HUNTSVILLE, Ala — In Normal, Alabama, home to a university once known as the "State Normal and Industrial School of Huntsville", school officials want to chronicle "the new normal".
From the early mentions of Covid-19 to complete national shutdown to gradual recovery, Alabama A&M University officials want you to help them write their history book.
The collective staffs of the J.F. Drake Memorial Learning Resources Center (LRC) and the State Black Archives (SBA) at Alabama A&M are launching an archival project aimed at capturing the multifaceted experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are inviting the community, faculty, staff and students to participate and share their pandemic experiences,” said Dr. Annie Payton, director of library services. She says the end result will be the collection and preservation of stories through narrative and digital images for future research and interest.
If you're a professor or staff member at A&M, they want you to share your pictures, videos and stories of what it's been like transitioning to online instruction.
Students? They're interested in your experiences moving from your residence hall as the pandemic escalated, moving to online learning, going through graduation remotely or celebrating graduation or another milestone (birthdays, job opportunities) in a virtual setting.
Alumni, and anyone whether you have a connection to Alabama A&M or not, they want to hear from you. Share your stories and photos of your Covid-19 reality. Did you find empty shelves at the store? Maybe you had to scale back, postpone or cancel significant dates like birthdays, anniversaries or weddings. Collect those pictures and notes and join in.
A&M officials are making it easy to participate. All you have to do is click here.