JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Families in the path of Hurricane Isaias are bracing for what the storm will bring.
While the First Alert Weather Team said we won’t see many direct impacts in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia, it’s still a reminder to stay prepared.
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That includes making sure your important documents and keepsakes are safe.
Action News Jax’s Tenikka Hughes shows you how the Jacksonville Public Library can help you do that for free.
On the fourth floor of the Main Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library, you’ll find the Memory Lab.
Opened in 2022, it’s a place where you can convert old photos, slides, VHS tapes, vinyl records, reels, documents, and more into digital format.
“Whatever you like. You can either bring in your hard drive, USB drives, we can even help you put it on your cloud,” Special Collections Librarian Tatyanna Brash said.
It’s all free with your library card and available during regular hours.
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Brash said the Memory Lab is self-serve, but staff is there to help.
Some of the film and reel-to-reel audio equipment requires an appointment to use.
“So I just got a quick tutorial from Tatyanna and I’m ready to go,” Hughes said. “I am going to digitize this photo of me from college. This picture is 23 years old, so I’m gonna scan it now, click on fast photo, pop the photo on the scanner, and start scanning. And now we wait.”
Later, Hughes showed the results.
“The original and the retouch. And it only took a few seconds,” she said.
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It is a simple process that could help you save precious memories or sensitive documents, especially during storm season or in the event of an emergency.
“I think it’s very important, even not only just photos and old film that you have, even your vital records. Bring them in, come get them digitized,” Brash said. “We’re not saying get rid of your original files, but at least have something backed up in two areas. Keep one on a flash drive, keep one on a hard drive, then keep your physicals. Always remember high and dry.”
Brash said the Memory Lab has even helped to preserve historic records from the basement of City Hall.
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“We found some mold on some of the documents. But luckily they’re already digitized and scanned, but unfortunately it’s a hazard to keep in the building,” she said. “So yeah, we have all of those digitized and preserved for all the researchers to come in and use.”
Digital records, saving moments in time and providing peace of mind.
Again, you do need a library card to use the Memory Lab.
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Duval County residents can sign up for one online or in person with an ID.
Guest passes and non-resident cards are available for a fee.
You can find more information on the Jacksonville Public Library Memory Lab website.
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