A group of volunteers, headed up by the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation, has initiated the Community Photo Project– Conejo through the Lens to preserve the pictorial development of the Conejo Valley for future generations,

“We are seeking family photographs depicting life in the Conejo Valley ranging from landscapes, to historical events, to school programs and family life,” said Toni Hagopian, project chair. “The photos, which will be scanned and returned to the owner, will become a permanent, visual record of our history.”

The photographs will be included in a Web-based archive that will provide easy, open Internet access to images and papers documenting the history, growth and culture of the area from its early settlement to the current day.

The project organizers are seeking family photographs of Conejo Valley subjects belonging to the donors or handed down by family members and photos by professional photographers submitting their own pictures. Copyrighted images may be submitted only if the donor owns the copyright and is willing to grant unlimited use of the image.

Photos will be collected through March 2011.

Organizations participating in the project are California Lutheran University, city of Thousand Oaks, city of Westlake Village, Conejo Recreation and Park District, Conejo Valley Historical Society, Grant Brimhall/ Thousand Oaks Library, Thousand Oaks Library Foundation and the Greater Conejo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Many of the sponsoring organizations will schedule scanning days to make the process more convenient to donors.

Photos can also be scanned by appointment at the Special Collections department of the Grant Brimhall/Thousand Oaks Library during regular office hours. To schedule an appointment, call (805) 449-2660, ext. 228.

Digital files that have been scanned to a 300 dpi tiff format may e-mailed to JBERARD @tolibrary.org.