Doing More with Less: Tips & Tricks for Building a Conservation Imaging Program

This presentation entitled, “Doing more with less: Tips and tricks for building a conservation imaging program” will explore the economic challenges of implementing an imaging program from the ground up. This analysis will break down the process into four topics: workflow, equipment, software, and file management. These guidelines are based on the professional experience and research of three digital imaging and conservation specialists. Our objective is to provide a positive experience for conservation, museum and library professionals that are struggling to track and document collections care tasks while facing budget cuts and staffing storages. This cohort has considered the following when developing their guidelines: accessibility of selected equipment, open-source tools, institution-provided software, and sustainable or low-cost storage options. Attendees will be given resources to appraise their situation, which can include a review of collection holdings, the proposed workspace, as well as the lifecycle of selected technology. Additionally, the presenters will provide example imaging projects that highlight the capture configurations and file management decisions. An additional goal for this program is to provide recommendations for effective communication and collaboration between stakeholders. Digitization and conservation professionals have a long history of conflicting ideologies. As noted in the 2020 publication Book Conservation and Digitization, “…conservators have become custodians of the physicality of books and its meaning, challenged by the damage that can occur during the digitization process”. (Campagnolo, 2020) Therefore, imaging technicians and conservation care specialists should be active participants in developing a conservation imaging program. Sharing user stories, developing an accepted vocabulary, and determining levels of commitment for services, which will yield a standardized assessment process for imaging rare and fragile materials. The presenters aim to establish a baseline imaging program that can continuously improve as economic opportunities and new collaborative projects develop at their institution. ________ Campagnolo, A. (2020). Book conservation and digitization: The challenges of dialogue and collaboration. Arc Humanities Press.