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Developing a Photo and Document Preservation Plan for a Community Historical Society
A methodical approach to preservation planning can be helpful in making sure that priorities are correct for using limited volunteer and funding resources. In this article, a simple and logical methodology is offered.
When objectives and collections vary, some serious planning can save valuable time and other resources. Following is a brief description of steps to consider in developing a preservation plan.
1.) Define Overall Collection Goals and Objectives - This may take the form of a "Collection Plan" as described in the article on Historical Society Collection Planning. Clear definition of what your collection(s) are intended to be will help you develop ideas about priorities and where to apply limited resources.
2.) Inventory Collection(s) and Assess Each Category's Condition and Importance - Having established a "Collections Plan", you can identify which images are of greatest importance to your overall collection objectives. The importance of each category and an assessment of its condition will help you develop ideas about preservation needs and priorities. Clearly, a greater sense of urgency is associated with categories that are deteriorating most rapidly. As this assessment is taking place, you will also gain a better sense for preservation resource requirements. For example, you will develop a sense for whether archival storage containers are needed, and perhaps develop an estimate of how many images would need to be scanned to create a digital library.
3.) Prioritize Preservation Activities - After the needs assessment, you will likely have some projects in mind. Prioritizing these projects is critical as you must decide where money is spent and how volunteer time is applied. Priorities will be largely shaped by the importance of a category, the urgency of the preservation need, and the cost in both time and money. Most projects can be viewed in stages and prioritized together with the stages of other identified projects. It may become clear that of three important projects, two can be accomplished for the same cost as the third alone. This prioritization is also likely to result in the deferral of some projects, or certain phases of other projects.
4.) Plan Each Project - Before an individual or group of volunteers jumps into an image preservation or sharing project, a bit of planning can be helpful to avoid mistakes. At a minimum, consideration should be given to knowledge requirements, equipment and software requirements, supplies requirements, funding needs and availability, and estimated timelines. Particularly in the case of committee driven projects, clear assignments of responsibilities and consensus on the project are important. Is everyone on the same page and scanning at the same resolution? Is the same cataloguing methodology being used?
5.) Executing the Project - There is a learning curve associated with many projects. If you are new to scanning images, sharing them on the web, or perhaps planning to update your museum displays, it may be useful to experiment a bit. A small mistake is usually less costly than a big mistake. For example, a good way to get started on a scanning project is to scan a few images and experiment with settings on the scanner or image editing software. Perhaps it would be useful to try printing a couple of enlargements and to frame them with ready made frames to make sure the look is what you are after in a museum display. Perhaps starting with an online printer share site is a better first step to your own website. The important thing is to get started, as confidence and momentum are both likely to build.
6.) Document the Project - Through trial and error, most projects gain momentum and become more efficient. In order to share the knowledge learned with future volunteers, documenting the project is important. What have you learned that others may find useful in the future? Exactly what did you do and why? What obstacles were overcome and how?
