Tell your most inspiring stories with
A four-week guided archiving course and learning community to complete a beginner-friendly legacy project of your own design on Permanent.org.
Sign up for October 6th
What to Expect From The Legacy Lab
What
This four-week course provides guidance on digital archiving through instructional videos, daily emails with short tasks, and peer support. Participants will work towards creating an archive of their own by the end of the course.
Who
Our knowledgeable staff have designed this program with you, our members, in mind. The Legacy Lab is beginner-friendly and offers a clear path to success for newcomers to digital archiving on Permanent. It is also appropriately paced and structured for more intermediate digital archivists who want to deepen their knowledge.
Why
Permanent’s mission is to preserve the digital legacies of all people, and we recognize not everyone has had the opportunity to do that on their own terms. Legacy Lab is a pay-what-you-can, donation-based program in order to keep it accessible to all people and give more folks the opportunity to tell their stories.When
The Legacy Lab is offered twice a year.
October 6, 2025
Accepting Applicants
March 2, 2026
Registration ClosedCourse Structure and Support
Detailed Video Lessons
Each week, you’ll receive a recorded lesson covering the week’s theme and demonstrating relevant features in the Permanent app.
Daily Emails & Tasks
We’ve broken up the digital archiving process into bite-sized chunks to keep your workload manageable.
Live Video Calls
We’ll meet weekly to share progress, answer questions, and provide additional resources to help you complete your project.
Peer Support Group
When you join the Legacy Lab, you have the option of joining a private Facebook group with former and current students.Weekly Topics
Week 1
Orientation to Permanent and Legacy Lab
Learn the basics of the Permanent web application and set yourself up for success.Week 2
Telling a Story and Curating Materials
Decide which story you’ll tell and gather all the supporting materials you’ll need.Week 3
Digitizing and Organizing
on Permanent
Week 4
Enhancing Your
New Archive
What Our Graduates Are Saying
"The research I did as part of the process for me was a great success and the most satisfying... I was able to create a better timeline of my grandmother's life and gain clarity into what her photos recorded and represented in her life."
Peter Bennett
"I am really grateful for having been able to participate in Legacy Lab, for the weekly calls, and for the great support team who guided us along the way! Thank you so much."
Rose-May Domond
"Learning the structure of Permanent.org was what I hoped for, and Legacy Lab delivered. I feel confident now in building my overall archive, and how to segment and share it."
Howard Burke
Explore Public Archives by Legacy Lab Graduates
Sign Up for Legacy Lab October 6, 2025
The Legacy Lab is a pay-what-you-can, donation-based program, making it accessible to everyone. Donations are optional and we warmly welcome all participants.Please note that when you donate at or above the Sponsor level, you are helping to cover the cost of someone who is unable to donate. Thank you for supporting our non-profit mission and values.
