As highlighted in our previous blog posts the second phase of the Stannington Sanatorium project is now underway. Using a second tranche of funding from the Wellcome Trust this phase will make digitised copies of the patient files covering the period 1946-1966 and re-package them in conservation grade materials. Our new Project Assistant began in early November. Her part-time role will involve determining which are the most important or ‘core’ documents, separating them from the rest by means of an archival standard brass paper clip. They are then enveloped in a four-flapped folder, made from acid-free card, tied and labelled with its own reference number. This way we can help to preserve the original documents for years to come.
The Project Digitisation Assistant, will then make Jpeg and Tiff image files of each document. Digital copies of the core documents will be redacted, removing the names and personal information of the patients and attached to our online catalogue. This will mean that although they will be accessible from anywhere in the world, that patient confidentiality will still be maintained. They will provide an excellent resource for those studying the treatment of Tuberculosis, and the lives of children in hospitals in the mid-twentieth century. We will be posting in the coming months about our progress, so please look out for how we are getting on. We will also be creating a Flickr set of a typical case file including all contents. This too will be redacted to protect patient confidentiality. Please remember to look at our new online exhibition about Stannington Sanatorium, available here.
