FARMINGTON – When a group of librarians and archivists recognized the Covid-19 pandemic as something other than a chance to finally try out all of those homemade granola recipes, they saw an opportunity for documentation that could not be overlooked.
With funding from the CARES Act, they formed the Maine Community Archives Collaborative and have been meeting weekly to discuss the possibility of a preservation project that documents what life is like in Maine during the Covid-19 pandemic. Each librarian or archivist spearheaded a project involving submissions from their library patrons and community members. But the Collaborative was also interested in connecting the local projects into a larger initiative.
Kaja Roan of the Ogonquit Memorial Library chose to ask for submissions of visual art, as many artists live in her area. Candis Joyce of the Bangor Public Library asked for members of the public to send in postcards depicting parts of their lives during the pandemic. Greta Schroeder, director of the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft, has received audio clips and hosted virtual storytelling events to collect information from the public. The full list of librarians involved, as well as each of their projects, can be found on the Maine State Library Hub website.
The Collaborative is currently making a preservation plan to collect all of the submissions from the projects into one state archive. The aim is to create a statewide preservation project, but as of yet there is no direct representation in Franklin County. The Daily Bulldog will be hosting a call for submissions to contribute to this documentation project. Please send any unique or interesting experiences that have come about specifically because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Bulldog wants to hear about your homeschooling endeavors, working from home, reconstructing your living room for a weekly theater night, what traveling has been like, how you have adapted to maintain contact with your family, how your business has changed, or a particularly impactful encounter pertaining to the pandemic.
Send your stories, copies of any kind of visual art, audio clips, personal reflections, or any other form you wish to use to document your experience during the Covid-19 pandemic to thedailybulldog@gmail.com. If you choose to submit, include COVID STORY in the subject line and include your name and contact information in the body of the email. Attach all images, documents, or other files directly to the email.
The Bulldog will be collecting all of these submissions as a Franklin County pandemic archive. Those that submit have the opportunity to be featured as a highlighted story. In the event that your story is chosen, you will be contacted directly for more information.
