Memory Lab Expansion
Vaughan Public Libraries
Innovation Synopsis
At Vaughan Public Libraries, our mission is to "offer welcoming destinations that educate, excite, and empower our community." As such, digital literacy and lifelong learning initiatives are a mainstay of library activities. The Memory Lab at Woodbridge Library offers a prominent example. Using digital preservation equipment, free of charge with a library membership, patrons learn to digitize old photos, slides, videos, scrapbooks and cassettes. The service has been especially beneficial for older adults by providing opportunities to learn new technologies while preserving articles of their own past. With support from the Government of Canada's Seniors Community Grant, VPL was able to update some of the equipment, create accessible instructional material, and extend the benefits of the Memory Lab to two new locations in March 2023.
Challenge/Opportunity
The Memory Lab service exemplifies VPL’s commitment to “providing life-long learning opportunities that champion collaboration, literacies and innovation through comprehensive programming, dynamic services, multifaceted collections and strong citizen engagement." Members can access specialized equipment and individual training support while the library acts as a community hotspot reducing the digital divide. Bringing personal objects from home back to the present offers members a chance to connect with family and friends while increasing familiarity and confidence with technology. In conjunction with other initiatives geared to older adults, the Memory Lab supports creative exploration and compliments creation space equipment that may be used for more advanced photo and video editing projects.
Despite the benefits of the program and the substantial use it received, the Memory Lab was limited to customers who could travel to Woodbridge Library in the west area of the city.
Key Elements of Innovation
VPL expanded the Memory Lab in 2023, delivering increased ease and facilitation for visitors in two important ways. The primary change was to reduce transportation barriers by opening two new Memory Labs, one at Maple Library in the north and the other at Dufferin Clark Library in the east. Library staff promoted the new service using posters and outreach visits to nearby seniors’ residences in anticipation of its launch, as well as in-person orientation programs after the labs were opened.
Secondly, the new labs led to increased staff training and capacity to support digital preservation projects. Led by the Lifelong Learning Advocate, public service staff collaborated with the marketing department to produce high-quality, accessible instructional material. With the goal of empowering customers to complete larger scale projects independently, these quick guides became valuable training and reference tools for regular lab users.
Achieved Outcomes
The expanded Memory Labs hosted six orientation sessions from March 2023 to present, welcoming over 44 visitors. Lab users spend on average two-three hours per session, often returning for multiple visits to complete their projects. More than technical support, the process of reviewing these articles often inspires them to share warm memories with staff. Here are some examples:
- One customer worked to collect and preserve his parents wedding videos as part of an anniversary gift.
- Another customer announced she would be giving each of her adult children a thumb drive for Christmas. On the drives, they would have access to their childhood photos that she digitized and preserved uniquely for each of them.
- Another customer delighted in sharing the contents of her grandmother’s signature book, a delicate document with handwritten notes, drawings and well wishes dated to the 1880s in Ontario.
