I agree, let sleeping dogs lie or ALL will be lost. >From someone longing for the day when she can attend ALL the Archives and at least take photos in most of them. Sincerely, Lynette from OZ -------------------------------------------------- From: "Andrew Rodger" <rodgera@audioio.com> Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 3:25 PM To: <south-africa@rootsweb.com> Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] National Archive in Pretoria > On 25 Nov 2011, at 6:24 AM, nantes kruger wrote: > >> Will recommend that you rather take photos of the docs.....we are >> lucky >> that we can in Pta and the other archives unlike in the Cape >> Archives were >> the only options is the make copies.(although my waiting time for >> these are >> normally not more than 4 weeks). I am also full time employed and >> have to >> carefully plan my spare time to hop in for an hour at the archives. >> If you >> forward your request per email in advance to >> enquiries2@dac.gov.za<enquiries2@dac.gov.za> then >> your files are ready and your can peruse and snap very quickly. >> Never had a >> problem with the staff......although one needs to respect the rules >> of the >> reading room. It is a waste of waiting for copies...........rather >> print >> them our from your pics.........much quicker ! > > I find it more than slightly ridiculous that the various archives > have different rules about taking photographs. I wonder whether it > is possible to approach the relevant Government Department to see if > uniform rules can be arrived at. (I assume central Government, since > the various branches of the Archives have never aligned exactly with > provincial boundaries and the changes in number and boundaries should > therefore make no difference to the Archives.) > > The reason why photography is discouraged is the fear of damage to > the sometimes fragile documents (especially those older hand-written > papers on which the ink is fading due to exposure to light). But in > these days, with advanced digital cameras yielding excellent results > even in very poor light with minimal exposure times and without use > of a flash, it should be possible to draw up sensible rules based on > the camera specifications. > > For example, I have a Panasonic, model DMC-FZ8, 7.1 MP (about three > years old), with a Leica Elmarit f/2.8 - 3.3 aperture zoom lens, full > manual over-ride of automatic functions and a tripod mount, whose > built-in flash operates only if the flash button is pressed to > (mechanically) open the flash unit, and even then it will operate > only if it is needed. Current models are around 12 MP and above. It > would be perfectly feasible to mount this on the kind of stand used > for photographing books and documents, and to allow its use only if > the flash is not opened, as long as the shutter can be operated on a > timer to give a long exposure. I have used this in various Churches > in the UK and Canada where photography is forbidden, without > attracting attention, to avoid having to pack and carry postcards -- > not for documents, of course, merely for the architecture, even lying > flat on my back to capture splendid vaulted ceilings in the Round > Church in Cambridge and elsewhere; and I've done the same during > Church services. (I also took a picture a long time ago, with an old- > style SLR camera without flash, of the Annunciation in King's College > Chapel, without being challenged, though if I had stepped too close > to it all the alarms would have sounded -- these were installed after > an IRA fanatic took to the painting with a Skarsten scraper. That > camera, with its f/2 lens and exposure time of up to 1 minute, could > do almost anything, its only limitation being the need to use film.) > > If the Archives were to stipulate that the flash on the camera must > not be used, i.e. if it is automatic it must be suppressible (which > can readily be established by test), use of cameras could be allowed > without risk to the documents. Tripods and book-frames would of > course be up to the user. If the Cape Town Archives is not requiring > this now, but allowing any camera, the documents are at risk. One > has only to attend the Edinburgh Military Tattoo during the Festival > in August (or see it on TV) to know that all too many cameras fire > their flashes whether or not it will do any good, which on that vast > open Parade Ground it will not. Such cameras should not be allowed > anywhere near valuable and vulnerable documents. > > Andrew Rodger > rodgera@audioio.com > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > SOUTH-AFRICA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message