If I could turn back time: adventures in Internal Advocacy For Visual Materials Hillary S. Kativa Curator of Photographs and Moving Images Chemical Heritage Foundation Philadelphia, PA

About the Chemical Heritage Foundation History of science organization based in Philadelphia. Founded as Center for the History of Chemistry (1982). Rebranded as Chemical Heritage Foundation (1992). Exterior of CHF, located in Old City Philadelphia

Organizational Structure Othmer Library of Chemical History Eddleman Institute for Education and Interpretation Center for Research Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry The Museum at CHF

Rare books on display in the Reading Room What We Collect Rare book and manuscripts Modern books and journals Oral histories Archival materials Photographs Fine art Objects and artifacts Rare books on display in the Reading Room

Excerpt from the finding aid for the Walter Snelling Papers Past (Not So) Perfect Photographs treated as objects rather than archives. Focus on item-level cataloging. Context and connection to archival materials largely absent. Inconsistent and haphazard description. Excerpt from the finding aid for the Walter Snelling Papers

Past (Not So) Perfect

Past (Not So) Perfect

Turning Back Time Archives relocated from Special Collections to Library in 2007. Photo Archivist position downsized in 2008; reinstituted as full time position in 2013. Lady Gaga speaks for all of us (but especially for me)

Landing page for CHF photo collections (chemheritage.org) Turning Back Time Discontinued item-level cataloging in PastPerfect. Created finding aids and online catalog records linking photos and archival collections. Workshop series of educate staff and fellows about photo collections. Landing page for CHF photo collections (chemheritage.org)

*No applied professionals were harmed in the making of this gif* Lessons Learned Allied professionals: They’re (Not) Just Like Us! Different cultures = different approaches to collections management. Advocacy begins at home. *No applied professionals were harmed in the making of this gif*

Remember, Bob Mackie designs aren’t for everyone (Time Magazine, 1975) Lessons Learned Don’t Get Hung Up On Labels Different collections have different needs. Advocate for your collections and don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. Remember, Bob Mackie designs aren’t for everyone (Time Magazine, 1975)

Thank you! Hillary S. Kativa hkativa@chemheritage.org