Summary of Project Option in Lieu of Thesis
Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Master of Arts
THE CELLULOSE ACETATE FILM PRESERVATION PROJECT
AT THE SOUTH FLORIDA COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT CENTER,
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
By
Jennifer Constance Barton
December 2007
Chair: Andrea Robbins
Major: Museology
With an estimated 116 million objects under its care, the National Park Service
(NPS) has a significant responsibility to document, care for, and interpret its diverse
museum collections for the American public. Included in these collections are between
13 and 15 million film-based photographic images, the majority of which are cellulose
nitrate, cellulose acetate and color materials. These materials are highly susceptible to
deterioration when not stored in optimum conditions a common dilemma for park units
given the fact that NPS museum collections are housed in a wide variety of facilities in
diverse geographic locations. Consequently, the problem of deteriorating film-based
photographic collections is becoming increasingly widespread, thus creating an urgent
need for preservation plans that will facilitate proper storage and provide access for
future generations. This thesis and the project it describes, address the way in which the
Everglades National Park curatorial staff implemented a long term preservation strategy
for the film-based materials in the South Florida Collections Management Center's
photographic collections.
The thesis project included the initial phase of the park's cellulose acetate film
preservation project, which was completed during the course of a seasonal employment
opportunity at Everglades National Park in Homestead, Florida. The result is a long term
cold storage plan and new standards of practice that support the National Park Service
mission by preserving cultural resources for future generations.
Three stages of development emerged during the course of the project. The first
stage included preliminary research, examination of negatives, film identification,
identification of deterioration characteristics, and testing procedures; the second stage
included a Collection Condition Survey, completed by an NPS paper conservator; and the
third stage included housing upgrades, duplication and reformatting, catalog record
updates and transfer of materials to cold storage. As a result, the project facilitated the
successful implementation of a long term preservation strategy for the park's vulnerable
film based materials.
The cellulose acetate film preservation project at Everglades National Park
resulted in a tremendous improvement in storage conditions for film based photographic
materials, as well as new standards of practice that will be applied when curatorial staff
handle and care for these materials in the future. Such preservation activities are a
fundamental tenet of the National Park Service's responsibility to serve the public and
provide proper stewardship for all museum collections under its care.
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