By Caitlin Eckard

So as of today, I have scanned near 2000 photos. Storage is becoming a large issue here. The photos range from the 1930s to the present day, so a lot of the prints and/or negatives are in very poor condition. I am glad to be part of the team that is preserving these photos, but the questions remains for many of the board members: what do we do with these photos/ negatives after they have been scanned and digitized? Luckily, I have had some say in what to do with this collection. I think it needs to be saved, for reasons other than reference questions. (Which is typically what these pictures will be used for.) There is just a problem of storage, climate control, and maintenance, which some people feel is too big of an expense to the historical society.

I wish there was a simple solution to this problem, but it will still require some decision making on ATHS’s part. I think that they should make these photos searchable on their website, so people could pay for prints they might want. I think this would bring in enough income to store the massive amount of photography. It is very difficult to explain the importance of this collection to board members who think we should just dispose of these materials. However, I think that is a typical problem with museums and historical institutions, where do you draw the line?