Mobile Memory Lab

How does it work?

Community members bring keepsakes such as photographs, negatives, letters, diaries, and 3-D artifacts to events called "Scanning Days.” Library staff digitize and process these keepsakes, to be featured in the Los Angeles Public Library's digital collections portal, Tessa, and the Digital Public Library of America where newly added materials connect with historic artifacts. The Mobile Memory Lab also conducts oral history interviews with LA residents, collecting information about their personal histories, families, and communities. Each participant receives a flash drive with archival-quality digital copies of their keepsakes and oral histories.

Why are we doing this?

The project seeks to empower residents from diverse backgrounds to document the myriad histories that together tell a more complete story of life in our city.

Mobile Memory Lab, Preserving Your Digital Memories

So be on the lookout; the Mobile Memory Lab may very well pop up at your branch library next!

The Mobile Memory Lab is funded by an IDEAS mini-grant from the Los Angeles Library Foundation.

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