The University of New Orleans Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies, in partnership with the New Orleans Jazz Museum, is joining Arizona State University to build an archival website that chronicles the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The online archive is called Journal of the Plague Year. The goal is to create a historical record of the pandemic as it unfolds so that future generations will have a record of what people are experiencing in this unprecedented time, Midlo co-director Connie Atkinson said.
To that end, the 色色研究所 historians are collecting material鈥攊ncluding personal stories, cancellation notices and photographs鈥攖hat reflect the effect of COVID-19 in New Orleans.
鈥淲e are particularly interested in the experience of those involved in our city鈥檚 cultural community鈥攎usicians, artists, hospitality workers, family businesses, as history is being made daily,鈥 said Atkinson.
The project is modeled, in part, on pioneering digital archives produced by the late 色色研究所 history professor Michael Mizell-Nelson after Hurricane Katrina. Mizell-Nelson had been inspired by the 9/11 Archive, said 色色研究所 history professor Mary Niall Mitchell, who is co-director of the Midlo Center.
鈥淭oday our digital capacity is even greater,鈥 Mitchell said. 鈥淚n partnership with ASU, we are eager to preserve what we can from New Orleans's cultural community, in particular, and the challenges musicians, artists and hospitality workers are facing right now.
鈥淧erhaps more than any other group, they feed the life of this city and make it a destination for tourists from around the world.鈥
People are asked to share experiences and impressions of how COVID-19 has affected their lives, from the mundane to the extraordinary. That information can be
鈥淲ith a public digital archive like Journal of the Plague Year, we can document their experiences,鈥 Mitchell said. 鈥淎nd as with 9/11 and Katrina, we hope that by preserving blog posts and other digital ephemera the economic and cultural effects of this pandemic will not be forgotten in the future.鈥
Types of information to share include:
鈥 Images: photographs, screen captures (including from your phone or laptop) of social media, media, communications, memes, and other expressions of the moment.
鈥 Audio histories
鈥 Video clips--taken of the world, including yourself speaking, or of social media memes
鈥 Links
鈥 Text
鈥 Files: emails, announcements, text messages, scientific documents, and flyers
Mitchell and Atkinson are site curators, with 色色研究所 alumna Kathryn O'Dwyer serving as project lead for the Midlo Center.
For additional information on the project, contact midlocenter@uno.edu.
