The Library will be closed on Monday, October 14, 2024, in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The Library's catalog, e-media, databases, and cardholder accounts will be unavailable for several hours beginning Monday, October 14 at 6 a.m. for maintenance.

Memory Lab - Online Resources

Formatting Hard Drives FAT/exFat for Mac+PC (PDF)

An essential step before saving digitized files. This will enable your external hard drive to work seamlessly between Windows and iOS.

Identifying and Loading Media (PDF)

Can't tell the difference between DVCAM and miniDV? Use this guide to identify what type of media you're dealing with and how to handle it.

Library of Congress: Collections Care

Provides basic information and simple steps to take for the good care, handling, and storage of collections of various format types.


Library of Congress: Personal Archiving

Provides basic guidance to individuals about preserving personal and family memories in digital form.


Northeast Document Conservation Center

NEDCC is a trusted source of information on caring for collections, both physical and digital. The Center is a national leader in training on digital preservation and can offer advice on building sustainable digital collections.


AIC: Find a Conservator

Contact a professional for advice or conservation treatment.


Bulk Rename Utility

A free file renaming software for Windows. Add date/time stamps, replace numbers, insert text, convert case, add auto-numbers, process folders and sub-folders, and more!


ExifRenamer

Bulk file renaming software for Mac. Renames your digital images by the date they were taken. Allows you to add prefixes and suffixes.


LA as Subject Directory

Considering donating your personal collections to an institution in the greater Los Angeles region? Use this directory to find the appropriate institution according to collection specialty. LA as Subject is a research alliance dedicated to preserving and improving access to the archival material of Los Angeles history.


Center for Home Movies: Transfer Houses

Look here for a vendor to digitize your home movies. These transfer services have been vetted by the non-profit Center for Home Movies.


The Digital Beyond

Insight about your digital death and afterlife.


District of Columbia Public Library: Memory Lab Guide

The model on which LAPL's DIY Memory Lab is based. Contains handy links on how to set up your own digitization station, or start your own Memory Lab.


T.A.P.E. Collective

L.A.-based nonprofit supporting analog media by providing free or pay-what-you-can digitizing, education, hands-on training, equipment rentals, and volunteer opportunities. Contact them at info@tapeanalog.org.


Great Migration Home Movie Project

Provides free film and videotape transfers and various audio formats of African Americana materials through the National Museum of African American History and Culture.


Photo Metadata

In partnership with the Library of Congress, the Stock Artists Alliance created the Photo Metadata Project to promote industry wide use of standardized photo metadata in every digital file.


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