NYPL Wants to Record Your Pandemic Stories
When the COVID-19 pandemic really began in the United States in March and April, we were still figuring things out. We were locked up. Everything was weird and scary (especially in New York and other parts of the east coast). We just needed toilet paper . When we moved to May, it became pretty clear (to most) that the pandemic was not going anywhere anytime soon. Now is August, and we understand that this is our reality for the foreseeable future .
As frustrating as the situation is (especially when people ignore public health measures to prevent the spread of the virus and save lives), we live in history. The survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic probably didn’t think their personal experiences would matter to anyone in a century, but look how often this pandemic is occurring now.
While things remain uncertain, and we don’t have a plan of action to tackle a public health crisis of this magnitude, it was useful and oddly comforting to read about how people coped with the pandemic just over 100 years ago, especially knowing that it happened. eventually back to normal (ish). And now, thanks to the New York Public Library (NYPL), we have the ability to record our own COVID stories for posterity. Here’s how to do it.
How to Record Pandemic Stories for the NYPL
The NYPL Pandemic Diaries is a new initiative that empowers people to send audio recordings of themselves and / or their loved ones telling their stories of life during a global pandemic. In the first phase of this project, the NYPL is accepting applications by November 18, 2020 and you must be at least 18 years old to contribute.
Not sure what to talk about? Here’s a tip from NYPL :
The pandemic has affected almost every aspect of our lives, and this project seeks as many unique stories as possible. We’re looking for reflections on families and parenting, educational and cultural institutions, business and work, key workers, life in quarantine, #BlackLivesMatter and racial justice protests, healthcare and hospitals, trauma and grief, recessions, mutual aid, arts and literature, public organizations, politics and more.
Interested? This NYPL page provides step-by-step instructions for recording and uploading your audio file. When the project is completed, the audio diaries will be archived in NYPL research libraries where they will be made available to future scholars, journalists, students and the public.
Still have questions? You can reach the people behind the project at pandemicdiaries@nypl.org .