We are living in unusual times, and there's no doubt that this period will have a place in our global history. Future historians will want to know what our lives were like, and how our experiences were shaped by who we are as individuals, family members and community members.
In the spirit of documenting this moment, Penfield Library's Archives and Special Collections (at SUNY Oswego) invite you to keep a diary of what it's like to live during the COVID-19 epidemic. We are interested in hearing about the experiences of our students, faculty, and staff, as well as the experiences of other people living in central New York.
We would like to extend a special invitation to members of underrepresented populations. We recognize many underrepresented populations will experience the epidemic differently based on their memberships in these groups, and we think it's important that your voices are heard, now and in the future.
What do I need to do?
- Start recording your thoughts and feelings in whatever ways feel most appropriate to you. There are no constraints -- one day you might write a standard journal entry, the next you might record a vlog, and the next you might create a painting. Do whatever works for you at the time; we're most interested in authenticity and self-expression.
- Let us know you're interested in participating in this project by completing this Google form.
We'll send you more information about submission procedures after you complete the Google form.
A few other things to know:
- Donating a physical diary is not required for participation, but we will accept personal items related to your experience during this pandemic. Penfield Library’s Archives and Special Collections department will work with you if you make the decision to donate personal items to this collection. More information about donation will be provided at a later date.
- While we will immediately start collecting materials for this project, you decide who gets to see your creations. If you'd like to restrict access to your work for a certain amount of time, we can work with you. That said, our hope is to widely share this collection to help people understand daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic as quickly and safely as possible.
- Works submitted for this collection will not be available to the public right away.
Questions? Please contact covid19archive@oswego.edu.
Sincerely,
Zachary Vickery, College Archivist Librarian (zachary.vickery@oswego.edu)
Laura Harris, Distance abd Open Education Librarian (laura.harris@oswego.edu)