Innovation Roadmap: Digitizing Memory, Connecting Community, A Mobile Memory Lab Strategy for Rural and Suburban Libraries

What is the idea?

The Memory Lab is a digitization and storytelling initiative designed to support rural and suburban public library users, particularly older adults and those invested in local or family history, by offering tools and guidance to preserve their analog memories in digital form. This includes converting VHS tapes, photographs, slides, and audio cassettes into digital files that can be stored, shared, and archived. At its heart, the Memory Lab is not just a preservation station but a participatory platform for community storytelling. Drawing on the principles outlined in @michael‘s “Taming Technolust”, our Memory Lab is not about chasing the latest tools but about responding to genuine user needs. The lab will include a physical installation at one branch, as well as a mobile component that travels to other branches and outreach sites.

The goals are threefold: (1) empower users to preserve family and local history materials, (2) build a shared local archive that reflects the lived experience of the region’s residents, and (3) create intergenerational learning opportunities through workshops and public programs. In serving older adults and local history enthusiasts, this project not only safeguards cultural memory but invites the broader community to explore it, reflect on it, and contribute to it. By participating directly in digital preservation, the program also helps patrons to develop their own digital skills and confidence and reduce their “technostress”.

Mission & Institutional Context

This innovation aligns closely with the mission of public libraries as outlined in the IFLA Public Library Service Guidelines which emphasize libraries as centers for community engagement, cultural development, and lifelong learning and our principles for the Hyperlinked Library we are developing in this class. This program was intended for my local library system, which serves a geographically dispersed and demographically diverse population that includes rural townships, suburban neighborhoods, and aging communities. A growing interest in genealogy and personal archiving coupled with the fragility of older audiovisual media makes this the right time for this kind of service. 

Currently, our branches offer limited support for digital memory preservation, and many residents lack the technical knowledge or equipment to preserve family legacies on their own. A Memory Lab offers a timely intervention that marries access to technology with community-building and storytelling.

Action Brief Statement

Convince older adults and community historians that by using the Memory Lab to digitize and share personal or family collections, they will preserve their legacies and contribute to a community memory bank, which will create a richer, more representative local history archive, because the public library is a steward of community knowledge, memory, and learning across generations.

Staff-Focused Action Brief Statement

Convince library staff that by supporting the Memory Lab through outreach, training, and community engagement, they will empower patrons to preserve and share unique local histories, which will deepen the library’s relevance in the community, because the library’s mission includes equitable access, participatory services, and cultural preservation.

Where Did You Find Inspiration?

The DC Public Library’s Memory Lab program was the first and biggest inspiration for this program, and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences has expanded the Memory Lab Network to fund a total of 16 library partners.

 

• DC Public Library Memory Lab Network: https://www.dclibrary.org/labs/memorylab 
• Memory Lab Network (Urban Libraries Council): https://www.urbanlibraries.org/initiatives/memory-lab-network
• Los Angeles Public Library Memory Lab: https://www.lapl.org/memorylab 
• Tacoma Public Library Memory Lab: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/blogs/post/preserve-your-memories-at-the-tacoma-public-librarys-memory-labs/ 
• Mellon Foundation Article “At the Library, in the Lab, Saving History” https://www.mellon.org/article/at-the-library-in-the-lab-saving-history 

Guidelines & Policies

• Develop a clear usage policy outlining which materials are eligible for digitization (e.g., non-commercial, personal content). 
• Include a user agreement form that covers copyright, file retention, and privacy. 
• Ensure that no copies of patron material are stored by the library without explicit consent. 
• Partner with the local historical society to explore collaborative archiving options for those who want to donate digital copies. 
• Address ADA accessibility by ensuring devices and training are inclusive of mobility, vision, and hearing needs. 
• Set up a booking system for both the stationary and mobile labs, ensuring equitable access. 

Timeline for Implementation

• Phase 1 (Months 1–3): Research and planning; select pilot site; purchase equipment; consult community and staff stakeholders.
  Phase 2 (Months 4–6): Design lab space and mobile cart; train core staff; create usage guidelines and documentation.
  Phase 3 (Months 7–9): Soft launch; host public orientation workshops; gather early feedback.
  Phase 4 (Months 10–12): Full launch at pilot site and mobile circuit; evaluate usage and community impact; adjust policies as needed.

Marketing & Promotion

• Highlight personal stories from early users as part of a campaign: “What’s Your Legacy?” 
• Partner with local media (newspapers, radio, social media) to showcase community stories. 
• Use in-library digital signage to feature digitized photo montages or “memory of the week.” 
• Design flyers targeted to senior centers, community history clubs, and genealogical societies. 

Staff Training & Readiness

• Select a team of “Memory Mentors” from current staff who will receive enhanced training.

• Train staff on digitization hardware, copyright basics, and community storytelling facilitation.

• Create video walkthroughs, printable how-to guides, and troubleshooting documents for staff, drawing from resources provided by the Memory Lab Network.

• “Create a physical and virtual sandbox for staff to play with the technologies and tools that figure into [the] plan.” (Stephens, 2012)

• Hold quarterly staff discussion groups to share patron stories and improve workflows.

Evaluation & Future Expansion

• Metrics: number of users served, hours booked, digitized items, and mobile lab circulation stops. 
• Collect testimonials and impact stories from patrons and staff to humanize the data. 
• Use surveys and informal interviews to gauge ease of use, satisfaction, and barriers. 
• Expand to include oral history recording kits or “digitization-to-archive” partnerships. 
• Seek grants or partnerships to scale the program regionally.

Reference

Stephens, M. (2012). Taming Technolust: Ten Steps for Planning in a 2.0 World. Reference and User Services Quarterly.