A three-day meeting on photographic preservation was held in early August at the Image Permanence Institute (IPI) in Rochester, New York, cosponsored by the GCI and the IPI. The purpose of the meeting was to identify and prioritize important conservation and research issues with regard to the preservation of photographic collections. In addition, those attending discussed the feasibility and impact of various photographic conservation research activities and attempted to identify potential collaborations and directions for future research.

Thirty conservators, curators, and conservation scientists participated in the discussions in Rochester. Included were conservation scientists from the GCI, the IPI, and the Research Center for the Conservation of Graphic Documents in Paris. Also attending were curators from Eastman House; conservators and educators from Delaware, New York, and Denmark, and from the J. Paul Getty Museum; Mellon advanced fellows in photographic conservation; and conservators in private practice.

The meeting was a unique opportunity for a broad and open discussion of the current state of research in photographic collections. Conservators, curators, and conservation scientists had the chance to exchange ideas on research approaches, priorities, and partnerships. Little has been done until now related to the characterization of photo materials, their deterioration, and their reaction to treatments; it is hoped that this meeting, and subsequent discussions, will result in valuable new research that will advance the state of photographic conservation.