New life for old home videos

WASHINGTON — Give us your awkward, your hilarious, your sentimental.

D.C.’s Home Movie Day welcomes all sorts of family movies and videos that have long been relegated to a dusty shelf.

“We will have archivists inspect their films for them and give them preservation advice, and then we’ll screen it for them if they want,” says Jamie Mears, a national digital stewardship resident for the D.C. Public Library system.

The event is being held from noon until 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Southwest Branch of the D.C. Public Library. Film dropoff starts at 11 a.m.

“The fact that we have a chance for you to view it may remind you of how valuable it is, and then we’re hoping you’ll take steps to preserve it,” Mears says.

Home Movie Day is free to attend, and so is the consult with an archivist.

The event can accommodate the following formats:

  • FILM: 8 mm; Super 8; 16 mm
  • VIDEO: VHS; Hi-8; VHS-C; Mini-DV
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