After shooting each sleeve, I change the image names to the official filenames that will appear on our storage server and in Preservica (a seemingly miniscule yet critical task that ensures the longevity, consistency, and user accessibility of our digital materials). The filenames include information about the collection number, series number, box number, and item number. For example, the filename REC0037_13_001_001_01_01 tells us that the collection is REC0037, that the series is 13 (which identifies that it’s photographs), that the box number is 1, that the negative sheet is 1 (there are usually more than one per folder), and that the frame is 1.
Next, comes editing and exporting the images. The Municipal Archives adheres to the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI), so editing is fairly basic, as too much can interfere with these standards. Most importantly, I straighten and crop each shot so that there is only one image per frame. Some negatives are damaged by environmental factors like time and improper handling. In these cases, I may adjust levels or exposure to ensure clarity. This is particularly true for color images.
