Microfading Tester International Discussion Group

What happens to your data after you've analyzed an object with MFT? How are you archiving the files and raw data generated from microfade testing? 

Hi Rio, 

In Textile Conservation at The Met, we use a folder system in our shared network drive that was already in place before we started using our MFT.  It's organized by accession number. We'd used the system to store results from other equipment like XRF, spectrophotometer, multiband imaging, etc. so it seemed a natural solution to us. 

We save the aging curves and the "before" and "after" spectra from MFT measurements as plaintext files in the object's respective folder. We save the PDF reports in the same place and print a hard copy of the report as well. The .txt files do not take up much digital space. Because it's organized by accession number, and because the conservators are used to this system, it's easy for everyone to find the MFT file they're looking for. 

All this said, we are still relatively new to microfade testing in our department and don't have piles and piles of testing files to worry about. Perhaps a more specific solution will be necessary in the future, as we produce more files. 

I hope this was helpful! 

Thank you! 

Best,

Oliver

What happens to your data after you've analyzed an object with MFT? How are you archiving the files and raw data generated from microfade testing? 

Hi Rio, 

In Textile Conservation at The Met, we use a folder system in our shared network drive that was already in place before we started using our MFT.  It's organized by accession number. We'd used the system to store results from other equipment like XRF, spectrophotometer, multiband imaging, etc. so it seemed a natural solution to us. 

We save the aging curves and the "before" and "after" spectra from MFT measurements as plaintext files in the object's respective folder. We save the PDF reports in the same place and print a hard copy of the report as well. The .txt files do not take up much digital space. Because it's organized by accession number, and because the conservators are used to this system, it's easy for everyone to find the MFT file they're looking for. 

All this said, we are still relatively new to microfade testing in our department and don't have piles and piles of testing files to worry about. Perhaps a more specific solution will be necessary in the future, as we produce more files. 

I hope this was helpful! 

Thank you! 

Best,

Oliver

What happens to your data after you've analyzed an object with MFT? How are you archiving the files and raw data generated from microfade testing? 

Hi Rio, 

In Textile Conservation at The Met, we use a folder system in our shared network drive that was already in place before we started using our MFT.  It's organized by accession number. We'd used the system to store results from other equipment like XRF, spectrophotometer, multiband imaging, etc. so it seemed a natural solution to us. 

We save the aging curves and the "before" and "after" spectra from MFT measurements as plaintext files in the object's respective folder. We save the PDF reports in the same place and print a hard copy of the report as well. The .txt files do not take up much digital space. Because it's organized by accession number, and because the conservators are used to this system, it's easy for everyone to find the MFT file they're looking for. 

All this said, we are still relatively new to microfade testing in our department and don't have piles and piles of testing files to worry about. Perhaps a more specific solution will be necessary in the future, as we produce more files. 

I hope this was helpful! 

Thank you! 

Best,

Oliver

What happens to your data after you've analyzed an object with MFT? How are you archiving the files and raw data generated from microfade testing? 

What happens to your data after you've analyzed an object with MFT? How are you archiving the files and raw data generated from microfade testing? 

What happens to your data after you've analyzed an object with MFT? How are you archiving the files and raw data generated from microfade testing? 

Hi Rio, 

This is such a good question.

Like others that have replied, here at National Galleries of Scotland, we package everything up into an MFT folder that goes into the digital object folder. We would do the same for any other analysis like XRF.

The folder ends up containing,

•  the original data files for each test site for the object (in a folder per test site),
• all the data files for the days blue wool calibration runs
• Photomicrographs of each test site
•  An annotated photograph of the object which indicates the test site locations
• A spreadsheet with all the data in, plus the charts / spectra I create from the data
• A report summarising all of this, written using PowerPoint and then also saved as a pdf.

This is currently just a folder system on a server, but we are looking to see if all of the information we gather about collection objects can go into a DAMS system and be linked to the collection database for people to access. I have my doubt about a Digital Asset Management system coping with the different type of files that we create for Microfading, XRF etc, so we are also thinking about other routes or potentially a database (but that's a whole other conversation / project). The folder is regularly backed up by our IT department.

When I do a fade run, I use macro enabled spreadsheets (set up by Bruce Ford) to ingest the data and analyse it for each test site on that object and also then also for the object overall. This means the data is also being stored within a spreadsheet. I can create data per test site, including the start and end spectra and ab diagram and also colour change curves for the object overall.

We are just migrating to a new collection database and as part of that, I hope to be able to add the recommended light budget for each object I have tested to the object record. In my dreams, the system will also auto-calculate the light exposure to date, but we shall see!

I also keep a master sheet of results including date of test, recommended light budget etc. I plan to rethink this a bit and see what data analysis I can do from this at some point. 

Great to hear what others are doing,

thanks so much

Kirsten

What happens to your data after you've analyzed an object with MFT? How are you archiving the files and raw data generated from microfade testing?