By Sadie Hunter
In an effort to expand services to the community and upgrade its technology, employees at Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville say they’re excited to welcome residents to its new digital media lab.
Funded and donated by Friends of the Library, a group that provides services and resources to local library branches, Brad Howell, adult services team leader at the library, said the main purpose of the lab is to create projects with both old and new media.
“Opening this lab gives adults and students the capability to create original digital content or convert older media to digital formats with a wide variety of higher level software,” Howell said. “So, a user could do something simple like taking old home videos and converting them to digital files or something more advanced such as creating/editing a professional movie. For me personally, having the ability to take my marriage video on VHS and convert it so I could watch it on my iPhone was fantastic. Taking home videos from 8mm tapes to my iPad was a great experience for my oldest children to watch videos of themselves when they were younger. The obsolete formats that we have old videos or photos on need to be converted so they can be preserved for the future.”
The space, previously used as a study room, now is home to two iMac computers, packed with a variety of photo and video editing software, an Epson Perfection V850 photo scanner, VHS tape converter, external hard drives and headphones.
Those interested in using the lab don’t have to have a library card, but must show ID. Anyone sixth grade or older is allowed to use the lab for projects small and large, and younger users can use the lab if accompanied by an adult. Walk-ins are welcome if spaces have not been previously reserved.
For more, or to reserve space in the lab, visit help.lib.in.us/services/digital-media-lab.
