The Brown Family archive : assigning intellectual order & physical arrangement to a private photographic collection

This project focuses on the methodology of assigning intellectual and physical arrangement to private family photographic collections. I selected the Brown Family Archive as a case study, working directly with the Brown Family and Lake County Historical Museum in Crown Point, Indiana. The collection brings together photographs and related artifacts from the Civil War, the First National Bank of Crown Point, Indiana, and several interrelated families. The size and scope of the collection is analagous to many family collections. It is historically and culturally significant due to its visual documentation of a sociological milieu in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries. Equally important, the photographs offer insight ito the widespread problem of deterioration due to improper housing, mishandling, and chemical break down. Through research and best practices in photographic preservation and collections management, the project delivers a model for use by family historians, museums, historical societies and libraries.