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Re: Question for Photo Archivists/Curators



Hey Julia:

If your object is to create a stable, usable *copy* of the original
negatives, assuming they haven't channelled too much already, you should
consider creating interpositive/internegative pairs. To do so, the darkroom
folks make a contact print of the original negative using new, polyester
base negative film, which creates an interpositive. Using that
interpositive, the darkroom folks again make a contact print on new,
polyester base negative film, which creates an internegative.

Doing this preserves the original format (size) and allows the darkroom
folks to make what may very well be a more useful negative from which to
print, if you wish to do so.

I would not recommend reformatting to a smaller, 35 mm, film size. You will
lose too much image information in the reformatting process _and_ during
subsequent printing.

Contact NEDCC for information on labs; the folks at NEDCC are almost always
helpful. There should be a professional darkroom in your area as well. Take
a look in the local yellow pages and, as suggested already, contact your
local museum and archive shops for advice.

Both time and money will be involved. Thirty thousand negatives will take a
great deal of both. We do this sort of thing in-house and figure $10/copy
($20/pair) and, on a good day, 30 - 45 minutes/pair, including drying time
between internegative/interpositive creation. So, if these number hold for
your project, you're looking at 375 - 563 40-hour work weeks to print and
something like $600,000 to pay for it. Have you considered sampling,
culling, or other number reducing strategies?

As for funding, well, when you find the pot of gold, let us know . . . I
mean, good luck with the grant writing!

Mark

Mark E. Martin, Assistant Curator for Image Resources
LSU Libraries - Special Collections
Hill Memorial Library
Baton Rouge  LA  70808-3300
office 225.578.6501

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