RE: NOTCH CODE ID
COLLEEN BYRNE (CBYRNE@MAIL.LOC.GOV)
09 Jun 1994 17:03:17 GMT
John,
I work on a project devoted to the preservation and reformatting
of deteriorating negatives in the Prints and Photographs Division
of the Library of Congress. We deal with *enormous* numbers of
both nitrate and acetate negatives and because of this have set
up some guidelines. We generally go by imprint for
identification purposes. Lacking that, familiar notch codes
(mostly Kodak and Agfa in our project) are the determining
factor. No notch code, no imprint? We call it nitrate if shot
during the appropriate time period. Money, of course, is a
factor in this decision. Staff availability and costs of
testing are prohibitive. We are trying to process these negative
collections thoroughly yet as quickly as possible to meet
deadlines and to make them available to the public as soon as we
can. Also, if you think about it, treating unknown bases as if
they are nitrate is erring on the side of caution. These negs
are stored off-site in appropriate conditions. Even if they're
safety, they'll age well in this environment.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Good Luck|
Colleen Byrne
Prints and Photographs Division
Library of Congress
cbyrne@mail.loc.gov