Thank you for your interest in digitization services for photographs, slides, videos, films and audiotapes.
Rasmuson Library does not currently offer public digitization services. However, we have equipment to loan for current UAF students, staff, and faculty that they can use to digitize old media on their own. We can provide support limited to verbal instructions about the physical setup of equipment. To inquire, please contact Media Services at uaf-library-rasmedia@alaska.edu or 907-474-7072.
Here are some tips to assist you in preserving your media:
- Look for online services with good customer reviews. Search for terms like "film digitization services" or "slide scanning services." The nonprofit organization Association for Recorded Sound Collections publishes a directory of service providers for audiovisual preservation and restoration.
- Costs vary based on factors like format, length, and condition of your materials. Research different providers and get quotes. Consider sending a test batch before committing to a particular vendor.
- Digitizing yourself is an option but requires technical expertise and time commitment. Seek professional advice for deteriorating items.
- Unless they are in poor condition, keep your originals after digitizing them. In particular, original motion picture films, photos, negatives, slides and many types of audio recordings could last many more decades under proper storage, and may well outlive the digital files you create today.
- Handle original media with care. Store items in cool, dry, stable environments, away from sources of humidity, direct sunlight and extreme or widely fluctuating temperatures. Use archival-quality storage containers.
- Plan for storing and sharing your digital files. Backup files to multiple hard drives or cloud storage. Label files descriptively (e.g. DoeFamilyVideos2007). Create a spreadsheet containing details about each recording, including dates, names and locations.
If your audiovisual materials are related to Alaska, and you believe they may be of interest to current and future students and researchers, please contact the Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives at UAF-APR-reference-Service@alaska.edu or 907-474-2791 to be placed in contact with one of our curatorial staff. Items selected for inclusion into archival collections may be eligible for digitization at no charge to the donor.
