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A Case Study:
Assessment
& Digitization
of an Archives
& Historical
Collection

As a historian of his performance specialties, R.W. Bacon responded to the call by the International Jugglers' Association to contribute expertise to the digitization of its Historical Collection & Archives. The treasured-but-jumbled collection bounced around the U.S. for years before coming to rest in a climate-controlled warehouse in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2004. In winter 2008 a collections rescue team authorized by the IJA board of directors to meet in Las Vegas for four days of concentrated work. The project was the initiative of board member Sandy Brown, who engaged museum professional R.W. Bacon to train and direct the team on-site.

The team of highly-motivated volunteers from across the U.S. was trained at long-distance in collections care, conservation, records management, and digitization best practices. The team convened in Las Vegas --- along with scanning and photography equipment and conservation supplies shipped in simultaneously --- to assess condition, prioritize conservation measures, photograph and scan parts of the collection, establish museum-standard accession records, and improve collections storage.

Three hotel suites were transformed by day into separate spaces: photography studio, conservation workroom, scanning center, records office, and lunchroom. Selected collections objects were transported from climate-controlled storage in a Las Vegas warehouse to the hotel, where records were created or updated. Then the objects were photographed or scanned. After digitization, photos were placed in archival sleeves & binders, and props were re-packed in acid-free boxes. At the conclusion of this first phase of what will be a long-term collections project, the team assembled museum-safe shelving to replace the previous jumble approach. The collection was carefully arranged on the shelves along with comprehensive records of the team's work --- all ready for Phase 2.

Digitization & Collections Projects

The longtime mantra: "Talk is cheap. See the work."
Scroll down to links to varied collections projects.

In the museum and archives world, the rush to digitize continues, and everyone is stressed about how they can get into the act. Run to the office store and buy a scanner off the shelf? Take your cell-phone out of your back pocket and start snapping everything in the collection? Fortunately the stress has been moderated recently thanks to informative sessions at professional conferences. Thankfully the field has arrived at some "best practice" standards for digitizing collections.

R.W. Bacon has been involved with digital imaging in the graphic design field since the early years of the "digital revolution," and successfully guided a commercial printing firm and its designers through the growing pains of imaging technology. However, achieving great scans for books, magazines, and advertisements is a world removed from scanning photos or documents for archival purposes. Professional conferences and seminars ensure currency with best practices in the field.

The efficient training of non-professional volunteers was the key to the successful start-up digitization and collections care project detailed in the sidebar on the right. Guided by R.W. Bacon, the project proved to be an enduring case study of such an undertaking that is still referenced at professional conferences.

R.W. Bacon brings to your digitization project the knowledge of a graphic arts imaging professional and the background, training, and sensitivity of a museum professional and cultural heritage preservation specialist.

But talk is cheap! Learn about relevant collections projects by clicking on the links below. Read about the project detailed in the sidebar at the right. If the scope of that project sounds like the situation facing your museum, then don't hesitate to inquire. If a minor miracle occurs, your project might get in line for completion before you or I turn 100. --- R.W. Bacon

Talk is cheap. See the work ...
... on collections projects.

For those interested in the finer points
of digitization & collections ...