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.