Dear colleagues,
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every aspect of life at our three universities since spring 2020. It has led to abrupt changes in our daily routines and innovations that have helped us adapt to those changes and even restored some sense of normalcy as we continue our mission to educate and provide opportunities.
The University Archives is conducting a project to document these past two-plus years and needs our help.
Our talented archivists are beginning to reach out to anyone who might be able to provide relevant documentation or who may be interested in participating in oral histories, both of which will provide the raw material to help us catalogue the history of this period of seismic change.
The University Archives is also interested in gathering information about COVID-19 research, with an understanding that some materials may not be appropriate for sharing with this project.
Once materials are gathered, the University Archives will work with the UIUC Library to ensure that content is preserved in the library’s digital preservation repository and made available through the standard access practices of the archives.
If you have questions or suggestions, I encourage you to contact Bethany Anderson or Joanne Kaczmarek (bgandrsn@illinois.edu and jkaczmar@illinois.edu). And I strongly encourage you to participate in this important work.
Thank you for your help,
Tim