QUEENS — Forest Hills residents can now contribute their stories, photographs and memorabilia to a digital archive that wants to record and preserve contemporary history of the borough, all while celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year.
Next Saturday, on Feb. 6, the Queens Memory Project is coming to the Forest Hills branch of the Queens Library hoping to collect various materials related to the history of the Asian-American community in Queens.
"Bring your family photographs, and expect to learn something new about your neighborhood," the organizers wrote on their Facebook page.
Pictures, postcards, and other memorabilia will be scanned, recorded and digitized. They will also be saved to a thumb drive that residents will be able to take home.
The Queens Memory Project, which launched several years ago in collaboration with the Queens Library and Queens College, has been collecting stories from longtime residents whose families often lived in the borough for generations.
But the organizers have also been trying to get immigrant stories from the borough where residents come from more than 120 countries.
The event, co-hosted by the Forest Hills Asian Association, will also mark the upcoming Lunar New Year, the organizers said.
According to U.S. Census data, the Asian population in Community Board 6, which covers Forest Hills and Rego Park, has grown to more than 29,000 in 2010, making up about 25 percent of the population.
The free event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Forest Hills Library at 108-19 71st Ave., from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
