The Establishment Of A Database For The Archive. The benefits of a database:

1. Complete access to the photographic archive enabling a general scholarly study of the materials as well as aiding the families of people portrayed in the identification of their relatives.

2. Making positive digital images of the negatives, thus avoiding the labor and expense of making monochromatic silver gelatin prints of each. As of 2001, only 3000 negatives ( of some 60,000) have been printed as positive images.

3. To avoid unnecessary handling of original negatives and prints.

4. Security provided by the duplication of material in case of situations that might adversely affect the photographic archive. For example, there was a fire at the Alejos studio in 2004.

Software Progress:

In 2001, the Neo Image Management Software was created by Walter and Jens Alejos, engineers and grandchildren of the photographer. The software provides a database with technical sheets for each negative.

In 2008, the project “Digitalization of the photographic archive negatives,” began sponsored by Harvard University, modeled on the success of the previous “Stabilization Project” also sponsored by the University. At the end of this project, the digitalized images will be added to the database, which also will also be improved in terms of access to the visual information.