SARASOTA COUNTY - Thanks to a generous anonymous donation, Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources is set to expand its digital preservation efforts at the Sarasota County History Center and increase public access to its vast archival collections.

The anonymous $100,000 donation, made to the Library Foundation for Sarasota County, will fund the purchase of new equipment specifically designed to digitize maps, artwork and other large-format materials. According to Alisa Mitchell, Executive Director of the Library Foundation, “We are thrilled to be a partner in supporting the History Center’s efforts to make this technology more accessible to our local community.”

In addition to enhancing the History Center’s digitization capabilities, the donation will support the launch of a new public-facing resource: the “Memory Lab.” This do-it-yourself space will allow residents to digitize their family treasures, including photographs, home movies, audio recordings and documents stored on fragile or outdated formats.

The pilot Memory Lab opens at the History Center this week, with plans to introduce additional labs across Sarasota County Libraries in the future. Patrons can schedule appointments and receive staff-led training on how to use the equipment.

“Maximizing public access to our collections is our highest priority,” said Dr. Josh Goodman, manager of the History Center. “This generous gift will go far to help us achieve that goal.”

For more information, or to make an appointment to use the new Memory Lab equipment, visit SarasotaCountyLibraries.org or call 941-861-1110.