Members of the Grayhawks (UI Retirees Association) and other retired community members will be visiting the Main Library today for “Preserving Family Photographs, Part 1” in the Conservation Lab from 2 – 3:30 p.m.

This hands-on session will be led by Nancy E. Kraft, Head of the Preservation Department and Gary Frost, University Libraries Conservator. The session will cover the various film and photo types with suggestions for handling, storage and extending the life of the image; photo album and scrapbook problems and possible solutions; how to determine the acidity or color fastness of paper; how to perform light cleaning of photos and how to display photos safely.

Future retirees sessions include “Preserving Family Photographs, Part 2” in the Information Arcade on Tuesday, October 16 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. Mark Anderson and Jennifer Wolfe from Digital Library Services department will demonstrate best practices in digitizing photos. You’ll learn the technical requirements that will make your photos usable, and you’ll add descriptors to your photos that will help you organize them.

For more information about Back to the Libraries sessions for retirees, contact Kristi Bontrager (kristi-r-bontrager@uiowa.edu or 319-335-5960).