Delaware Community Preservation Lab

Every Delawarean has a history worth preserving. Yet personal, community, and organizational collections filled with photographs, letters, quilts, scrapbooks, posters, and other keepsakes are often at risk from humidity, common pests, poor storage, and the passage of time. The Delaware Community Preservation Lab (DCPL) helps safeguard these materials by offering on-site scanning, photography, and video recording services. Visitors can bring in a wide range of items, including photographs, 35mm film and slides, yearbooks, scrapbooks, leaflets and other historic papers and documents to be carefully scanned and converted into high-quality digital files. In addition to flat materials, DCPL staff can photograph three-dimensional objects and record short video interviews, giving participants the opportunity to share the stories behind their items and preserve those memories alongside the images. We've been bringing our technology and resources to sites around the First State, and this September, we'll be in Sussex County at the Lewes Senior Activity Center! Participants who schedule an appointment at one of our digitization booths will receive a USB drive with their newly digitized files, along with easy-to-follow preservation guides created by Delaware Historical Society collections care staff to help them continue their preservation efforts at home or in their churches and community organizations. Visitors can also stop by our Build-Your-Own Preservation Kit Station to customize a kit with archival-quality materials like acid-free tissue paper, folders, Mylar sleeves, and more, ensuring their items are well-protected for the long term. Free event, registration required. Register here. Questions? Check out the FAQ page.