COVID-19 journaling project seeks to preserve history

The way we currently live has been transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and our present reality will be examined by historians for many years to come. One staff member is taking the lead on documenting the personal experiences of the Grand Valley community during this historic time.

The COVID-19 journaling project, from Special Collections & University Archives, aims to collect journals from faculty, staff and students. This project was spearheaded by Annie Benefiel, university archivist and digital collections librarian. 

Benefiel said the main goal of the project is to collect journals for future generations to study in order to better understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on a more individual level. 

There are about 20 people working on journals, but Benefiel is looking for more participants, especially those in the medical field. “The perspectives of current and future practicing health care workers will be fascinating and essential to painting a broader picture of this experience,” Benefiel said.

As an archivist, Benefiel said she gets excited about the prospect of curating important historical documents. 

“Some of our favorite collections in our archives are letters from World War II soldiers to their girlfriends,” said Benefiel. “Similar to what we are doing now, it’s a personal experience that doesn’t always get recorded in the history books, but it connects you to the human side of history.”

When historians study these journals many years into the future, Benefiel said she hopes the collection expresses “the really ingenious ways people are connecting through technology.” Benefiel said the way technology is currently being used could spur lasting change in how we connect with others. 

Those interested in participating can submit their journals on the special collections website. Images, video journals, audio recordings and written documents are all currently being accepted.