>
> My husband is in the process of scanning all of his photographic slides
> into digital images. The slides are currently being stored in the projector
> carousels, but we were wondering about more space efficient storage. I know
> that the real trick is getting them stored at the proper temperature and
> humidity levels. Does the case they are stored in matter a great deal? Can
> we put them in a box, OR--now that I think of it--would those protective
> sleeves be best (the ones with individual pockets for the slides), and then
> we can store them in a binder?
Guess this is a mixed bag of questions and they each have multiple answers.
If you're speaking of "archival quality storage" for these, then obviously
they need to be removed from the trays and the boxes the trays are kept in.
The boxes are likely more damaging than the trays themselves to the
long-term quality of the film, as they contain pretty high levels of acid in
both the paper material, inks and adhesives used to construct them. The
trays are relatively inert, but if exposed to high levels of heat, they will
probably give off some residual fumes also.
You CAN put them in anything you want =) but if you want to have them last
for 40, 50, or even 100 years, you SHOULD consider putting them in non-PVC
pages or specially designed acid-free "paper" pages or sleeves, labeling
them with similar quality pens and then placing them in boxes designed for
archival storage. I'd stay away from binders, because most are either
plastic or made from cardboard stock that isn't designed for long-term
preservation of materials, and unless they have post-style supports, the
contents will "sag" and possibly become malformed over time.
And as you mentioned, the next things to be concerned about are
environmental conditions... dust, heat, humidity, light, etc. Another
consideration is the actual frames the slides are mounted in, and the slide
film substrate itself. If they were processed by Kodak, they take a few
extra steps in the processing to ensure all residual chemicals are removed
from the film, and after a certain point in time, they were actually adding
a "finish coating" to Kodachrome and Ektachrome slides they processed to
extend their life. They also took special care to use adhesives in the
mounting that weren't prone to damaging the film, and they used a high
quality card stock designed for them that was very low in its acid content.
Other processors didn't take these extra steps, so slides processed by
others may not have the same life expectancy.
The other option you have is for slides that have a very special value to
you, remove them from their mountings and re-mount them in higher quality
mounts that are designed for long-term preservation. When I was involved in
commercial photography for a period of time, I did this for any slides that
had gained any awards or were of significant value to me.
Another question my husband and I ought to consider is WHY keep the
> slides...I know I have my opinions, but it will take a little more
> persuasion to get him to dispose of the slides, I think. I'll keep working
> on that, but in the meantime, does anyone have a suggestion or two on the
> best way to store them in our home? You may respond to me off-list, if you
> like.
Keep em or don't... choice is yours and yours alone. If you're sufficiently
satisfied with the quality of the scans and the digital images, and can make
prints of a quality that meets your desires, as long as the stored images
are in a persistent format and migrated to remain accessible, you probably
don't need them =) Then again, if you want to make prints 8x10 or larger
(especially larger) and you would like to be able to burn and dodge the
prints to obtain those warm features that a pixelated digital image, no
matter how well "enhanced", just can't seem to reproduce... I'd keep em.
Especially those that are of special value to YOU..
Larry
--
Larry Medina
Danville, CA
RIM Professional since 1972
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
|
