If you’re like most people, somewhere you have boxes full of old photos that you’d like to be able to scan and save for future reference, for relatives, or to be able to email or post on social media. Maybe you’d even like to be able to preserve those items so that you have an extra copy, should something happen to the originals.
Converting, organizing, and storing your analog and digital files is referred to as “Personal Digital Archiving”, and EVPL has a public space where you can scan photos and documents and convert analog music and video to digital files called the Preservation Studio.
The Preservation Studio at EVPL, located in the Indiana Room, is a self-service photo scanning and audio/video conversion studio that allows you to convert analog media such as photo prints, slides, negatives, paper documents, audio cassette tapes, video cassette tapes, 8mm and Super 8 film, DVDs, LPs to digital files that can be saved either to a flash drive or to cloud storage. To see a list of equipment contained in the Preservation Studio, click here.
You do not need a library card to use the Preservation Studio, but a few things are required in order to use it. To use the Studio, you must:
- Be capable of operating a computer, scanning, and/or conversion equipment independently.
- Complete a short series of training videos relating to EVPLs equipment (video orientation can be completed during your first appointment).
- Sign the EVPL Preservation Studio Use Agreement.
- Provide your own storage media (flash drive, CD/DVD-R) or have access to and knowledge of the use of a cloud storage account like Google Drive or Dropbox.
To be able to adequately address the need for social distancing, the Preservation Studio will be available for use by appointment only, and use is limited to one person (or two people working on the same project) at a time. Beginning the week of May 17, two-hour appointments to use the Preservation Studio can be made for Monday through Thursday via our website or by contacting the Reference Services department at EVPL Central 812.428.8218.
