‘It just takes you back in time’: New ‘Memory Lab’ at Jacksonville Public Library digitizes old tape

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Public Library is transporting people back in time. They are offering a free way for people to digitize their old home videos, vinyl records, cassette tapes or films.

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It allowed Richard Marchionda to see his past through a different lens.

“It got bigger than I had even started out with,” Marchionda said. As a class of 1964 Terry Parker High School alumnus, Marchionda wanted to look back on some of his old football tapes. The tapes were recorded on 16 mm reels. “What I was going to do is have to take the film and send it off, have it recorded and done, and it was very expensive.”

The library has set up several stations to digitize items for free. It’s been coined the “Memory Lab.”

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“What we’re really excited about is, we might find some hidden gems,” Chris Boivin said. He is the marketing director for the library.

“We never really had the resources,” Boivin said. The library applied for a grant to cover the costs.

The Memory Lab is located on the fourth floor of the Main Library. You can reserve a station or schedule an appointment with staff (if you need help) by calling 904-255-6195. It’s open between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Visit jaxlibrary.org/memory for more information.