From the Schenectady County Historical Society website. 

We are all making history right now, as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s an emergency of historic proportions, and has been compared to the Black Plague, or the 1918 Spanish Flu. Like those past crises, COVID-19 will be a major topic of study for future historians. Years from now, Schenectadians will look back and wonder, “how did the COVID-19 pandemic affect Schenectady County? How did our ancestors respond to the crisis?” “What was life like for people quarantined, for months?”

You can help future researchers understand for themselves what life right now is like. You can help future historians understand the pandemic’s immense impact on our community, and on ourselves, and on our way of life. You can help future historians understand how this international emergency changed your life, and changed our world, forever.

Consider recording your unique perspective for inclusion in the SCHS archives. Diaries, scrapbooks, photo albums, letters, songs, poems, short stories, and other works of art are all important sources for future historians. Be creative: there are infinite ways you can express yourself, and document the impact of COVID-19 on you, your loved ones, and your neighbors. Read more...

From the Onondaga Historical Association.

Does history repeat itself? As I re-read the cover story of our Spring/Summer 2018 issue of History Highlights magazine titled, “The Great Pandemic of 1918”, I can’t help but think that it does. Thanks to those who documented and preserved that history, we learned from past experience.  That record allows us to  compare the extent and consequences of two pandemics separated by over a hundred years.   

The Spanish Flu pandemic killed more than 900 people in Syracuse from 1918-1920.  The way the world mobilizes to limit the spread of COVID-19 has much to do with what we learned from that crisis.

We continue to fight this new pandemic together by staying apart, and we know from our history that it will eventually end.  How much we learn over the long term depends on how much future generations pay attention to the historical record. 

OHA has preserved our history for nearly 160 years to educate the public in order to craft a better future.  Prior experience teaches us that we can accomplish anything if we work together.  OHA is documenting that effort by collecting newspaper and magazine articles, recordings of the daily briefings from our Mayor and County Executive, and Governor, and the stories that define the impact of the pandemic on daily life. Read more...

From the Dutchess County Historian Office website.

We are living in unprecedented times, the events of which will have a lasting impact on our society for generations to come. Historians often regret the lack of direct eye-witness testimony to such formative events from the past.

We have an opportunity now to collect and preserve this rarest class of historical source for future generations.

There are several ways you can participate in this documentation effort. Read more...

From the Museum of the City of New York website.

For over a century, Museum of the City of New York has been documenting New York City’s stories--dating to its earliest days--regardless of the nature they take.

At any given moment, there are a myriad of stories playing out on our streets, public and private institutions, and in our homes. The Museum wants to share your stories as experienced through the lens of this COVID-19 crisis and related health and government guidelines, arguably one of the most challenging times in New York City history.

MCNY would like to see how the entire city, across all five boroughs, is viewing this moment in our collective history. We invite everyone to share photos—taken from an appropriately socially-distanced perspective—documenting personal experiences during this challenging time. Post those images on Instagram using the hashtag #CovidStoriesNYC, and tag @museumofcityny.

Museum staff will review the images on a rolling basis, selecting images to repost on our social media feed and other digital channels, reflecting on the impact of this event on life in this dense, creative, and resilient city. Read more...

From the Buffalo History Museum website.

We at The Buffalo History Museum are dedicated to discovering and safekeeping the stories of our community. Held within our collections and entrusted to our care are stories of hardship, loss, challenge, and perseverance. As we navigate through these difficult times, we will continue to collect and ensure that the experiences of our community are preserved for later generations.

All lives have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. By recording how the virus has changed our daily life, we can safekeep the stories to provide valuable insight for future generations. Your contributions ensure evidence of this time for future research, reference, projects, exhibits, and programs. Are you keeping a COVID-19 journal? Have you taken a porch portrait of your family? We encourage you to share and donate items to document these experiences. Read more...