MAKING MEMORIES — A new Memory Lab is being offered to public use at the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County’s Main Library branch. Library Manager Jaime Romanyak tested the equipment during the holidays to ensure it was operational for the community’s use. The lab allows individuals to schedule an appointment to convert their VHS tapes, photographs or printed materials onto digital format. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — Jaime Romanyak, manager of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County’s Main Library, used the branch’s Memory Lab to convert family videos from a DVD to a USB.

The lab is open to the public, free of charge, for the purpose of preserving family videos, archiving old photographs, or creating digital copies of print materials, according to officials.

Residents are encouraged to “dig out those old family VHS tapes, photographs and printed programs of school events from storage that you have been saving and preserve them for generations to come using this digital format.”

The Memory Lab, which is located on the first level of the Main Library inside a small, private and quiet room, is an expansion of the library’s Makerspace, originating at the Schiappa Branch.

“The time it takes to convert a VHS tape to a USB Drive is equal to the amount of time as the tape,” Romanyak said.

“The library purchased an El Gato Video for the VHS device and a ScanSnap SV600 photo scanner for photographs, books or other print materials” she continued. “Digitizing photos and books can take 15 minutes or longer depending on the amount of photographs or materials you have.”

While the Memory Lab’s equipment was installed in December, it is now fully available for the public to use.

Romanyak tested the equipment this past holiday season.

“I had about six or seven VHS tapes of our family holidays from the ’90s,” she explained. “It was so easy to use. I just popped in the videos and pressed the button to put it on a USB drive. I gave each of my family members a copy of the tapes. They loved it.”

To schedule an appointment to use the equipment, visit the library in-person, call (740) 282-9782, or visit steubenvillelibrary.org.

Library staff will be available for guidance.