Support the Media Preservation Lab and the Center for Preservation of Audiovisual Heritage!

Please support the purchase and repair of vintage equipment for the UCLA Department of Information Studies (IS) Media Preservation Lab and the Center for the Preservation of Audiovisual Heritage (CPAH)! Your help enables us to sustainably train students to preserve priceless Angeleno histories and culture. In collaboration with CPAH, the Lab supports local cultural heritage organizations in preserving their irreplaceable memories that are at risk of being permanently lost due to their deteriorating formats and format obsolescence. Funding this project will help us save significant stories and histories of our partner organizations across Angeleno communities, including La Historia Society Museum, among many others.

Since 2022, the Center for the Preservation of Audiovisual Heritage (CPAH) has operated out of the IS Media Preservation Lab and provides experiential learning opportunities for students in the department’s Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program. Students now have the unique opportunity to partner with local community organizations through completing hands-on digitization projects utilizing the lab’s film scanners, video digitization decks, audio digitization equipment, and software. Your generosity will ensure the continuation of hands-on student learning and preservation of priceless cultural heritage material documenting the vibrant communities of Los Angeles. 

For their independent study project last year, MLIS students digitized several hours of VHS Footage from La Historia Society Museum, which is dedicated to preserving the lives and stories of Mexican Americans residents of El Monte and El Monte South. Some of the footage digitized included town hall meetings during which members of these communities discussed aspects of their lives and priorities, such as community wellness, education, family, autonomy, and self-determination. In doing so, the students were able to help the organization to save their precious memories and cultural histories.

Your support will enable us to make much needed purchases and repairs to our equipment, such as a new film scanner and cassette decks used for digitization of at-risk media, and restoration software. The IS Media Preservation Lab has been an invaluable addition to the Department of Information Studies, since its establishment in 2022. Through the Lab, students gain invaluable professional community-building experiences while gaining proficiency in specialized media formats, equipment, and software.  

Thank you for partnering with us to preserve local community-held media collections and for providing our students with the educational experience to preserve memories that are at risk of being lost forever. 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE UCLA FOUNDATION'S DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS FOR DONORS

Should this fund reach the campus minimum required for the establishment of an endowment or quasi-endowment, The UCLA Foundation reserves the right to convert this fund to an endowment or quasi-endowment. Please click here to learn more about how the UCLA Foundation invests and manages its endowments.