The Johnson County Genealogical Society’s Memory Lab at Central Resource Library has truly enjoyed a memorable, remarkable first year of operation. Hundreds of patrons flocked to the lab, which allows people to digitize old family photos, home movies and other mementos for future generations.
“The demand totally overwhelmed us. We had no idea,” said Darlene Jerome, a Memory Lab coordinator and past president of the Johnson County Genealogical Society. “What’s been most gratifying is serving the need in Johnson County. They don’t have to send their memories off and hope they get them back.”
As a special 50th anniversary project, the Genealogical Society, in partnership with Johnson County Library, launched the Memory Lab in April 2023. It provides free access to scanners and other equipment for people to digitize, preserve, and organize old photos, slides, VHS and 8 mm movies and treasured documents onto flash drives to easily share with others. The Johnson County Memory Lab is a rare service; the only one nearby is at the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence.
The equipment purchases were funded through a grant in partnership with the Johnson County Library Foundation. The Library provides the space, in a meeting room at Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th St. in Overland Park. The Society organizes the volunteers to staff the service, which is available Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays. Appointments can be made through the Genealogical Society's website.
From the very beginning, they were flooded with people wanting to visit. All available slots were filled every two months. Now, as demand has eased slightly, appointments are made 30 days in advance and people watch closely for cancellations.
In its first nine months, through December 2023, the Memory Lab served 480 patrons over a total of 1,148 hours. Patrons scanned 278,557 documents over that time, plus 272 movie reels. In the first three months of 2024, the Memory Lab assisted 202 patrons in scanning 101,127 files and 92 movie reels.
“I have digitized slides and photos, and it’s awesome,” said Susan Wagner, a Genealogical Society member who was delighted to use the equipment. “It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for some time and just didn’t have the capability. The fact that they provided this free of charge is just great.”
Wagner estimates she scanned 1,000 slides, plus many pictures, over numerous visits. The slides were mostly taken by her father, who died when she was 15, so these are a cherished connection to him.
Wagner’s sisters were 18 and 13 when she was born. Many of the slides revealed family life before she arrived. Through the slides, she learned for the first time that her paternal grandmother crocheted, a craft Wagner also enjoys.
She also scanned old photos, some dating back to the late 1800s. Wagner appreciated how the scanner not only digitizes photos but also edits and enhances them. Wagner also likes to write, and she said these mementos have provided added inspiration for her stories.
Many patrons have been able to preserve and enhance wedding photos, baby pictures, scrapbook pages or other historical documents that over time could fade or deteriorate. Digitizing documents to the cloud also protects them against the risk of fire or other damage. Some people have been thrilled to watch old home movies at the lab when they lacked that equipment at home.
Incoming Library Board Chair Kelly Kilgore was able to digitize some of her family's home videos from the 1980s and 1990s on a recent visit to the Memory Lab. Kilgore visited the Lab in preparation for a weekend visit from her parents, digitizing one video of a trip her parents took in the 80s and another of her maternal grandmother's celebration of life to share with them on their visit.
Jerome said this Memory Lab collaboration between the Genealogical Society and Johnson County Library has been really successful, and they are looking forward to another great year. Wagner agreed. She already loves visiting Johnson County Library branches and said Central is an ideal location for the Memory Lab.
“I think it was a very smart move on both parts,” she said, “to team up and make it available.”
More information about the equipment and its capabilities, available session types, and an orientation video are all available at JCGS »