X.A.1. General Notes

Within Photographs listings, assume the descriptive "default" to be photograph, and then qualify by form (e.g., slide) only when what is being described is other than a print. However, if it is a color print or one of the special pictorial formats listed below, use that term as a qualifier.

Special Formats

ambrotype
cyanotype
daguerreotype
lantern slide
stereograph
tintype

X.A.2. Photographs Found as Enclosures

If a folder outside of Photographs contains photographic prints, this should be specifically noted in the list. Always mention enclosed photographs in order to prevent retrieval problems for Public Services staff who are trying to fill requests for photoduplication. See example in sample finding aid.

Photographs, if present in any quantity, are usually treated as a separate series, to provide better storage and to facilitate retrieval and use.

X.B. STORAGE AND HANDLING OF PHOTOGRAPHS

X.B.1. General Notes

As a general rule, sleeve all original photographs (reference prints do not need to be sleeved) regarded as having documentary image value regardless of the perceived importance of the photographer. Assume that if the print is original, it may also be the only surviving copy. If we value the image as documentation, we should provide a reasonable degree of physical support to prevent the print from curling, and to protect it from routine handling and environmental hazards (e.g., dust). Mounted original prints should also be sleeved.

Photographs left as an enclosure with correspondence or other documents should be sleeved to protect them and the other material with which they are stored, or they should be photocopied (for retention with associated document) and transferred to a separate Photographs series, if present.

NOTE: For security purposes, exceptionally valuable enclosed photographs should be removed to the photograph series anyway. In this case, make a photocopy of the image and leave it in place of the original. Note the new location on the photocopy, and be sure to list the original in the photograph series in a way that it can easily be found.

A photograph with a cracked paperboard mount can be reinforced by placement in a mylar sleeve, which is in turn affixed to a slightly larger piece of 4-ply matboard using either double-stick tape, or mylar or paper corners.

Oversize photographs that need to be stored flat should be placed in folders that are of a weight exceeding the weight of the piece being housed. Mounted photographs should be stored in heavy weight folders for proper support. In some cases, it is best to house them in a rigid box, such as a solander box (print case), and interleave them with Renaissance paper.

Some photographic prints, particularly those of great intrinsic or aesthetic value, might best be stored in mats cut to fit the standard-size boxes used by the Manuscript Unit.

X.C. NEGATIVES

X.C.1. General Notes

Always check the Public Services Photo File (regular and oversize) for negatives corresponding to material in the collection you are processing. These can include copy negatives (usually created for publication use) of original images or of original textual documents in the collection, as well as original negatives that came as part of a manuscript collection and were pulled and placed in the Public Services Photo File. These original negatives should be returned to the manuscript collection. In the following instructions, color slides should be treated the same way negatives are.

X.C.2. Instructions

1. Make sure that each original negative has a print, and put the print in a folder in the manuscript collection.
2. If there is no print for the negative, then have a print made (through Yale AV), put it in a folder in the manuscript collection, and specify in the register that the print is a copy print. If there are a large number of negatives without prints, a sample of the negatives may be printed. (In this case, consult the appropriate curator.) In the future, if a researcher wants a print, Public Services will have copy prints made from the print in each folder in the manuscript collection (or, if a copy negative has been made, the copy prints will be made from the copy negative). The original negatives will not be used.
3. If there are copy negatives, put them in the Photo File.
4. If there are extra copy prints, consult the appropriate curator about putting the extras in the oversize section of the Photo File.
5. Mention in the register that there are original negatives in the collection, but do not attempt to itemize them.
6. If the negatives in a manuscript collection are research negatives collected from other institutions, consult the appropriate curator.
7. Package and store all of the original negatives in the refrigerator in the back hallway (court level). Each negative should be put in an acid-free unbuffered envelope that should be labeled in pencil with the appropriate call number, box number, and folder number. The envelopes should be put into zip-lock bags and wrapped in acid-free paper. The package should then be tied with acid-free string and labeled in pencil with the call number, the name of the collection, and the date of packaging.
8. Before placing the package in the refrigerator, enter the information from the package into the negative database in Excel.

1. If the negative is nitrate (Constu can test the negative, if you are in doubt), consult the appropriate curator about whether a copy negative should be made (especially if the negative is deteriorating, or if the negative has artifactual value). If a copy negative is made, put it in the Photo File. Copy negatives from nitrate negatives should be made through NEDCC, not through Yale AV, but copy prints from nitrate negatives should be made through Yale AV.
2. If the negative is not nitrate but is deteriorating, consult the appropriate curator about whether a copy negative should be made. If a copy negative is made, put it in the Photo File.

NOTE: For further information about the identification and handling of cellulose nitrate film, see Mary Lynn Ritzenhaler, Administration of Photographic Collections (p. 116-119). Other source works on vintage photographic processes are also available in the unit.

If there are glass negatives in the collection, have a print made from each, and put the print in a folder in the manuscript collection. Consult the appropriate curator about whether a copy negative should be made (especially if the negative is deteriorating, or if the negative has artifactual value). Package and store the glass negatives with the manuscript collection. Put each glass negative into a four-flap wrapper (these are stored in the drawers with the oversize folders) and label the wrappers with our regular labels. Put the wrapped negatives into the appropriate size box. (See YCAL MSS 101 for an example.) Tie the box with acid-free string and label it with our regular labels. Stamp the box "FRAGILE - RESTRICTED, FOR PERMISSION TO USE, CONSULT THE APPROPRIATE CURATOR." In the finding aid, treat the glass negatives as Restricted Fragile.

X.C.5. UPDATING THE PHOTO FILE

X.C.5.a) General Notes

While these updates can take a bit of time, it usually takes the processing archivist (with the help of a student) less time than Public Services staff. Particularly time-consuming jobs, however, should be referred to the Public Services Librarian for reassignment to Public Services staff.

X.C.5.b) Steps

1. Search in the photonegative database, photoneg.tba, in DB/TextWorks (PS) using appropriate search terms (e.g., variations of the call number, significant names, etc.).
2. Using the "Filing Title" at the end of each record, go to the Photo File in the Public Services work area and retrieve the appropriate photonegatives (in folders).
3. Match each photonegative with its record in the database, using the barcode.
4. Print out each record, and then correct the printouts, using information from your finding aid, and taking into account the following:
• leave blank the fields that don't pertain (e.g., if there is no date, leave that field blank)
• generally, use the "source title" field, but if the image is part of another item, then put the image description in the "item title" field and the title of the item from which the image came in the "source field" (e.g., a photonegative of a photo that is in an album would have the description of the photo in the "item title" and the title of the album in the "source title"; the same holds true for photonegatives of images in books)
• make sure that the "source author" field is used only if you know who created the original item (i.e., for a photograph, the "source author" would be the person who took the photo)
• correct the "Filing Title" field if you change the title on the Photo File folder
5. Print out one label from the database for each photonegative and affix it to the mylar sleeve. If the photonegative is in a glassine sleeve, resleeve it in mylar, cut the barcode off the glassine, and using double-stick tape, re-attach the barcode to the new mylar sleeve.
6. Make corrections to each folder if necessary, and correct the "Filing Title" Field in the record. The photonegatives should be filed in each folder in call number order.
7. If there are two photonegatives that are the same but have different barcodes, make sure that each record has exactly the same information.
8. If there are photonegatives that do not have records in the database, put each one in a separate mylar sleeve and mark the appropriate information on the sleeve (i.e., call number, box number, folder number, source author (if applicable), source title, item title (if applicable), and reproduction type). Put each sleeved photonegative in a separate folder and mark the folder with the Filing Title. Give the folders to a Public Services staff person to be scanned.

NOTE: Public Services is no longer using "white slips" in folders to show that there is a photonegative of an original manuscript item; the slips can be discarded when a manuscript collection is processed. However, these slips are still being used for printed books and should remain in the books.

X.C.5.c)(1) Missing Items

If you can't find the original item for which there is a photonegative, put in the "notes" field: "not in [collection name] at time of processing, [your initials], [current date]"; put in the "Filing Title" field: "[name] - Missing"; file the photonegative in a Photo File folder with that title.

X.C.5.c)(2) Missing Photonegatives

If you can't find the photonegative for which there is a record, update the printout of the record with the correct information and put in the "notes" field: "negative not in Photo File at time of processing, [your initials], [current date]"; put in the "Filing Title" field the name of the Photo File folder where the photonegative should be, and update the call number portion of the record with the correct information for the original item.