Library opens new Legacy Lab

The new Legacy Lab features equipment to help patrons preserve family photos, documents, and home movies.

May is National Preservation Month, and Heights Libraries is celebrating by opening its new Legacy Lab in the HKIC building (2340 Lee Road) at the Lee Road branch.

The Legacy Lab is a free, do-it-yourself space for digitizing and preserving personal memories, such as photos, documents, home videos, and audio recordings. Users are provided with instructions on how to use Legacy Lab equipment, and staff are available to provide guidance.

Heights Libraries’ Continuing Education Manager Derrick Mason was inspired by customers to create the lab.

“In my tenure at Heights Libraries, first as the local history librarian and now as continuing education manager, I’ve had several patrons inquire about resources for digital preservation,” said Mason. “I saw there was an opportunity to expand our services, so I started researching library memory labs and curating equipment for personal archiving. We now can digitize VHS home videos, slides and negatives, audio cassettes and more.

“Over time, analog media can deteriorate, and the means to access older digital media becomes outdated. If people want to preserve these items, it’s important to convert to modern media and cloud storage to ensure long-term accessibility.”

Mason sees the Lab as a way for everyone to have the opportunity to preserve their family history, regardless of income.

“Many of the devices needed for digital preservation can be expensive. Investing in such equipment for a short-term project may be beyond a patron’s means,” said Mason. “But they can utilize the Legacy Lab equipment free of charge to preserve items like an audio recording of a relative who has passed on, a photo album of childhood memories, or a 3.5-inch floppy disk with first-generation digital images.”

Heights Libraries’ Continuing Education Department will be holding a special program series in May to introduce users to the lab:

• Super 8 and 8mm Film Digitizer - Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m. An instructional demonstration of the Kodak Reels Super 8 and 8mm Film Digitizer.
• Photo, Slide and 35mm Film Digitizers - Monday, May 5, 2 p.m. An instructional demonstration of the Kodak Slide N Scan and Epson FastFoto Digitizers.
• Audio Media Digitizers - Friday, May 16, 10 a.m. An instructional demonstration of the Vinyl Record and Cassette Tape Converters. Registration begins May 2.
• Video Media Digitizers - Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m. An instructional demonstration of the VHS and DVD Digitizers.
  
  

All equipment is available for use by appointment. Patrons must provide their own storage media for files, and projects cannot be saved on Lab computers. Users must have a library card in good standing to use the Lab. To schedule an appointment, call 216-932-3600, ext. 1221.