Photo Preservation and Housing with the Harry Ransom Center

Event details

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Registration Cost: $90

This program of the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts is provided with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the William Penn Foundation and Independence Foundation.

Thank you for your interest in Photo Preservation and Housing With the Harry Ransom Center! This program is now sold out. Find more education programs from CCAHA here. 

Photographic media are sensitive materials that require special care to ensure their longevity. This online course will give you the tools to identify broad groups of photographic materials and steps for how to house and care for these collections.  In this course, including options for both asynchronous and synchronous participation, you will learn appropriate handling and housing.  The class is offered in partnership with the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin and will offer unique and innovative case studies from their collection.  

Course instructors: Diana Díaz-Cañas, Photo Conservator, Ransom Center; Genevieve Kyle, Preventative Conservator, Ransom Center; and Amanda Murray, DHPSNY Program Manager at CCAHA.  

Course Objectives 

You will: 

  • Become familiar with some of the most common photographic processes found in in photographic collections and touch upon appropriate collections care techniques for those materials.  

  • Become familiar with different ways to handle, store, and house your collections and a sense on how to identify priorities for these efforts. 

  • Be inspired by new ideas for photo preservation techniques based on specific examples from the Ransom Center that can be carried out in your own collections.  

This course addresses Goal #3 of the Education, Professional Development, and Leadership section of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation’s 2023 Held In Trust report.  It is intended for mid-level professionals who have a basic understanding of preservation principles and are looking to deepen their knowledge.

The virtual classroom opens to participants on January 22 with the second module released for review on Monday, January 29 at 9:30am ET. Following the release of course content on Mondays, live discussions will take place on Fridays from 2-3pm ET (January 26 and February 2). Additionally, there is a live Q and A on Wednesday, January 31 from 2-3pm ET related to a specific housing topic. Participants will continue to have access to the virtual classroom for six weeks following conclusion of the course.  

Photo Preservation and Housing with the Harry Ransom Center is presented using Canvas LMS. Canvas LMS is an open and reliable web-based software that allows institutions to manage digital learning, educators to present online learning material, and students to engage in courses and receive feedback. Participants will receive instructions on how to join the CCAHA Canvas Classroom upon registration.

CCAHA welcomes a wide range of audiences, from small, all-volunteer organizations to larger institutions with trained staff. This course is open to all experience levels but is designed to most meet the needs of collections care stewards with a foundation in best practices. If you have any questions about the suitability of this program for your experience level, please reach out to Education Programs Manager Greg Stuart (he/they) at gstuart@ccaha.org.

About Our Instructors:

Diana Díaz-Cañas is Senior Photograph Conservator and Head of Photograph Conservation at the Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research center at The University of Texas at Austin. A native from Colombia, Diana received formal conservation training from recognized programs in Colombia and Mexico. Before her appointment at the Ransom Center, Diana worked with collections of fine art and photography archives, as well as libraries in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia, including the Photograph Conservation Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is a member of AIC, ICOM-CC, and APOYOnline, and is especially interested in supporting the diversification of the field. 

Genevieve Pierce Kyle is a Preventive Conservator, and Head of Preventive Conservation at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Genevieve received her MSLIS and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Paper and Book Conservation from the UT Austin Kilgarlin Center for the Preservation of the Cultural Record. She has been with the Harry Ransom Center since 2017 in a Preservation and/or Preventive Conservator role. 

Amanda Murray is the Program Manager for Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York, where she oversees all aspects of DHPSNY, including coordinating educational programs, communications, outreach, and planning and assessment programs. Prior to joining DHPSNY in 2020, Amanda worked as the Visual Materials Cataloger for the Department of Rare and Manuscript Collections and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. She has worked as an archivist for Preserving the Past, LLC, an archival consultant for the Out Alliance in Rochester, NY, interned in the Photography Department at the George Eastman Museum, and served as the graphics and marketing communications coordinator for The Corning Museum of Glass. Amanda received an MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from the University of Rochester and George Eastman Museum, an MLS from the University at Buffalo, and a BA in Art History from SUNY Fredonia.