By Caitlin Eckard
Some issues I have been struggling with lately. First of all, handwriting. I know we think in today’s computer age, that handwriting is not as important as it once was. This is not the case with the collection I have been working with. Each photo or folder has a number written on it that a previous director assigned to the item. I am trying to go through and match up these numbers with what has been already cataloged on the PastPerfect software. Well I can barely read most of this person’s handwriting. I need to ask people if they think something is a 6 or an 8. This is becoming time consuming. I shouldn’t need a paleography course in order to read somebody’s handwriting from 70 years ago.
Also, consistency has become a large issue with this photograph collection. Most photos or negatives has multiple numbers written on them, so it is my job to figure out which one is the right one to use. No pressure or anything! This week I have been scanning loose photographs without folders attached to them. I have been getting more and more annoyed at this project, because many of the loose photos are prints I have already scanned, but they were not in their proper place. I am making progress here. There have been over 10000 photos/ negatives scanned to do. Only around 40000 to go!