Atkins Library Special Collections & University Archives is launching a campus-wide project to encourage UNC Charlotte students, staff, and faculty to document their personal experiences during the coronavirus outbreak and contribute them to the University Archives.
While the University’s official response to this unprecedented event will be recorded and preserved in the University Archives as a result of records management policies governed by state laws, there are no such provisions in place to ensure that personal experiences and reactions are included in the permanent archives. All members of the campus community are invited and encouraged to participate.
How to participate
The method of recording your thoughts during this time period is up to you! Some suggestions include writing in a journal, recording voice memos, saving your social media posts, taking photos and/or videos of life as you see it, or creating multimedia works of digital storytelling.
We are interested in your stories about the shift to remote instruction and learning, studying and working from home, working at off-campus jobs (in the service industry, grocery stores, etc.), the impact of closing residence halls and other campus services, the ways you and your friends and family are staying in touch during this period of social distancing and self-quarantine, and so on.
Please comply with county and state stay-at-home orders while self-documenting.
The submission process
- The University Archives can accept just about any format you create, but if you’re uncertain about something in particular and need technical assistance please reach out to Tyler.Cline@uncc.edu or Katie.Howell@uncc.edu. We can help!
- Please use this Google Form to submit your items. You will be able to sign an agreement allowing the University Archives to preserve your submission, and you will receive important information about the copyright and use of your content.
- If you interview other people in the course of your documentation, we will also need their permission so that we can preserve and share the recordings with future researchers. (Permissions can be revoked at any time upon request). Please have any friends, family members, or community members fill out the Google form if you wish to record with them. If we do not receive releases from all participants we cannot preserve the materials. But only one person will need to attach the files to the form -- co-creators can simply fill in their personal information along with a description of the materials.
- Submissions will not be available to the public immediately. After they are processed by University Archives staff, they will be available in our digital repository, Goldmine.
Support is available
We know that the pandemic has affected our community emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally, and financially. Staff and faculty can visit the Human Resources Employee Assistance Program for COVID-19 resources that may help to cope with the emotional and financial effects of the coronavirus outbreak. Students can visit UNC Charlotte’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for information on how they may seek counseling services at this time, as well as resources on how to manage COVID-19 related stress and anxiety.
-- Katie Howell