We ouline two strategies for storage and recovery of quantum light in an ensemble of atoms. This series of lectures has been devised as an elementary introduction. Hence discussion is essentially confined to a semi-classical picture. We first consider electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and stopped light. The roles of homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadening are examined. We propose both time- and frequency-domain descriptions. Then we discuss the total recall of a signal after capture by an absorbing material. Rephasing processes are briefly reviewed. We refer to various recent experimental works, especially those conducted in solid state media. The course is intended to be self contained and includes reminders on some quantum physics elements such as the density operator and the Bloch vector.