Digital Memory Lab & History Room @ La Jolla/Riford Library
Digital Memory Lab & History Room @ La Jolla/Riford Library
Opening hours
- Monday
- 11:30 AM - 8 PM
- Tuesday
- 11:30 AM - 8 PM
- Wednesday
- 9:30 AM - 6 PM
- Thursday
- 9:30 AM - 6 PM
- Friday
- 9:30 AM - 6 PM
- Saturday
- 9:30 AM - 6 PM
- Sunday
- 1 PM - 5 PM
**No-shows may be barred from booking future appointments. Call (858) 552-1657 to cancel** For Memory Lab appointments, bring a flash/external hard drive (min. 16 GB of free space); SD card (min. 4GB/max. 32GB to save video); must be Mac-compatible.
Services
How much time will transferring audio take? For every 1 hour of audio, it will take 1.25 hours to digitize. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be encoded, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of audio in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of audio in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours of audio in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of audio = about 620 MB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your audio. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring audio take? For every 1 hour of audio, it will take 1.25 hours to digitize. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be encoded, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of audio in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of audio in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours of audio in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of audio = about 620 MB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your audio. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
**NOTE: We only have the ability to digitize the following DV tape sizes: standard DV and mini-DV. Other hand-held video camera recorder tapes, such as 8mm, do not apply.**
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
**NOTE: We only have the ability to digitize the following DV tape sizes: standard DV and mini-DV. Other hand-held video camera recorder tapes, such as 8mm, do not apply.**
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will scanning negatives take? It depends on the resolution you choose to scan them at. The higher the resolution, the longer it will take. For example, the standard resolution for 35mm film negatives will take about 40 minutes to scan 25 individual negative images.
How much storage space will I need? Any standard flash drive or external hard drive of 4GB or more. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will scanning negatives take? It depends on the resolution you choose to scan them at. The higher the resolution, the longer it will take. For example, the standard resolution for 35mm film negatives will take about 40 minutes to scan 25 individual negative images.
How much storage space will I need? Any standard flash drive or external hard drive of 4GB or more. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will scanning negatives take? It depends on the resolution you choose to scan them at. The higher the resolution, the longer it will take. For example, the standard resolution for 35mm film negatives will take about 40 minutes to scan 25 individual negative images.
How much storage space will I need? Any standard flash drive or external hard drive of 4GB or more. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will scanning photographs take? It depends on the resolution you choose to scan them at. The higher the resolution, the longer it will take.
How much storage space will I need? Any standard flash drive or external hard drive of 4GB or more. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will scanning photographs take? It depends on the resolution you choose to scan them at. The higher the resolution, the longer it will take.
How much storage space will I need? Any standard flash drive or external hard drive of 4GB or more. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will scanning photographs take? It depends on the resolution you choose to scan them at. The higher the resolution, the longer it will take.
How much storage space will I need? Any standard flash drive or external hard drive of 4GB or more. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will scanning slides take? It depends on the resolution you choose to scan them at. The higher the resolution, the longer it will take. For example, the standard resolution for 35mm slides will take about 40 minutes to scan 25 individual slides.
How much storage space will I need? Any standard flash drive or external hard drive of 4GB or more. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will scanning slides take? It depends on the resolution you choose to scan them at. The higher the resolution, the longer it will take. For example, the standard resolution for 35mm slides will take about 40 minutes to scan 25 individual slides.
How much storage space will I need? Any standard flash drive or external hard drive of 4GB or more. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will scanning slides take? It depends on the resolution you choose to scan them at. The higher the resolution, the longer it will take. For example, the standard resolution for 35mm slides will take about 40 minutes to scan 25 individual slides.
How much storage space will I need? Any standard flash drive or external hard drive of 4GB or more. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring audio take? For every 1 hour of audio, it will take 1.25 hours to digitize. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be encoded, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of audio in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of audio in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours of audio in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of audio = about 620 MB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your audio. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring audio take? For every 1 hour of audio, it will take 1.25 hours to digitize. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be encoded, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of audio in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of audio in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours of audio in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of audio = about 620 MB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your audio. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
Most standard floppy disks are 3.5".
The Wolverine scans two frames a second so it’s really slow. How much time transferring will take?
3 inch reel = 30 - 35 minutes of conversion time. You'll need at least one hour appointment.
5 inch reel = 3.5 - 4 hours of conversion time. You'll need a two-hour appointment.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
You will need to bring an SD card of at least 4 GB and not larger than 32 GB to save your video.
The scanner does not capture sound but most home movies were shot on silent film.
It scans the film at a rate of 2 frames a second so it takes about 10 minutes to scan 1 minute of film.
A 3-inch reel holds about 50-feet of film or about 3 minutes worth that will take about 30 to 35 minutes to scan.
A 5-inch reel holds 200 feet or about 20 to 30 minutes of film that will take about 3 ½ to 4 hours, so you will need at least two 2-hour appointments.
If your film reel is larger than 5 inches, you must bring your own take-up reel as well.
The scanner creates an HD 1080p MP4 video that plays at 20 frames per second.
Some older cameras shot at different frame rates, like 16 or 24. You can use free software like “Handbrake” to convert the frame rate if the video plays too fast or slow.
How much time will transferring audio take? For every 1 hour of audio, it will take 1.25 hours to digitize. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be encoded, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of audio in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of audio in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours of audio in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of audio = about 620 MB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your audio. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring audio take? For every 1 hour of audio, it will take 1.25 hours to digitize. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be encoded, described, and saved.
We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of audio in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of audio in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours of audio in a 3 hour lab session.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of audio = about 620 MB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your audio. External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
The Wolverine scans two frames a second so it’s really slow. How much time transferring will take?
3 inch reel = 30 - 35 minutes of conversion time. You'll need at least one hour appointment.
5 inch reel = 3.5 - 4 hours of conversion time. You'll need a two-hour appointment.
How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
You will need to bring an SD card of at least 4 GB and not larger than 32 GB to save your video.
The scanner does not capture sound but most home movies were shot on silent film.
It scans the film at a rate of 2 frames a second so it takes about 10 minutes to scan 1 minute of film.
A 3-inch reel holds about 50-feet of film or about 3 minutes worth that will take about 30 to 35 minutes to scan.
A 5-inch reel holds 200 feet or about 20 to 30 minutes of film that will take about 3 ½ to 4 hours, so you will need at least two 2-hour appointments.
If your film reel is larger than 5 inches, you must bring your own take-up reel as well.
The scanner creates an HD 1080p MP4 video that plays at 20 frames per second.
Some older cameras shot at different frame rates, like 16 or 24. You can use free software like “Handbrake” to convert the frame rate if the video plays too fast or slow.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved. We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session. How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
How much time will transferring video take? For every 1 hour of video, it will take 1.5x to digitize it. Capture happens in real time and then the file must be converted, described, and saved. We recommend digitizing no more than 30 minutes of video in a 1 hour session, no more than 1.5 hours of video in a 2 hour session, and no more than 2.5 hours in a 3 hour lab session. How much storage space will I need? 1 hour of video = about 4 GB, so bring the appropriate size flash drive or external hard drive to accommodate the length of your video(s). External hard drives need to be Mac-compatible.
Genealogy, also known as family history, is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history.
Genealogy, also known as family history, is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history.
Genealogy, also known as family history, is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history.
Reviews
- Eleanore Hewitt·
I had another excellent experience in the lab with Naomi. She has been extremely helpful with the equipment, and very pleasant to spend time with as the scanners tick away.
I am so grateful to the library and all the volunteers for providing this wonderful service. I just wish there were more volunteers to run it!! - Fritz Goeckner·
Excellent as always!
- Tamara Maren·
I add my gratitude to the comments of others -- the library staff was very helpful.
I have a lifetime of slides...and will be back! - Fritz Goeckner·
3rd time for me. Excellent and friendly as always.
- Christine·
An excellent opportunity to save your family photos forever. The assistants will help you not only scan and save but also use editing techniques such as color enhancements to correct the fading of old photos. The scanner is slow, so be patient.
- David Parry·
Abigail is fabulous! Mike, the tech, has put together a wonderful area to transfer tapes and the like. Also, it’s free, which is an amazing thing because most production facilities are charging a lot of money. It is truly an unbelievably great vibe to have a place at the Riford Library in La Jolla to transfer my old tapes.
Opening hours
- Monday
- 11:30 AM - 8 PM
- Tuesday
- 11:30 AM - 8 PM
- Wednesday
- 9:30 AM - 6 PM
- Thursday
- 9:30 AM - 6 PM
- Friday
- 9:30 AM - 6 PM
- Saturday
- 9:30 AM - 6 PM
- Sunday
- 1 PM - 5 PM