The Technology Engagement Center (TEC) on Minerva Drive has added a new service just in time for ALA’s Preservation Week: a do-it-yourself digital Archiving Cart. The cart, funded by the Friends of Linebaugh Library, allows a patron to create digital copies of family or community history and thus easily share your story with others; all you need is your library card. It will be available to reserve via the website booking page.
The tools included in the cart are user-friendly and there is a step-by-step guide. It allows for the scanning of documents, photos and slides, and the duplication of VHS tapes to a more accessible and storage-friendly format. The dedicated laptop helps organize the new digital files which can then be saved to a thumbdrive, cloud storage, or burned to a DVD supplied by the patron. (Please do realize there is a risk dealing with family treasures and the Rutherford County Library System is not responsible for damage to personal items while using this equipment.) Staff will be available to assist with setting up equipment but this is a Do-It-Yourself project for saving digital copies of existing files.
Should you want to edit your new files, this can also be done at the TEC on another visit.
Preservation Week is celebrated annually by the American Library Association and occurs April 25th - May 1st this year. We plan to celebrate with the inauguration of this unique new service at the TEC. Please watch rclstn.org and our social media for more information.