2003/10/08 Council Agenda Packet

' Washington Preservation Initiative 4 2003 Grant Application CONDITION The Juleen panorama negatives are in fragile and vulnerable condition. While the image quality is good, the negatives are in various stages of deterioration. Many are brittle and need special handling. These panoramas have posed problems since acquisition, since they came to us rolled and stored in their original film boxes. When we first received them, prints were made, in segments, of the 1912 Everett city views. These have been popular with the public, both for displays as well as for enlargements of specific buildings or homes. Requests are frequent. We presently cannot fill these requests. Many of the panorama views have not been seen in the last decade, and there are a number of these images that the public has not seen since the library obtained them in 1978. Due to their current condition, we no longer allow prints to be made from the originals. Having these images duplicated would make them once again accessible. Without duplication, they will soon be lost. The priority is image preservation. Once that is taken care of, access is possible, thanks to our digital capabilities. 3. What efforts have already been made to resolve the problem or need, or to take advantage of the opportunity? Consider the following items in developing the response: • Changes to library operations and library systems • Expenditures related to staffing, technology, library operations, collections, or other cost categories I • The use of local funding • The use of other funding Review and Evaluation This question worth 5 points. Reviewers will look for: • Concerted efforts to take full advantage of local resources first ■ A continued need for further assistance When the library received the Juleen negatives, John Witter, an instructor at Everett Community College who taught courses in photographic history and preservation, volunteered as an advisor. Mr. Witter's credentials were excellent. He was one of the Rochester Institute of Technology's early researchers and writers regarding photo preservation and copying. Mr. Witter categorized the negatives into groups and helped us prioritize for their preservation. He recommended storage materials for the originals, and suggested that we make standard archival prints and safety film duplicate negatives, either in 4 x 5 or same-size format. We followed his advice, and to date, the glass negatives as well as most of the 5 x 7 and 8 x 10 sheet nitrate negatives have been printed. Some have copy negatives. All have been identified. An initial database was made using Microsoft Access. Page 11 of 21 18