enclosures will be installed and these will provide a cost effective means of long-term preservation of sensitive historical photographic materials. A computerized shelf inventory will assist researchers. Although color slides in the Peabody Museum holdings have been conserved and placed in proper storage, the remainder of this invaluable collection is subject to deterioration given current storage conditions. These materials constitute an extremely important body of scientific data and some are over 130 years of age. Together these photographs span the range of archaeology, cultural and physical anthropology and document sites, people and cultures which no longer exist. Photographs constitute an important scientific resource and the collections at Peabody Museum are widely used for research purposes. This award will assure the survival of these materials and increase their accessibility to the scientific community.