Treasure!

Music librarian Kirby with bust of Library donor Julius Bernd*

I started actively taking photos in the 1980s. I attended many classes at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, worked in a photo lab, and began a freelance business shooting anything from weddings, head shots for actors, and slides of artwork. The digital revolution came right as my oldest child was born.

I own boxes and boxes of negatives, including one from my mother, large format negatives from my beautiful Konica, and slides of my own artwork. My collection includes VHS tapes of performances I participated in over the years, Super-8 movies, digital video tapes, and over 100 short web-cam videos of my children as babies that I haven’t been able to view in years. On top of everything else, I saved thousands of photos from my old PC to an external hard drive, which is not compatible with my new MacBook.

I want to preserve it all! I want to see this stuff again! This is my life! HELP!

Luckily help is at hand.

Preservation Fair: Preserve Your Family Treasures

• Where: Carnegie Music Hall Foyer, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
• When: Saturday, March 28 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Free with museum admission

The Preservation Fair is a one-day public event where you can learn how to properly store and maintain your precious family keepsakes and treasures. Over 30 professional conservators, archivists, and librarians will be on hand to discuss your individual interests. Free demonstrations and lectures will be presented throughout the event.

Bring a family treasure for free basic conservation advice. One hand-carried item per visitor. No dollies or carts. No appraisals or valuations will be given.

The focus of the speakers at this event will be learning what can be done to preserve your paper and digital photos. Just what I need!!

The speakers:

Dr. Alison Langmead, Asst. Professor at the University of Pittsburgh will discuss the rationale for digital preservation and offer approaches to care for your family’s treasured digital documents.

Jim Burke, Adjunct Asst. Professor of Photography at Pittsburgh Filmmakers will talk about ways to preserve photographic images from all eras and about his work digitally restoring old and damaged photographs.

Exhibitors include conservators specializing in books, documents, paintings, textiles, houses, photographs and films. Historical Societies, Genealogical Societies, and vendors dealing in conservation and preservation supplies will also be represented.

Check this link to see a full list of exhibitors, speakers, and what to expect at the fair: Preservation Fair – Preserving Family Treasures

You can also check the Facebook page: Preservation Fair – Facebook Page

The Preservation Fair is the ongoing legacy of my favorite library school professor and graduate advisor, Bernadette Callery, who passed away in 2012. I was a student volunteer of hers at the 2009 Preservation Fair. The breadth of the expertise at the fair was quite impressive, as I am sure it will be at this year’s event.

Can’t make it?  Don’t worry!  Your librarians have created a few useful online guides to pertinent subjects:

Antiques & Collectibles – Identify and price your antiques with these print and online resources.  This will point you to specific guides like Antique Furniture and Saving Your Family Treasures.

Art Research Databases – Helpful tips for locating resources in print and online, and for learning about art.

Researching Your Art – Evaluation and Appraisal – Where did this come from? Who is this artist? Are they famous? and of course, how much is it worth?!?

Historic Preservation – Resources and organizations for preserving historic homes, buildings, etc.

Historical Societies & Commissions – Join a local group to learn about local history.

Biography & Genealogy – Genealogy resources.

Audio-Visual Resources in Pittsburgh – Vendors that convert film, video, photographs, and analog audio to digital (along with other guides).

-Joelle

P. S. I still print out my favorite digital photos just in case. Old habits die hard.

Changing the light bulbs in the Music Department*

*Photos taken by Joelle

Librarians: Breaking Your Heart, Crushing Your Dreams

Alas, it’s true. Although we library workers spend 90% of our workdays making people happy with the information we provide, there are those…awkward times when we have to tell you something you might not want to hear.

Everything’s less awkward with an image from icanhascheezburger.com

Luckily, we’re usually able to counter the bad news with better news, news that will not only guide you to the information you’re looking for, but save you from future awkward moments as well. Here are just a few of the many ways a librarian can break your heart…and then put it back together with credible information.

1. You are most likely not the grand prize winner.

You’re also probably not the dearest, most trusted confidante of a wealthy foreigner in need of some banking assistance, and that precious tot whose picture keeps popping up in your inbox most likely wasn’t really abducted. While the web’s vast trove of knowledge, and the breakneck speed of sharing it, can be beautiful things, they also make it easier than ever for scams and hoaxes to spread like wildfire. Acting on false information you receive can cost you in a variety of ways, from simple personal embarrassment all the way up to identity theft.

The Good News: There are a lot of terrific, credible sources that not only bust hoaxes, but provide you with ways to protect yourself. The fine folks at Snopes and Hoax-Slayer are joined in their efforts by the FBI, the IRS, and the Federal Trade Commission to set the record straight on matters ranging from urban legends to work-at-home scams.  Don’t forget, too, as we slouch toward the November elections, to  peruse non-profit, non-partisan websites like FactCheck and OpenSecrets for a truly fair and balanced picture of the “facts” Uncle Gordo forwards you once a week.

2. You should listen to your doctor.

Although we definitely sympathize with folks who have a tough time swallowing their doctor’s advice, librarians are not licensed to practice medicine.  Ergo, we can’t give you a second opinion, prescribe an alternative medication, or tell you what we think you should do about that horrible rash that just won’t go away. So when you press us for a diagnosis, you make us wish we were somewhere else doing something slightly less awkward (like giving a “coming out” speech at Thanksgiving dinner).

The Good News: While there are a lot of potential communication breakdowns in the doctor-patient relationship, there are plenty of consumer tools you can use to become a better advocate for your own health. Confused about a medication you’ve been prescribed? Look it up in the MedlinePlus encyclopedia of drugs, supplements, and herbs. Interested in alternatives to conventional treatments?  Research them at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Whatever medical difficulty you’re having, librarians can give you the educational materials you’ll need to read and take back to your doctor, so the two of you can have a heart-to-heart.

Not sure how to get that conversation started? Check out one of the many books on communicating with your doctor and rehearse the conversation before you go in.  Of course, if you’d like to start fresh, we can also point you to credible advice on choosing a new physician. As ever, Pittsburgh readers can check out the annual medical professional rankings published by Pittsburgh Magazine for advice on who is local top dog in their area of concern.

3. That doodad you found in the attic is probably not worth millions of dollars.

Thanks to a certain television show that will go unnamed, many of you may harbor the fond hope that, while cleaning out your attic, you will find an original copy of a Very Important Historical Document, or perhaps A Rare Fabled Painting By A Famous Eccentric.  In less dramatic, but no less fond, fashion, you may simply hope that the cherished vase that has passed through the matrilineal line since your great-great-great grandmother sailed to America from foreign parts is your ticket to early retirement. Alas, I fear it is not so–the truth of the matter is that an object is worth exactly as much as somebody will pay for it on Ebay…and to figure out a reasonable price point for your geegaw, you’re going to need a little help.

The Good News: It’s now easier than ever to research those attic and basement treasures! A phone call or in-person visit to Main Library will get you access to Artnet and ArtFact, two art research databases that contain auction records for items similar to yours, and/or produced by the same artist. The library also offers a pathfinder of subject headings to make searching for collectibles price guides a snap. Still unable to find a price, or want a professional opinion? Click here for more research tools (including some in–gasp–print!) and advice/resources on finding an art appraiser.

The bottom line? Your librarians love you.  We don’t want to see you get hurt. It’s an information jungle out there.  Believe me, when we have to break your heart, it hurts us more than it hurts you. But it’s worth squirming through a few awkward moments to be able to give you what you actually need, instead of telling you what you’d like to hear. You’re welcome.

–Leigh Anne

whose delivery probably needs a little work, but whose heart is definitely in the right place

Well-Preserved

Do you have your mother’s wedding dress stored in your attic but don’t know how to keep it fresh?  What about a family bible handed down for generations? Are your old photographs strewn about in some old shoebox? Are you worried about the way you are storing a precious keepsake, and fear doing it damage? Are you a fan of Antiques Roadshow?

If you answered yes to any of these, or have similar questions, you are in for a treat!  The Preservation Fair is coming once again to the Carnegie Museum’s Music Hall Foyer, on Saturday, October 22. Visit the official website for details.  

The Preservation Fair is a one-day public information event at which you can get expert advice on how to protect and correctly display many different types of family keepsakes and treasures. Over 30 professional conservators, archivists, and librarians will be on hand to discuss your individual interests. Exhibitors include conservators specializing in books, documents, paintings, textiles, photographs and films. Historical Societies, Genealogical Societies, Community Preservation Organizations, and vendors dealing in conservation and preservation supplies will also be represented. Ongoing free demonstrations and lectures will be presented throughout the event, with a keynote address at 12:00 noon by Rick Sebak, the award-winning documentary producer!

The event is free with Museum admission.

Here is a special bonus not to miss!  Bring in a family treasure, one item per visitor, for free basic conservation advice. No appraisals or valuations will be given.

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Can’t make it?  Don’t worry!  The library has lots of resources.

Your librarians have created a few useful guides to pertinent subjects:

Antiques & Collectibles – Identify and price your antiques with these print and online resources.  This will point you to specific guides like Antique Furniture and Saving Your Family Treasures.

Art Research Databases – Helpful tips for locating resources in print and online, and for learning about art.

Researching Your Art – Evaluation and Appraisal – Where did this come from? Who is this artist? Are they famous? and of course, how much is it worth?!?

Historic Preservation – Resources and organizations for preserving historic homes, buildings, etc.

Historical Societies & Commissions – Join a local group to learn about local history.

Biography & Genealogy – Genealogy resources.

Audio-Visual Resources in Pittsburgh – Vendors that convert film, video, photographs, and analog audio to digital (along with other guides).

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These are links to subject headings in our catalog for areas we do not (yet) provide resource guides:

Books Conservation And Restoration Handbooks Manuals Etc

Bookbinding — Repairing — Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Textile Fabrics Conservation And Restoration

Photographs Conservation And Restoration

-Joelle