Determining the value of any collection of photographs in
terms of being in line with the collection goals and user needs of the
institution is first but before a collection is considered I think the
requirements of the donor should be thoroughly discussed and agreed upon for
the sake of the institution and the users as well as the donor. I think this is
a crucial item along with the risks associated with preservation, legal
concerns or the resources needed to process and maintain the collection.
I have had the experience of offering a set of photographs
that I own to the Mystic Seaport Museum. They are approximately 100 black and
white gelatin silver prints most in the 4 in. x 6 in. range. They are images my
father made while he was in the Navy and stationed in Greenland in 1943. They
have evidential and informational value to the museum. They are in excellent
condition with a known provenance. I was interning at the museum at the time
and I was curious to see what they thought of them but I was also considering
finding a good home for them. I brought the photographs to the curator and he
was not only “willing” to take them but thought they were an appropriate
addition to the museum because of the subject matter; American naval and maritime
history. He seemed genuinely interested and agreed that the museum had the
space and resources to accession them.
I was happy about that but soon after realized that once I
gave them away, they were out of my control and decided I wasn’t ready to part
with them. Instead, I have done my own preservation that included digitizing
them to share with my siblings and anyone interested. At some point I would
like to contact the/a Greenland Historical Society (if there is one) and
discuss the collection with them. I think they may also have intrinsic value
because of their uniqueness and probable scarcity as well as the value of the
informational content. There are landscapes and seascapes as well as images of
the native people of Greenland.
I think archivists need to be sensitive to donors and really
explain what will happen to their collection once they hand them over.
Yes, this is a good point. I have a couple of interesting family heirlooms and no one coming after me likely to be interested in them and have been thinking a lot about a good home and what it would mean to be parted from them. Ultimately it will be impossible for me to provide the kind of preservation environment that they need and that will force my hand.
ReplyDelete