Preservation Station

What you need to bring to your session:

• Storage device - USB or portable hard drive 8 GB minimum
• Photos, negatives or slides for scanning - no larger than A4 size

NOTE: It is difficult to estimate the amount of time needed to complete your scanning, as it will vary according to the quantity of images and the time needed to load slide and film holders. Please be aware you may not complete your project in one session.

• Connect your USB or portable hard drive to the PC (USB slot located on right side of monitor).
• Turn on power to the scanner and open lid.

• Place your photograph face down on the scanner screen, close to the top right hand corner, and then close the lid.

3. Scan your photographs

• Open Epson Scan software from the computer desktop icon.

• Choose the following options in the Settings window -
  • Mode: Professional mode 
  • Document Type: Reflective
  • Document Source: Document Table
  • Image Type: 48-bit color (select for black and white photos as well as colour)
  • Resolution: the higher the resolution the better the scan quality, however higher resolutions take longer to scan and have a larger file size. Pick a happy medium like 600 dpi. 
  • Image Format: TIFF

• Click File Save Settings (beside scan) and choose the following options - 

• Click OK on the File Save Settings window.
• On the original Settings window click Preview, then using your mouse in the preview pane, click and drag over the actual area you want to scan.
• Click Scan. The scanner will scan the image and save it to your selected folder. 
• Place the next photo on the scanner and click Preview to review the position and area to scan. Your other settings will remain the same. Check the file name before clicking Scan.

Finish up

• When you have finished scanning, close the program and turn off power to the scanner.
• Remove your USB flash drive.

1. Set up the equipment

• Connect your USB or portable hard drive to the PC (USB slot located on right side of monitor).
• Turn on power to the scanner and open lid.

• Remove the white document mat from inside the scanner lid by sliding the button left to unlock, then gently pushing up and sliding the mat out.

 

2. Set up your transparencies 

• Select the appropriate sized transparency holder for your item. The scanner will accommodate 35mm film strips, medium format film, 4x5 inch film, and 35mm slides. 
• Gently open the transparency holder and place your negative or slide within the guiding tabs, hold by the edges of the film to avoid damage to the image. For film formats, ensure the shiny side is facing up so that images and any wording are not backward. For slides, the shiny side should be facing down so images and any words are backwards, and the top of the image faces the open end of the slide holder.

• Close the transparency holder covers and press down until they click into place. Also press down all the edges of the covers to secure them. Ensure the images are not pinched or curled inside.

• Turn the transparency holder over (film formats only).

• Place the transparency holder down on the scanner screen, aligning the arrows on the holder with the arrows on the scanner to place it correctly.

• Close the scanner cover gently to keep the holder in place.

 

3. Scan your negatives or slides

• Open Epson Scan software from the computer desktop icon.

• Choose the following options in the Settings window -

  • Mode: Professional mode
  • Mode: Film (with Film Holder)
  • Document Type: Choose appropriate film type (colour negative, positive film for slides, or black and white) 
  • Image Type: 48-bit color (select this for black and white images as well as colour)
  • Resolution: the higher the resolution the better the scan quality, however higher resolutions take longer to scan and have a larger file size. Pick a happy medium like 2400 dpi. 

 

 

• Click Save Settings (beside Scan) and choose the following options:

  • Location - select Other, then Browse and select your USB folder
  • File Name - choose a prefix for your file name, eg. IMG, PHO (the images will scan as consecutive numbers after the prefix)
  • Type - TIFF

 

•    Click OK on the File Save Settings window.

•    On the original settings window click Preview.

•    In the thumbnail preview window that opens, review your images. 

•    To rotate an image or flip it horizontally (like a mirror image), click its thumbnail and then click the rotation or mirroring icon.

•    Ensure all slide check boxes are ticked, then click Scan. The scanner will scan the image and save it to your selected folder.

•   To scan more transparencies, refill the transparency holder and click Preview to review and ensure check boxes are selected for the desired images. Your other settings will remain the same. When ready click Scan.

4. Finish up

•   When you have finished, remove the transparency holder from the scanner and replace the document mat inside the scanner lid.

•   Close the program and turn off power to the scanner.

•   Remove your USB flash drive.

What you need to bring to your session:

• Storage device - USB 8 GB minimum (1 minute of audio = 1 MB of space). Note this equipment will not support an external hard drive
• Headphones - bring your own to listen to cassette playback
• Cassette tape for transfer

NOTE: Please allow enough time to complete the recording. Recording time will be the normal playback time of the tape, e.g. a 1 hour recording will take 1 hour to convert. Ensure you have enough time booked to complete the conversion.

Before you begin, check the condition of your tape - mouldy, crinkled or delicate tapes should be digitised by a professional service. Kiama Library takes no responsibility for any loss or damage arising from use of this equipment.

1. Connect the equipment

Attached to the cassette converter is a USB cable that splits into two cords. Plug the longer USB cord into the PC.

Connect your USB flash drive to the converter through the shorter cord.

Note: This equipment does not support external hard drives.

2. Prepare for recording

Insert your cassette tape and close the lid fully.

Plug in headphones to listen while recording.

Turn the volume up high - the output volume is the volume the recording will be saved at.

Keep the audio cassette converter upright while recording. Problems may occur if the device is lying flat.

3. Start recording

Press the Play button on top of the cassette converter, then press the Record button on the front of the device.

The green indicator light should start fast flashing. This means the converter is recording correctly.

4. Splitting the recording (optional)

If you want to split the recording into separate files, press the Down button to save a new file.

5. If something goes wrong

If the green light starts slow flashing, the converter has gone into playback mode.

Press the Record button to stop recording and press the Stop button to stop the cassette.

To resume, press Play and then Record again.

6. Recording the other side

When side one of the cassette ends, press the Record button to stop recording.

Open the converter and flip the cassette to side two.

Press Play and then Record to resume recording.

7. Finish up

When the cassette has finished playing, press the Record button to stop recording and the Stop button to stop the tape.

The MP3 files will be saved automatically onto your USB flash drive.

Rewind and eject your cassette if required and remove your USB flash drive.

Important reminders

• Do not unplug the USB flash drive or power source while recording.
• Files are saved automatically to a folder called TAPEMP3.
• If the indicator light does not flash during recording, please ask staff for assistance.

What you need to bring to your session:

• Storage device - USB or portable hard drive 8 GB minimum (1 hour of video = 1.2 GB of space)
• Headphones - bring your own to listen to VHS playback
• VHS tape for transfer

NOTE: Please allow enough time to complete the recording. Recording time will be the normal playback time of the tape, eg. a 1 hour recording will take 1 hour to convert. Ensure you have enough time to complete the conversion as the maximum session time is 3 hours.  

Before you begin, check the condition of your tape - mouldy, crinkled or delicate tapes should be digitised by a professional service. Kiama Library takes no responsibility for any loss or damage arising from use of this equipment.

**Important note**

• Please stay with your recording while it runs.

1. Insert your USB and start the Elgato Video Capture software

Open the Elgato Video Capture application on the desktop.

The Video Capture Assistant will start automatically.

2. Name your project

• Enter a name for your video (e.g., ‘My Great Movie’)
• Estimate the length of your recording
• Click ‘Continue’

3. Start playback

• Insert your tape into the player
• Press ‘Play’
• Your video should appear on screen

  Select the correct aspect ratio: (4:3 most older tapes OR 16:9 widescreen recordings)

4. Check audio

Confirm you can hear sound through the speakers.

Watch the audio meter:

• Green/Yellow = Good
• Red = Too loud

  Click ‘Continue’ when audio is working.

  

   

  5. Record your video

• Rewind to your desired starting point using VHS player
• Click RED button ‘Start Recording’
• Press ‘Play’ on VHS

When finished:

• Click ‘Stop Recording’, or
• Let it stop automatically

• Adjust the start and end points
• Click ‘Continue’ to save

7. Access your file

Your video will be saved automatically in the Videos folder. Press ‘Quit’ to close and exit Elgato Video Capture

Access your video via the Desktop File Manager.

8. To save your video to a USB drive:

• Locate your video file on your computer.

  Either:

  • Drag and drop the video onto the USB drive icon, or
  • Right-click the video and select ‘Copy’.

• Open the USB drive folder. Right-click anywhere inside the folder and select ‘Paste’.

• That’s it—your video will be copied to the USB.

Access the National and State Libraries Australia personal digital archive toolkit for tips on how to organise and safely store your new digital files https://www.nsla.org.au/resources/personal-digital-archive-toolkit/

Read about how to preserve your original physical collection from the National Film and Sound Archive https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/make-sure-your-collections-outlive-you

If you would like to donate to our local heritage collection to share with the community and preserve for future generations, please see library staff. 

You will be asked to fill out a donation form and copy the items you wish to donate to a library storage device, for uploading to our catalogue at a later time.