Handling for Digitization
Digitization is an important step in improving access to your collection, while simultaneously minimizing the frequency of handling that can potentially cause damage to collection items. But when is it safe to prepare fragile documents on your own, and when is it time to call a conservator? Digital Archives Specialist, Kaitlyn Pettengill will be in conversation with Paper Conservator, Chloe Houseman to give you practical tips on safeguarding your collection during the digitization process.
This webinar addresses Focus Area #3: “expanding collections-based knowledge creation” of the FAIC’s Held In Trust Report on digital technology: research and practice.
About our speakers:
As Paper Conservator, Chloe Houseman meets with clients, assesses condition and treatment needs, documents findings in reports, and treats a wide range of objects, including art on paper and archival materials.
Prior to joining the staff of CCAHA in 2018, Chloe worked as a paper conservator at Harvard University Libraries’ Weissman Preservation Center, after having previously interned there. She also completed a conservation internship at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC. Chloe received an MA in Art Conservation, specializing in Paper Conservation, from Queen’s University in Canada. She received her BA in Art History from the University at Albany. Chloe is a member of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). She previously served on the board of the Philadelphia Area Conservation Association, as Co-chair and then Event Chair.
As the Digital Archives Specialist, Kaitlyn Pettengill conducts digital preservation assessments and assists with digitization planning for collecting organizations. She advises organizations in the ongoing development, implementation, and operation of their digital preservation programs as well as on recommendations for the development and implementation of digital preservation strategies, technologies, and procedures.
Prior to joining the CCAHA staff in 2024, Kaitlyn worked as the Digital Projects Coordinator for the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University and as the Digital Services Archivist at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Kaitlyn earned an MLIS from San José State University, where she specialized in Digital Collections and Digital Asset Management. She also holds an MA degree in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London and a BA in Art History and English Literature from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA.