Hello all, I’m an incoming Visual Materials Section member-at-large. In my work at the Missouri Historical Society, I’m head of the Photographs and Prints department which contains over one million images depicting St. Louis’ visual history from the late 18th century up till the present day. As you can imagine, our collection includes a wide variety of subjects and types of images, and I enjoy the challenge of making them accessible while also ensuring their long-term preservation. Between digitizing daguerreotypes, cataloging early 19th century prints, batch processing born-digital photos, and the never-ending battle against the dreaded Vinegar Syndrome, there’s never a dull moment! I first got involved in the Visual Materials Section when my colleague and I published a feature article in the 2019 Spring/Summer issue of Views on how we processed a professional commercial photography studio collection. I’ve always appreciated the work the VMS does, and I look forward to helping to meet our community needs over the next few years.
Amanda Claunch, VMS Member-at-Large (2022-2025), Photographs and Prints Archivist, Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis.