On Thursday, April 19, 2018, Nat DeBruin will present “Time Capsules to Our Past: Identifying and Preserving our Photographic Images” in the Archives and History Library at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. The program will begin at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
With the click of a shutter, a camera has the unique ability to freeze a moment in time, capturing a split-second time capsule view into our history. The visual evidence photographs provide of our past—whether it be mapping the development of a cityscape or supplementing a family history—make them an invaluable tool for research. From daguerreotypes to Polaroids, DeBruin will explain the diverse types of images made prior to the advent of digital photography, discuss the challenges involved with preserving different photographic formats, and provide solutions to help preserve and protect your own photographic images.
Nat DeBruin earned his bachelor’s degree in history in 1976 at Texas A&M and was commissioned in the U.S. Army. His military career spanned nineteen years in a variety of assignments, both in the United States and overseas, including the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 1989 and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. After retiring from the Army as a major in 1995, DeBruin earned his master’s in library science from the University of Maryland-College Park in 1996. He joined the faculty at Marshall University in 2006 and became head of Archives and Special Collections in 2013.
Participants may park behind the Culture Center after 5:00 p.m. on April 19 and enter the building at the back loading dock area. There also is limited handicapped parking available in the new bus turnaround.
For additional information, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
