Angelenos are invited to bring their family photographs, diaries, letters, and other keepsakes to be digitized and preserved at the Community Scanning Day on Saturday, February 23, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and to record personal stories of their neighborhood at the Oral History Day on Saturday, March 2, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Branch, 2211 W Jefferson Blvd. These programs are part of the library’s pop-up Mobile Memory Lab and are free and open to the public.
“For African American History Month we’re encouraging everyone to check their closets, basements and attics for correspondence, photos, and other artifacts of local families, businesses, block parties and community organizations that tell the story of the African-American experience in Los Angeles,” said Karla Valdez, Jefferson Branch senior librarian. “By bringing these important materials to the Community Scanning Day, we can digitize and preserve them for future generations. We also want long-term residents to preserve and share their experiences about living in the community by recording them at the Oral History Day. Everyone who participates will take home their original materials and digital copies, including a copy of their oral history.”
At the events, library staff will help patrons convert their negatives, slides, photos, and other paper-format items into digital formats that can be viewed on modern devices including smartphones, tablets, and computers. Equipment is also available to capture three-dimensional artifacts, such as instruments, artwork and textiles. Digitized materials will be added, with permission, to the Los Angeles Public Library’s digital collections and made available to the public through the library website: tessa.lapl.org
The Mobile Memory Lab is the latest initiative in the Los Angeles Public Library’s ongoing commitment to collect, preserve and make more broadly available the unique stories and local histories of L.A.’s diverse neighborhoods.
Space in these programs is limited; please RSVP by visiting the Jefferson Branch or calling (323) 734-8573.
The Mobile Memory Lab program is supported by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.
A recipient of the nation’s highest honor for library service—the National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest and most diverse urban population of any library in the nation. Its Central Library, 72 branch libraries, collection of more than 6 million books, state-of-the- art technology accessible at lapl.org, and more than 18,000 public programs a year provide everyone with free and easy access to information and the opportunity for life- long learning.
