Preservation Stations keeping memorabilia safe

Protecting precious memories is easier than ever with new Preservation Stations at Moreton Bay Region libraries and museums.

The stations allow visitors to create archive-quality digital copies of photos, slides, negatives, and documents, as well as cassettes and videos.

Moreton Bay Regional Council’s Libraries and Museums teams joined forces to create the Preservation Stations and Mayor Peter Flannery says they’re a fun, free and simple way to keep personal memorabilia safe as older technology such as VHS and cassette players become harder to find, and even obsolete.

“With family gatherings, catching up with friends and colleagues and socialising in general still a bit of a challenge, it’s heartening to look back on great memories and fun times from the past, and look forward to more of them in the future,” Mayor Flannery says.

“If COVID has done one thing right, it’s making us appreciate all the little things in life and work out what’s really important.

“Who doesn’t love a throwback photo or home movie session for a bit of a laugh or a good cry?

“This is just one of the many free resources on offer at our libraries and museums that our community can make use of - and might not even know they needed.”

Preserving the past

Local History Leader Helen Cossins says visitors can also donate copies of their memorabilia to the local history collection, Moreton Bay - Our Story, which can be shared with the community and preserved for future generations and researchers.

“Moreton Bay - Our Story provides searchable, collaborative online access to Moreton Bay Regional Council’s Local History collection of digitised photographs, manuscripts, oral history interviews, land records, cattle brand directories and more from Moreton Bay Regions,” Helen says.

“It also provides information about the physical local and family history resources held in the Local History rooms at Caboolture, Redcliffe and Strathpine libraries.

“As well as easily browsing and searching the collection, by registering with Our Story, members of the public can share their memories of the region, help transcribe handwritten documents or share their own digitised photos, documents or films.

“The community can even help us improve our collection by suggesting edits or providing extra information about items on the site.”

Growing collection

Helen says the Our Story team continues to collect historical and current material related to events, places and developments in the region to ensure the area’s history is documented for researchers and future generations.

“Photographs, documents, films and newspapers from the past provide a valuable insight into the history of the region and are important resources for historical and genealogical research,” she explains.

“A photograph from the 1950s can help date a house today or shed light on a family secret.

“They help preserve our memories, share our stories and form an important part of our cultural legacy.”

Where to find a station

Preservation Stations can be found at Redcliffe Museum, Redcliffe Library, Bribie Island Seaside Museum and Caboolture Library, with another available at the Pine Rivers Heritage Museum.

They’re free to use for the first hour, with a charge of $1.50 per half hour after that for those needing a longer session.

All you need is somewhere to store your digital copies, like a USB, portable hard drive, or access to an email or Dropbox account.

Bookings are required and library membership is needed to access some services at libraries.

There may also be some limitations to making copies when it comes to licensing and intellectual property.

To find out more and for bookings click here.

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