Introduction to SEPIA I

Historical photographic collections are an essential part of the European cultural heritage both for their artistic and documentary value and as a record of the history of photography, as a technique as well as a form of artistic expression.Interest in photographyic collections has grown over the past decades, and the collections kept by libraries, museums, archives and other memory institutions constitute a treasure house of information on the history of European peoples that needs to be opened up to users and to be preserved for future generations.

By their nature, photographic collections pose serious problems for preservation. They contain a wide variety of materials -prints and negatives (produced by different chemical processes and using different carriers), glass-negatives, slides; moreover they are not always kept separately as a considerable number are collected in albums or included in books. The preservation of this range of materials requires highly specialist expertise, which is available in only very few institutions.

In addition, photographic materials are often not described to a level that makes them easily accessible to users. The lack of widely used standard descriptions is acutely felt, especially now that institutions are embarking on digitisation projects to increase accessibility. Digitisation of photographic materials in itself is complex , due to the wide variation in materials and the different requirements of users, and an area in which few instutions have so far gained sufficient experience.

SEPIA I was divided into 7 workpackages

1.a survey on conservation and digitisation of European photographic collections.
2.expert meetings on content and context, presentation and design, educational aspects, public relations and publications, and technical requirements for continued cooperation
3.workshops on preservation management of photographic collections 4.guidelines and recommendations on best practices and use of standards
5.an introduction on (preservation of) photographic collections for a general public
6.open conference on preservation and access of photographic collections
7.publicity and dissemination 8.general management of the agreement

Go to complete proposal in PDF( 44K) or see SEPIA 1 publications