RELIC has opened a new Digital Preservation Lab at Central Library, offering community members the chance to digitize old family photos, slides, Super 8 reels, and other media. The lab provides free access to equipment designed for ease of use, allowing patrons to archive and share their family memories without needing advanced technical skills.
Mary Kitiyakara, RELIC Supervisor and specialist, has developed staff training for one-on-one appointments with patrons. “The equipment in the Digital Preservation Lab was specially selected to be user-friendly and minimize the need for complicated software, so patrons can quickly get started with archiving,” said Kitiyakara.
In addition to digitization tools, the lab offers full access to Adobe Creative Cloud for those interested in editing their materials further. Appointments are required to use the service. Patrons can reserve time by calling 703-792-8380 or emailing RELIC.
Equipment available includes devices for converting 8mm and Super 8mm film reels up to nine inches in size, a cassette recorder for audio cassettes, a photo-to-digital scanner, a device for slides and negatives conversion, VHS and VHS-C recorders, as well as a dual monitor Mac Studio equipped with Adobe Creative Cloud.
RELIC also provides a one-hour orientation session where library card holders can learn about the digitization process. Reservations for these sessions can be made by searching “Preservation” on PWPL’s Online Events Calendar at https://pwcva.gov/library.
The project received funding from Virginia Humanities.
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