N.Y. She did her undergraduate work at Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., where she majored in biochemistry. She was working as a research assistant at Rockefeller University in New York when she heard about Delaware's art conservation program, one of a handful in the nation. Norris also teaches photo conservation. These demands pose problems, and solving them is a big part of what a photo conservator does, Wagner says. Sometimes used interchangeably, the terms photo preservation and photo conservation are different, though somewhat overlapping, parts of the same process.
Conservation involves the care of the physical objects themselves.
For example, protective housings stabilize fragile photos, allow safe handling and facilitate treatment of damaged structural parts such as the image materials, binder and support. A preservation program, such as the one at the National Archives, encompasses conservation treatment, the duplication of deteriorating films and the broader care of the entire collection through maintenance of a proper environment, good storage facilities, disaster preparedness, research room guidelines and staff training. The latter is increasingly important as the digital revolution continues. Scanning or digitally photographing objects can cause damage if precautions aren't taken. Damage takes many forms.