Abstract
Glass plate photographs, taken primarily between 1860-1930, were meant to document and preserve imagery, however, these photographs developed directly on glass are increasingly prone to destruction. With recent advances in imaging techniques, metadata, and collections care, the preservation of glass photography has evolved. This paper is a snapshot of the current best practices for preserving, digitizing, and storing glass plate and lantern slide photographs. It also features a case study from the San Diego Natural History Museum Library & Archives, which digitized a collection of 2,000+ glass photographs depicting the earliest images of flora and fauna in San Diego County, California and Baja California. Images and insights gained from digitizing this collection are shared throughout.
Author Biography
Ariel Hammond is the Director of Research Library & Archives at the San Diego Natural History Museum. With a background in Library, Information, and Data Sciences, they focus on organizing information for those who study the natural world.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Hammond, Ariel; Zocco, Noelle; Tomeo, Alejandra; and Jimenez, Diego
(2024)
"Please Don’t Break: Best Practices for Digitizing and Archiving Glass Plate Photographs,"
Journal of Western Archives: Vol. 15:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/westernarchives/vol15/iss1/5
Included in
Archival Science Commons, Biology Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Museum Studies Commons, Photography Commons
