ATHABASCA – Right now, it may not feel like the time for people to offer up their memories of of the COVID-19 pandemic, but for archivists Karen Langley and Jesse Carson at Athabasca University they are hoping people are willing to do just that.
Carson saw an email noting Brock University in Ontario was doing a memory project and came forward with the idea to AU. While no physical items are being collected everyone is encouraged to digitally submit photos, artwork, audio or video recordings, screenshots, memes and even social media posts.
The COVID-19 Memory Archive Project is an initiative from the Thomas A. Edge Archives and Special Collections at AU and the project isn’t just for AU students and faculty, they are encouraging everyone to submit.
“We're doing not just the AU community, but we're also doing the town and county of Athabasca,” Langley said. “The reason for that is to do some collaboration with the town archives so that we can make sure that we capture things that will be pertinent to their archives for researchers in the future. We have a little bit more resources here so it's been a little bit easier for us to put this together.”
Langley and Carson want to know how COVID-19 has impacted work and studies at AU, as well as how it has impacted family, friends, businesses, the community, and other areas of everyday life. All of it uploaded to their archives.
“The reason why we're not taking physical items is because a large number of our students are not from Alberta,” Langley noted. “So that any sort of artifacts that they might be generating would actually be better suited for an archival repository where they are.”
As an example, due to the pandemic, Carson has been working from home some days and he has noticed that his dog Steve follows the sunlight to lay in the warmth so he created a collage to share to the project.
The submissions are just one part of the project however. They also have a survey people can fill out asking when you first heard about the pandemic, what made it real for you, how you are dealing with it and more. It does take several minutes to fill out, so be sure to have some time set aside.
“We also have a survey that people can do so there's a little less technical requirements; there's nothing for them to upload,” Langley explained. “They just need to click on the link and then answer the questions.”
The project rolled out on May 11 and there have already been several surveys completed.
“So far, for the surveys that have come in, they're quite interesting. We have a range of ages and a range of AU and non-AU people,” Langley added. “Hopefully we’ll get a good mix of stuff.”
While there is no immediate rush to submit your item or items, the duo said they are planning to stop accepting submissions in a year.
“That's the timeframe that we're keeping in place thinking – hopefully this doesn't last a year – that will give us a good stretch of time to allow any straggling things to come in and any issues that may crop up after the bulk of things we’re going through is over,” Langley said. “We could possibly extend it if we are still getting lots of additions to it.”
You can upload your files at http://archives.athabascau.ca/covid-19-memory-project/index.php as well as find the link to fill out the COVID-19 Experience Survey. You can also email [email protected] if you have any questions.
“We're asking people to send us an email if there's any issues with any aspect of it. Then we can work with people individually to help get it resolved,” Carson explained. “So, whether it be someone has questions about the terms and conditions or they're not sure if they can upload a file or anything like that.”
Heather Stocking, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @HLSox
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