Digitizing negatives, although not a means of preservation for the negative itself, provides a way to save the image from the negative. Deteriorating negatives will only get worse. If the negative is scanned, the image can be retrieved before the image is faded, cracked, or bubbled. Additionally, scanned images are much more easily accessible than fragile negatives.
When selecting a scanner, make sure the scanner is capable of scanning negatives, and that it uses a laser or cathode ray, rather than hot quartz iodine bulbs.
Even safety negatives with channels and bubbling can be scanned. Although the condition problems translate to the scan, the image can still be retrieved before it fades and deteriorates completely.
archiving negatives 