From           Sarah Greene, Director, State Library of Pennsylvania
Date             April 24, 2020
Re                 Pennsylvania Libraries COVID-19 Digital Archive

 

Pennsylvania Libraries COVID-19 Digital Archive

The State Library of Pennsylvania is committed to collecting and preserving Pennsylvania’s stories. That’s why it is collecting a record of library staff and user experiences during this historic time for inclusion into a permanent digital collection.

Would you like your story to be included? All stories are important. This record will illustrate how Pennsylvania libraries are amazingly adaptable, resourceful and creative, and will document daily life in library communities in the time of crisis.

Is your library already collecting this information? We can host it for you in our archive if you don’t have the ability to do that. Contact us at stlibpacovid@gmail.com for more information about this option.

How to Participate:

The State Library encourages all libraries to participate.

You can add as much or as little material as you choose that document your experiences during the pandemic. You may also include additional material like written journals, audio clips, screenshots of social media posts, and photos and/or videos of life as you see it. You can answer any questions that you wish.

Please use your Google account to respond to the questionnaire. If you cannot use this method to submit, please contact us as stlibpacovid@gmail.com for further instructions.

Submission Process:

• Use this Google Form to submit your items. Submitting the form will allow the State Library of Pennsylvania to preserve your submission and you will receive important information about the copyright and use of your content. You can choose to remain anonymous.
• Submissions will not be available to the public immediately. After they are processed by State Library staff, they will be available in a digital repository.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the State Library COVID-19 archive email at stlibpacovid@gmail.com.

For More Information and Support Resources:

Documenting the crisis is important. We don’t know how this story will end or what our story will be.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health offers an online FAQ with support resources listed: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Fact-Sheets.aspx.

You can also visit: https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/.

Please comply with all stay-at-home orders while self-documenting.