Wilmington lab digitizes home heirlooms

Household insects, flooding, and humidity threaten millions of personal artifacts across the state. The Delaware Historical Society is working to protect these items before they are lost to decay.

The organization recently launched the Delaware Community Preservation Lab. The program aims to teach residents how to digitize their own family history. Karlyn Allenbrand, the community digital preservation coordinator, notes that many people hold valuable items in their homes. These objects include photographs, maps, and certificates.

Allenbrand explains that these items face daily risks. Coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to humidity and pests. Without digital backups, many of these records disappear. The lab was created to share professional archival skills with the public.

"History and the things that come in museums and archives actually really starts at home," Allenbrand says. "And so we decided to create a program where we could share some of the skills that we do here every day with the community."

The lab handles both flat documents and three dimensional objects. Staff use digital photography to capture images of larger items such as quilts. Corinne Freeth, an archivist at the historical society, says the program also focuses on education. She wants to help residents find cost effective ways to preserve their collections at home.

"A big part of this project is getting people talking about how do we preserve our objects? Is there a cost effective way of doing that?" Freeth says. "And so we really want to jumpstart those conversations."

Leigh Rifenburg, the director of collections and access, emphasizes the value of individual items. While a single object may seem minor, it contributes to the larger historical record. Rifenburg says these personal moments are meaningful to their owners. The historical society will host its next preservation lab event at the Delaware History Museum on November 7 from 1 to 4 p.m.