Heather Zbinden (hzbinden@cals.org) works for the Central Arkansas Library System serving Little Rock, AR and environs. The memory lab she works in is part of their genealogy library. They received a grant for a memory lab from IMLS- had to buy certain equipment and have it open to everyone without requiring a library card/ID- got to attend a free memory lab bootcamp.
Why personal archiving/memory lab?
- Papers of regular people can be more important to show how things used to be than those of famous people.
- Patrons like having an expert there to help.
- Precious papers/photos can be lost in natural disasters/fires/etc.
How does the memory lab work?
- All DIY except for a 30-minute training and tech troubleshooting from staff.
- Room for 2 patrons on photos and 2 patrons on AV
- No digitization of copyrighted materials.
- Have to switch cables when switching formats-done by staff- intake form asks what format.
- Everything is labeled and there are step-by-step instructions.
- Monthly personal archiving program via Zoom- latest version on YouTube.
- Patrons are encouraged, but not required to attend the Zoom or watch the recorded version before their first appointment.
- $9000 for equipment for memory lab, mobile lab and Mac Mini computer (also used existing PCs).
- Very high-resolution scanner ($3699)
- Betamax player.
- Book scanner- good for fragile items like scrapbooks
- Black Magic Media Express for video capture.
- Computers wipe all files at night for privacy.
- No editing software- they encourage patrons to use free, open-source software at home.
- No CD/DVD burning, copies are too easy to damage.
- Handbrake to covert video to MP4.
- Portable film scanner- does 110 film.
Tips for libraries planning a memory lab/personal archiving programs:
- Lighting for the space is very important.
- Use YouTube videos to learn how to hook up equipment.
- Make sure patrons know their appointment will take at least as long as the item takes to play.
- Apple products can be problematic if your IT department isn't used to them.
- Have a mobile memory lab to take to events for a few hours- can digitize up to 20 items for each patron- photos and documents only, AV takes too long.
- Promote memory lab on social media.
- You may not have to babysit as much as you think you will.
- Staff can learn how to re-house VHS and cassettes.
Tips for patrons doing personal archiving:
- Don't store items in a humid place.
- Store files in at least 2 digital locations- cloud storage & external hard drive- CDs/DVDs, floppy drives, flash drives are not recommended because they fail too often.
- Store photos as .jpg no more than 600 dpi.
- Use archival-quality boxes & envelopes for hard copies.
- Organize by creating folders within folders.
- Name your photo files! Be consistent and informative!- e.g. naming photos after facial features, clothes.
- Tag your scans.
Plans for future equipment (would have to find camcorders on eBay or get donations):
- Mini -DVD
- U-matic
- High-8
- Digital-8
- Clearclick video digitizer for a take-home digitization kit.
CALS also has oral history toolkits that can be checked out and Zoom training on doing an oral history.
--Andrea H. @GLCL
