Digital Conversion Station

Our Digital Conversion Station gives patrons the opportunity to convert some forms of older media into digital formats.

You can digitize the following formats and save them onto a CD/DVD or save them to a flash drive.

  • Audio Cassette Tapes
  • VHS Tapes
  • Photo Negatives: 155, 127, 126 & 110
  • Slides: 135mm, 127mm, 126mm & 110mm
  • Vinyl Records: 33s, 45s & 78s
Watch Dan introduce the new Digital Conversion Station.

GENERAL RULES     

All users must comply with Title 17 US Code of Regulations regarding the copyrighting of materials. We do not allow copying of VHS tapes that contain copyrighted material, such as movies or television shows.
There is no explicit allowance or prohibition for the duplication of cassette tapes and vinyl records for personal use in the law. We will allow the digitization of cassettes and records, as long as the original is retained, and the copy is only for personal use.

The Library reserves the right to terminate the session of anyone who may be infringing on copyright law.

Children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

At least one user must remain at the work station during the conversion process.

Digitizing video and audio happens in REAL-TIME and at a ONE-TO-ONE RATE: every minute played is a minute recorded.

AVAILABILITY     

You can make one reservation per day, for a total of three (3) hours. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations will take precedence. Sessions include any digitization, post-production, and wrap-up time. If you are working on a large project and need more than three hours, please see a staff member. If there is no one waiting and time will allow, we can potentially extend your time.

The station may only be booked for the times listed below. The end time represents the last time in which a reservation will be made available.

MONDAY – THURSDAY: 11:00AM – 5:00PM

FRIDAY – SATURDAY: 11:00AM – 2:00PM

You may book the station by calling the library at 708-672-8017 and asking for the Information Desk.

ASSISTANCE     

This is a self-serve workstation. Basic computer skills are required. We will provide you with how-to guides to assist you. Library staff may be able to provide minimal assistance in using the devices but cannot sit throughout an entire session.

A one-on-one tutorial can be scheduled before use of the station by calling the Library’s Information Desk at 708-672-8017. This tutorial session is not designed to start work on your digitization but instead to introduce you to the devices and give you an overview of the process.