Week 3

This week, my supervisor and I went over the survey questions that went along with the assessment. This has proved to be extremely helpful, as it is helping me to fill in those gaps that I was unable to complete just from observing the collection. I also got the opportunity to get a look at the storage room where the collection is kept at the Carnegie Museum of Art. This has given me a better understanding of the storage conditions at the moment and will help to form my recommendations for the final project.
One thing I’m a bit unclear on is the degree to which the survey and assessment should focus on my materials. That is, I’m unsure if my questions should be answered for the entire institution or just the department I am looking at. Otherwise, the assessment is progressing nicely.
Although I feel that it would be inappropriate to describe the location or the storage facilities that house the collection here on the web, I would like to mention that the films have been removed from their original metal reels. Now, they are loosely wrapped on spools and are kept in nonreactive canisters. Within each of the canisters is a paper vinegar syndrome test. The archive has saved the original metal reels and any containers or labels that came with the films.