The Digitize It Yourself (D.I.Y.) Lab offers 1-on-1 appointments with a trained volunteer. The Lab is a place where you can transfer and store your analog memorabilia, such as photos, slides, audio and video cassettes, into a digital format for safekeeping and better sharing.
Supported Formats:
- Photographs
- Documents up to 8.5″ x 11″
- Negatives/Film ( 35mm, 4” x 5”, medium and 8” x 10”)
- 35 mm slides
- Audio cassette tapes
- VHS cassette tapes
- 8, Hi8 and Digital 8 video cassette tapes
Unsupported Formats:
- Betamax
- Reel to reel audio
- 8 and 16mm film
- Slides in any other format other than 35 mm
Supported Storage Devices:
- External hard drives – must be in ExFAT format
- USB drives
- DVD and CD
- Cloud storage software
You must supply your own storage device. We recommend a minimum of 2 GB for image files and a minimum 4-6 GB for audio and video files. You can also purchase a thumb drive at the library for $5.
Estimated Length of Digitization Time:
- Video and audio materials are captured in real time
- For every 1 minute of video, you will need to allow 1.5 minutes to digitize
- For every 1 minute of audio, you will need to allow 1.25 minutes to digitize
- 5 medium sized photographs scanned at 400 ppi will take about 10 minutes to digitize
- 25 slides scanned at 2400 ppi will take about 40 minutes to digitize
Documents to Review before Arriving at the Lab:
- Participant Release Form
- You will sign this form upon arriving at the Lab
- Computer Use Policy
Before making your appointment, please review our late/cancelation/no-show policy.
Our volunteers donate their personal time to this work, therefore
- please arrive for your lab appointment on time or notify the library at least 24 hours in advance of your appointment if you cannot keep it.
- if you arrive 20 minutes or more after your scheduled time, To respect our volunteer’s time, we’ll need to cancel the appointment. Please call the library if you are running late or need to cancel.
To make an appointment, please click here. We have appointments Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
If you’re interested in volunteering in our lab or would like more information about the lab, please email localhistory@einetwork.net or call Local History Librarian, Cameron Smith, at 412-828-9520 x5026.
