Area residents are being asked to dig into their attics and family scrapbooks for an event that will help preserve local history for generations. The Library will host a free Digitization Day, inviting the public to bring personal photographs, letters, family heirlooms, and other treasured items to be professionally digitized and added to the Illinois Digital Archive.
Digitization Day is part of an ongoing community preservation effort in partnership with the Mobile Memory Lab, a service of the Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS). A professional cataloger from IHLS will carefully scan or photograph both 2D and 3D objects—such as photos, maps, manuscripts, and even small artifacts—in high resolution. Each participant will work directly with the cataloger to record important background information about their items, ensuring that both the images and the stories behind them are preserved.
Participants will receive digital copies of their scanned materials. All original items will be safely returned after scanning.
The event is free and intended for adults. Residents are encouraged to bring a variety of items, including:
- Personal photographs
- Letters and postcards
- Manuscripts
- Maps
- Federal government documents
- Historical realia or heirlooms
Those planning to attend must register for a time slot to ensure individual attention for each collection. The Library invites anyone with meaningful objects or documents to take part—and to play a direct role in keeping their family and community stories alive for future generations.
