Connect your record player to your computer's audio-in jack. Most record players have composite outputs that are color coded red and yellow. You will need a cable that has these at one end and a 1/8-inch headphone-style plug at the other. Older record players do not have amplifiers built in to them, and must be connected to one, which you can then connect to your computer with the same sort of cable. Amplifiers, record players, and the necessary cables are all available at most stereo stores.
Download and install audio-editing software such as Audacity or Free Audio Editor. Both are free downloads that can capture and record audio input.
Double-click on your audio-editor program to open it.
Put a record into your record player. Press "Play."
Click "Record" in your audio editor. At the end of each song, stop the record and click "Stop." You can then click "File" and "Save." Choose "MP3" as the format and give your file a name. It is now digitized and ready to be opened in a music program or burned to CD.
Buy a record player with a built-in CD recorder, or a standalone CD recorder that you can connect to your record player. These are available from most stereo equipment stores. Older record players with forked "Phono" connectors will need to be attached to an amplifier before they can produce enough signal for the CD recorder to handle. Built-in models do not have this problem. If needed, connect your record player to the amp and the amp to the recorder using phono and composite cables.
Insert a blank CD into the recorder and place the record to digitize in the record player. Turn both on.
Press "Play" on the record player and "Record" on the recorder. Your record will be copied. A CD made this way will have one single track with all the songs on it and will not be able to skip from song to song.
Insert the CD into your computer's CD-ROM drive and open your music program. Click "Import CD" to make digital copies of the music on the CD.
Ask for a quote from a service that will record LPs onto CDs for you. In the U.K., companies such as Sweet Memories Vinyl Records in Portsmouth, Vinyl to Digital in Birmingham and Shaw Sounds in Harrow Wood, Essex all do this. Prices will vary with the size of your collection and any extra features, such as track breaks, that you wish to add.
Mail your record collection to your chosen service. You need to pay in advance by major credit card for the service and return postage.
Test the CDs that come in the mail to make sure all of them are recorded properly. You can then insert them into your computer's CD-ROM drive and use your music program to import them as MP3s by clicking "Import CD."