Memory Lab Network coming to HPL

Big news! HPL has been selected to participate in the Memory Lab Network, a project coming out of DC Public Library in partnership with the Public Library Association funded by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The Memory Lab model is more than just a scanning station. According to DCPL, it offers a “'do-it-yourself' program consisting of three key components:

• a digitization lab with equipment for digitizing video and audio and scanning photographs, documents, and slides in a public computing space; 
• digital preservation class curricula and training for the public and a website with equipment and workflow instructions and 
• resources for long-term storage and preservation of analog and digital archival materials."

As part of our participation, "Memory Lab Network partners will receive training, mentoring, and financial support to create digitization stations and curriculum to build public knowledge and skills around the complex and paralyzing problems of personal digital archiving through their own Memory Lab programs."

So, yes, the program will involve a physical space and equipment, but it's also about developing training materials and conducting outreach to educate the public on caring for their digital assets.

This represents an exciting and innovative service for HPL and HMRC to offer to our customers. As an archive and special collections library, we have expertise in caring for materials. We already share that knowledge regularly when it comes to caring for physical materials. Yet, increasingly, people's important records and heirlooms are created in digital form. Adding care for those materials to our programming and services is a natural extension of our existing work. At the same time, it can be daunting (how many of us are great at managing our own digital files?). Fortunately, by partnering with a network, we won't have to go it alone, and can collaboratively create resources to build our program and share with our customers.

Check out DC Public Library's page for information about the original Memory Lab and how it operates, as well as the Memory Lab Network grant page to read more about the project coming to HPL.