Join Us for a Day of Preservation

Preserving Memories: How to Care for Photographs and Scrapbooks from Archival Treasures to Family Heirlooms

9:00-10:30

Presented by the Los Angeles Preservation Network, and featuring Jeff Thompson, Photo Archivist at Twentieth Century Fox and Dawn Jaros, Conservator at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Designed for both the novice and professional, this session will cover the identification and care of traditional photography as well as conservation tips for scrapbooks.

Topics will include various film formats, print types, and guidelines for the best archival practices for long-term preservation of images. The program will touch on the differences in caring for black & white film versus color film, appropriate humidity and temperature controls, and methods to prevent fading. The scrapbooks section will focus on historic items and share advice about supplies, storage, care, handling, and display solutions.

Personal Digital Archiving: Caring for Your “Digital Shoebox”

11:00-12:30

Presented by Mary Wahl, Digital Services Librarian at California State University, Northridge.

Long gone are the days when a shoebox full of photographs under the bed was considered sufficient safekeeping. In contrast, today’s “digital shoebox” takes the form of carriers such as SD cards, USB drives and online Flickr albums. But how dependable are these tools? How does one keep these digital files useful and findable for the long-term? This session will share tips and strategies for personal digital archiving, such as identifying file types, weeding collections, using file-naming schemes, and choosing reliable storage options. Attendees will learn the basics of caring for digital memories in text, image, and audiovisual formats, for long-term use and findability.

Archivist for a Day

1:30-4:00

An informal drop-in workshop where attendees can learn the basics of physical preservation by working with various formats, including photographic, paper-based, monographs, maps, and audio-visual materials. Under the supervision of archivists, librarians, conservators, and other archives professionals, participants will have the opportunity to use a wide range of archival tools and supplies, learn about suitable enclosures and environments for archival material, and ask questions about specific preservation issues.

For more information, please contact: Holli Lovich (818) 677-4199 or holli.lovich@csun.edu

Come and celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Archives Bazaar and the 20th Anniversary of LA as Subject.

Experience the diversity of stories that make Southern California such a place of discovery. At the 10th-annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, presented by L.A. as Subject and the USC Libraries, anyone with an interest in the region’s history will find something of value. A broad array of institutions and archives will have experts on hand to show off their collections and answer questions — from the Autry National Center of the American West and the Los Angeles Public Library to private collectors whose materials fill the gaps left in the region’s history. In all, more than 80 archives will be represented at this event, which is free and open to the public.

In addition to the wealth of information on display from exhibitors, the bazaar will feature a Day of Preservation, workshops and demonstrations on the archiving and preservation of photographs and scrapbooks; a program on how to research historical information about Los Angeles; a discussion on the history of imbibing in Southern California; a screening of Lost L.A., a new series from KCET on the hidden treasured of the city; and a panel discussion with some of the authors of LAtitudes: An Angeleno’s Atlas, a groundbreaking new collaboration of cartographers, historians, scholars, and writers.

The USC Libraries serve as the host institution for L.A. as Subject, an alliance of libraries, museums, and other archival and cultural organizations. The relationship complements the USC libraries’ strong regional history collection and is a natural outgrowth of the libraries’ efforts to preserve and expand access to the primary sources of L.A. history.

USC is minutes from downtown Los Angeles and is easily accessible by major freeways and the Metro Expo line. Doheny Library is located in the center of campus, adjacent to Alumni Park and across from Bovard Auditorium, on Trousdale Avenue. For information regarding parking on campus, visit the Parking Services Website.