UMW Captures Coronavirus Pandemic Impact In Digital Archive

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – The University of Mary Washington is cataloguing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and are looking to the university community for help creating a record of what lives look like in the days of quarantine.

The UMW Libraries initiative, called "Call to Contribute," will collect and digitize COVID-19-related materials, including diaries, blogs, artwork and photography. Anyone who is affiliated with Mary Washington University is welcome to contribute.

The university has created an online guide to help generate ideas and suggest coronavirus-related contributions, such as recorded audio or video stories, journals, written narratives of unique moments, podcasts, works of art, textiles and photos of quarantine baked goods.

The university library has built a coronavirus collection that includes University posts, videos and webpages, as well as archival captures of the UMW COVID-19 FAQ and Updates page. The plan is to make the collection through its digital archives.

The "Call to Contribute" has no deadline, so people can contribute to the collection over time and give thought and perspective to their reactions to the pandemic.

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