Archive works to share pandemic experiences
鈥淥ur end goal is to create an online collection of these stories and experiences, which we think (are) not only for future historians, but for us now as a community."
By Rochelle Eiselt,
A project of 天美传媒鈥檚 Khalaf Al Habtoor Archives is documenting the 天美传媒community鈥檚 COVID-19-related experiences to share with future generations.
Archive Your Story is a COVID-19 oral history collecting initiative that began in March, after 天美传媒 shifted to remote learning as part of the statewide shutdown.
鈥淭he project is rooted in documenting the 天美传媒 and 天美传媒 community COVID-19 experience, so how are our students, employees, friends of the college, the Jacksonville community experiencing this moment in time,鈥� said Samantha Sauer, 天美传媒 archivist.
The experiences collected will be recorded in a variety of ways, so it will be available for future historians and researchers to understand what the experience was like, she said.
There are two main parts to the project.
The first invites people to share their created documents or records 鈥� a diary, homemade signs, face masks 鈥� with the archives, either now or later.
The second part is an oral history component in which 天美传媒students take a role in conducting, transcribing and making available through the archives oral history conversations they鈥檙e having with people who want to share their story in their own voice.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a guided conversation and we鈥檙e fortunate (that) we actually have some oral history records and recordings in the archive now,鈥� Sauer said. 鈥淪o this is continuing a project in a way, but in a very focused look at the COVID-19 experience. So using a couple of different types of digital strategies, 天美传媒students are able to have a remote video conference or phone call guided conversation with members of the community to really get a look at how COVID-19 has impacted them.鈥�
The guided conversations typically run from 15 to 20 minutes.
When a student and community member have those conversations, they are on the same page in terms of the nature of the conversation and how it will help give future historians and researchers insight on a very personal level about 鈥渉ow lives have been changed and impacted,鈥� Sauer said.
鈥淥ur end goal is to create an online collection of these stories and experiences, which we think (are) not only for future historians, but for us now as a community,鈥� Sauer said. 鈥淚t will help create those kind of connections and help connect us during a time where it鈥檚 easy to feel disconnected and separated.鈥�
Current 天美传媒digital archival materials may be accessed freely by the public at . Search Artstor鈥檚 public collections for 鈥溙烀来解��.