Digitization Preservation Unstable Photographs
Digitization as Preservation Strategy for Unstable Photographs
Author: Leslie Coty
Definition of Project
Digitization as a strategy for preservation is a subject of debate among archival preservation professionals. While digitization has been a recognized method for expanding access to analog materials, some in the preservation community have argued it is not acceptable for long-term preservation. Film-based photographs, in particular, have been at the center of this debate due to their often fragile and unstable condition and concerns over the quality of digital scans, damage to originals during the scanning process, obsolesce of image file formats, and the expense of monitoring technological changes. The concept of “digitization as preservation” has been debated since preservation specialists began digitizing their collections and this paper will examine the literature addressing this topic from the mid-1990s to the present. This topic spans multiple disciplines including archival preservation, digital preservation, photography, cultural heritage and digital stewardship and therefore, the literature in these fields that examines the issue of digitization as a preservation action for film-based still images will be of particular focus.
Annotations
Balogun, T. and Adjei, E. (2019). Challenges of digitization of the National Archives of Nigeria. Information Development, 35(4), 612-623. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266666918778099
This study examines the challenges in digitizing the archival collections found at the National Archives of Nigeria. Because of the extensive damage caused to the archives by environmental and human factors, many of the items in the collection are at risk of being lost in the very near future. The authors make note that digitization as a preservation method is particularly relevant in emerging countries such as Nigeria when other preservation methods, such as microfilming, are not readily available. Respondents of the study (made up of staff of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture) saw the benefits of a mass digitization project including enhanced access and the preservation of damaged materials, but cited a lack of funding, trained personnel and a formal digitization policy as several of the challenges facing the archives. While the damage to the collections at the National Archives of Nigeria may be more extensive than is found in many archives, the challenges of funding, technical know-how and a lack of a clear digitization policy are common to many archives throughout the world.
Botticelli, P. (2015). Preserving artworks digitally: The case of Andy Warhol’s Polaroid Photographs. Preservation, Digital Technology & Culture, 44(3), 123-134. https://doi.org/10.1515/pdtc-2015-0017
This study provides an overview of a digitization project of a collection of Polaroid photographs shot by Andy Warhol. Botticelli examines the pros and cons of the digitization of analog photography and the challenges curators face when deciding whether to digitize a collection. He notes that curators must acknowledge that digital forms of analog photography may very well be more durable than their original forms. He also notes that users are better able to visualize details of these photographs in their digital representatives than in their original form. Despite these advantages of the digital surrogates, Botticelli notes that digitization projects can elicit concerns about authenticity. This is what he calls the “archival dilemma,” (p. 131) noting that online access may pave the way for “images to escape their institutional boundaries and to be appropriated and recontextualized in ways that may be far removed from the creator’s original intentions” (p. 131). Botticelli’s examination of several photographs within the collection can provide preservationists with examples of how to best develop metadata to help maintain contextual information associated with each image.
Burns, J. E. (2017). The aura of materiality: Digital surrogacy and the preservation of photographic archives. Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 36(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1086/691368
This article addresses the archival practice of protecting the materiality integrity of the cultural property within an archival collection. Burns notes how archives often separate their material and digital processes into two different areas and suggests that digital surrogates often become far removed from the original item as a consequence of this division. Burns argues against the idea that digitization should not be used as a method of preservation because it only preserves the content of an archival item and not the form or context, stating that “the materiality of the original object is not ‘lost’; it is only translated into metadata and digital information” (p. 5). Burns further argues that the differences between viewing a digital item online versus viewing the material in its original form should not dictate its documentary value. Burns provides digital archivists the ability to see the archival value of the digital surrogates in their collection.
Capell, L. (2010). Digitization as a preservation method for damaged acetate negatives: A case study. The American Archivist, 73(1), 235-249. https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.73.1.x381802g137421h3
Capell analyzes the use of digitization as a preservation strategy for a number of damaged photographic negatives from the Robert Waller Photograph Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi. This collection provides rich documentation of life in southern Mississippi from the 1940s through the late 1970s. Archivists identified seventy-two acetate negatives in this collection that showed particular deterioration that Capell notes cannot be reversed. After researching several potential preservation actions including photo duplication and microfilming, the archivists chose to move forward with digitization of the negatives. Results of the digitization project were noted by the author as being better than expected as the images were successfully recovered from the negatives despite the extensive deterioration. Capell makes the argument that the debate over digitization as a preservation strategy may needlessly discourage archivists in using digitization to preserve at-risk items in their collection. Using the Waller collection as a case study, archivists can understand the costs involved in a "digitation as preservation" project and feel secure in the efforts to preserve unstable photographic materials through the process of digitization.
Conway, P. (2015a). Digital transformations and the archival nature of surrogates. Archival Science, 15(1), 51-69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-014-9219-z
In this article, Conway addresses the potential archival value of digital surrogates. Conway notes that archivists have historically rejected the idea that digital surrogates have any archival value, but he argues that large-scale collections of digitized surrogates require a new way of thinking. Archival items derive their value not only from their connection to the original item but from their own independent value. Digitization provides for widespread access and Conway argues that archives risk becoming obsolescent if their collections are not accessible, noting, “if information from analog sources in not readily available in digital form, it simply does not exist from the perspective of the vast majority of potential users” (p. 52). As demand shifts to online resources, the digitized item will thus become the new standard for access.
Conway, P. (2010b). Preservation in the age of Google: Digitization, digital preservation, and dilemmas. Library Quarterly, 80(1), 61-79. https://doi.org/10.1086/648463
Conway views today’s preservation issues as existing largely in a digital domain and strongly influenced by Google which has created an “instant gratification expected in information search and retrieval today” (p. 63). Conway begins the article making the distinction between “digital preservation” which he sees as the creation of a new digital product vs. “digitization for preservation” which protects the value of the original item, whether analog or digital. Conway compares two reports on digital preservation published twelve years apart, Preserving Digital Information and Preservation in the Age of Massive Digitation by examining the technological changes that occurred during this time and how they have influenced perspectives on preservation. Conway acknowledges the tough decisions cultural heritage institutions are facing in the digital age, including lack of funding for both conservation treatments and digital preservation, issues of digitization quality, lack of standards for multimedia materials, and a gap in the technical preservation skills among the cultural heritage community. This article can provide insight into how the value added through the digitization of cultural items can outweigh whatever might be lost with digital conversion.
Conway, P. (2010c) Modes of seeing: Digitized photographic archives and the experienced user. The American Archivist, 73(2), 425-462. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23290754
Conway examines how the ubiquitous nature of digitized collections has transformed the way users interact with archival collections. This study looks at how seven experienced users of various digitized photographic collections at the Library of Congress see the visual, material, and archival properties of the collection. The results of this qualitative study show that the users were able to “embrace the power of digital surrogacy to convey meanings on multiple levels” (p. 458). Their trust in the authenticity of the photographs was a result of the users' respect for the Library of Congress and their experience with digitized photographs. Interestingly, the users found little value in the subject terms assigned by the LOC staff. Conway suggests more studies are needed to compare the results of different digitization processes and systems. This study suggests that user trust in digitized collections seems to be dependent upon the institution’s reputation as well as the expertise level of the user.
Matusiak, K. K. and Johnston, T. K. (2014). Digitization for preservation and access: Restoring the usefulness of the nitrate negative collections at the American Geographical Society Library. The American Archivist, 77(1) 241-269. https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.77.1.gr125w680h64u277
Matusiak and Johnston examine the digitization project of a nitrate negative collection and explore the issues involved in using digitization as a method of preserving deteriorating and unstable film formats. This report provides an overview of the collection, the steps included in the digitization process including rehousing the negatives, digital reformatting processes, creating descriptive metadata, and cataloging the collection. While the authors see the digitization efforts as a form of preservation due to the reduction in handling, they acknowledge the issues with integrity and authenticity of the digitized files. However, due to the deterioration of the negatives, digitization was identified as the best option to preserve and restore the images. This study will be useful for archivists facing a large-scale digitization project and looking for reassurance that such efforts can help in the preservation of, and in increasing access to, photographic images.
Patrick-Burns, J. A. (2015). Archives as artifacts: Authenticity, preservation, and significant properties in microfilm and digital surrogates. Provenance: Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists, 33(1), 49-61. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/provenance/vol33/iss1/9
In this article, Patrick-Burns draws parallels between the adoption of two different methods of archival preservation: microfilm and digitization. Despite the initial praise for microfilm as an ideal method for preservation, more recent examinations have drawn concerns about the loss of context when an archival item is transferred to microfilm. Patrick-Burns sees digitization as the “new microfilm,” (p. 53) and notes the important lessons learned during the switch to microfilm. Often little planning went into microfilm projects and they lacked any quality control measures or standardization. Microfilm also had a significant impact on archival values such as authenticity and permanence. Patrick-Burns notes that “[t]he frenzy to microfilm and digitize can propagate a problematic view of information as immaterial and divorced from its physical manifestation, destroying or hiding the richness of its materiality and all that can be learned from the particular way in which the information is displayed” (p. 50). This study can provide insight into the challenges facing archivists with their digitization projects when adopting a new technology.
Shein, C., & Lapworth, E. (2016). Say yes to digital surrogates: Strengthening the archival record in the postcustodial era. Journal of Western Archives, 7(1), 1-36. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol7/iss1/9
Shein and Lapworth note that archives are in a “postcustodial era” (p. 12) and physical custody of archival items are often no longer practical or necessary. Some archival institutions are using what are known as “scan-and-return” practices in which an item is temporarily donated to a repository for digitization before returning the item to its owner. The creation of these digital surrogates helps ensure equitable access to archival records and to create a more diverse historical record. While the authors admit that “interacting with digital surrogates does not replicate the emotions inspired by physically handing primary sources,” (p. 33) they caution against dismissing the advantages that the surrogates provide, namely increased access to items that would normally be outside the reach of many users. Shein and Lapworth show how archivists can fulfil their professional mission of expanding access to, and increasing the diversity of, the archival record with the use of digital surrogates.
