“To have a sense of history one must consider
oneself
a piece of history.” ~ Alfred Kazin
As our community navigates through these unprecedented times, we are presented with an opportunity to create our own narrative of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic. It is a chance for us to tell our stories as we experience them, and it is a chance for us to become a chapter in the novel that is being written across the world. Our stories today will help paint a vivid picture of what life was like in the small, rural town of Douglas during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
The Simon Fairfield Public Library is asking the residents of Douglas to join us in creating the Coronavirus Memory Project. We want to know what your story is during this pandemic. We are asking you to share your memories and experiences - some will be happy, some will be sad, some will be boring. It doesn’t matter what kind of story it may be, the point is they are your memories and experiences, and they will be preserved for future generations.
What exactly is it that we want from you? We want whatever you are willing to provide us with. Your memories can take many different forms, it is about what you want to say. Some people will be more comfortable writing about their experiences, while others prefer to draw their experiences, or even write a song. There are some who might be comfortable doing video or voice recordings. There are even going to be people who decide to record daily activities - menus, to-do lists, projects, etc. And don’t forget about the kids. How do they see the pandemic? What do they have to say? Let’s give them a voice. The manner in which you record your experience isn’t as important as the preservation of your memories, whether they be happy, sad, or boring.
Let’s make our experiences of this unknown world be a chapter in the history books instead of just a footnote.
So if you decide that you would like to participate in the Coronavirus Memory Project, please send an email to
douglas.archivist@gmail.com
. Any requests to remain anonymous will be honored. If you are unsure of how to start recording your memories, here is a list of questions that might help.
- How old are you?
- Who are you living with during the quarantine? And yes, that includes your pets.
- Is your living space small or large? Or was it large and now it feels small?
- What is your employment situation? Are you working from home? How is it different? What are the pros/cons? Who or what is your biggest distraction?
- If you are one of those still working, how are you holding up? What are you doing?
- If you have lost your job, how are you coping?
- What is your school situation? Are you having to complete the school year remotely? How is it different from being in the classroom?
- Are you homeschooling your children? How is that going?
- How are your pets handling you being home all day?
- What projects have you never had time for that you can now complete?
- What tv shows/movies have you been watching?
- What books have you read?
- What video games have you played?
- Have you picked up any new hobbies/skills during the quarantine?
- What does your stock-pile look like? How many rolls of toilet paper did you really buy?
- What did you think you would miss, but don’t?
- What did you think you wouldn’t miss, but do?
- What activity do you miss the most?
- How are you keeping in touch with family and friends?
- Are there any events/vacations that you had to cancel/postpone due to the pandemic?
- Are you a sports fanatic? How desperately are you missing sports?
- Are you watching/reading the news? Which outlets are you using?
- How has this affected your faith and/or spirituality?
- Do essential and non-essential mean the same thing to you as they did a month ago?
-Rebecca Doyon-Lavallee
Archivist & Historian
