| Schedule | Recorded Presentations & Videos | Instructor Bios |
Welcome!
Thank you for registering for the online course, Working with and Preserving Photographs!
A picture is worth a thousand words—and certainly more for family historians! As collectors of genealogical information, our ancestral photos and albums record our family’s past, provide clues to inter-relationships, and are a tool to engage the next generation of family historians. Join members of the archival and conservation staff at American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society to learn how to identify, digitize, and preserve these important family snapshots for generations to come. All materials available to registrants until the end of March 2020.
This course includes three 90-minute classes; exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation; and in-depth q&a sessions with the instructors.
COURSE SCHEDULE
You will have access to all the material on this page from the time you register until March 31, 2020. Return to this page often for additional resources!
| Course Activity | Dates of Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Course web page and resources | Date of registration to 3/31/20 | Access handouts and other course materials from home. |
| Class #1 | ||
| Class #1: Online presentation (live!) | 12/4/2019, 6:00 pm EST | Class 1: Identifying Photographs Instructor: Tim G. X. Salls, Manager of Manuscript Collections Understanding the type of photographs in your collection is an important first step to date—and even identify individuals—in unmarked images. It is also crucial to know what you have in order to plan for long-term storage and use. In this first class Manager of Manuscript Collections Tim Salls will provide a historical overview of photography and its formats, discuss additional genealogical research avenues using photographs, and demonstrate how to conduct a survey of your image collection. |
| Video of Class #1 | 12/5/2019 to 3/31/20 | Watch the first class presentation. Available exclusively to course participants. |
| Class #2 | ||
| Class #2: Online presentation (live!) | 12/11/2019, 6:00 pm EST |
Class 2: Best Practices for Digitizing Photographs Note: To attend, return to your confirmation email received at the time of registration with a link to the live event. If you are unable to attend the live event a recording will be posted to this page, the following day (see below). |
| Video of Class #2 | 12/12/2019 to 3/31/20 | Watch the second class presentation. Available exclusively to course participants. |
| Class #3 | ||
| Class #3: Online presentation (live!) | 12/18/2019, 6:00 pm EST |
Class 3:Preserving Photographs and Family Albums Note: To attend, return to your confirmation email received at the time of registration with a link to the live event. If you are unable to attend the live event a recording will be posted to this page, the following day (see below). |
| Video of Class #3 | 12/19/2019 to 3/31/20 | Watch the third and final class presentation. Available exclusively to course participants. |
RECORDED PRESENTATIONS
Class 1: Identifying Photographs
Presented by: Tim G. X. Salls, Manager of Manuscript Collections
Running Time: 1:29:53
Live Broadcast: December 4, 2019
Understanding the type of photographs in your collection is an important first step to date—and even identify individuals—in unmarked images. It is also crucial to know what you have in order to plan for long-term storage and use. In this first class Manager of Manuscript Collections Tim Salls will provide a historical overview of photography and its formats, discuss additional genealogical research avenues using photographs, and demonstrate how to conduct a survey of your image collection.
Class 2: Best Practices for Digitizing Photographs
Presented by: Sally Benny, Curator of Digital Collections
Running Time: 1:37:41
Live Broadcast: December 11, 2019
In this class, Curator of Digital Collections Sally Benny will discuss best practices for digitizing your family photographs at home. She will provide recommendations for scanning equipment, touch upon software for enhancing images, and discuss when it’s necessary to seek professional assistance.
Class 3: Preserving Photographs and Family Albums
Presented by: Todd Pattison, Conservator
Running Time: 1:48:41
Live Broadcast: December 18, 2019
Photographs need special attention to preserve them for future generations. This final class will review some of the internal and external factors that can cause condition issues and how to ensure long-term survival by selecting appropriate housing materials that have passed the Photographic Activities Test. Other topics discussed will include how to safely handle photographs and when to consult a professional photographic conservator for possible treatment.
INSTRUCTOR BIO
Sally Benny, Curator of Digital Collections joined the staff in 2010 and works in the R. Stanton Avery Special Collections Department. She has an M.S. in library science with a concentration in Archives Management from Simmons College. She previously worked at the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America. Her interests include digital preservation; digitization; and genealogical research in Nantucket, Virginia, North Carolina, Cornwall, Finland, and Sweden.
Todd Pattison, Conservator works to preserve and care for the Society’s collection of books, manuscripts and fine art. Todd comes to American Ancestors with more than 25 years of experience from the Northeast Document Conservation Center, and has also worked as Collections Conservator at the Harvard College Library. Todd is an active member of the New England chapter of the Guild of Book Workers, a Fellow in the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), and for the past five years has taught the course “American Publishers’ Bookbindings, 1800-1900” for Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. He has an undergraduate degree in Art History from Nazareth College and an M.L.S. from the University of Alabama. His research interests include the lives and business careers of nineteenth century American bookbinders.
Timothy G. X. Salls, Manager of Manuscript Collections manages the R. Stanton Avery Special Collections Manuscripts Department, which includes the Society's manuscript collections and archives. Timothy Salls is from Framingham, Massachusetts and joined the Society in 1995. Tim received a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and an M.S. Information and Library Science from Simmons College’s Graduate School of Library & Information Science with Archives concentration.
Course Handouts
Class 1 Handout
Class 1 Slides Worksheet
Class 1 Slides (large)
Class 2 Handout
Class 2 Slides Worksheet
Class 2 Slides (large)
Class 3 Handout
Class 3 Slides Worksheet
Class 3 Slides (large)
Suggested Resources
Photographic Survey Worksheet
Digitized image inventory (.xls)
Vendor List