Glenview library begins project to document pandemic
Glenview librarians Kimberly Schlarman and Sally Baylaender recently wondered what their community might want to know and learn about the pandemic experience years into the future.
To archive this moment in history through somewhat of a time capsule, the Glenview Public Library is collecting stories of the last year for a COVID-19 Memory Project. These stories can be shared in various forms of writing and artwork, like essays, poetry, journal entries, photography, drawings, paintings and more.
“Firsthand accounts provide context and different perspectives to larger events,” Schlarman said. “They make history more personal, too. Sometimes when you read a diary or a personal narrative, you gain a new understanding of why historical events played out the way they did, or they give you an opportunity to imagine how you would have reacted in a similar situation.”
Schlarman, a genealogy and local history librarian, and Baylaender, a youth services librarian, started the project after talking about the effect of the pandemic on kids’ lives. They wanted to find a way to document those feelings and experiences for future generations’ reference.
“We think it’s a good opportunity to have kids reflect on the fact that they’re living through a historical moment and to have them think about what they would want kids in the future to know about their lives right now,” Schlarman said. “We think kids have a unique perspective on the past year, and we should be recording that.”
The opportunity is open to all ages, though, not just youth, according to Schlarman.
She said they want to hear stories about specific memories or experiences from the last year, tales of online learning or working from home, photos showing socially-distanced gatherings and holidays, mask-making activities, new hobbies and anything else that represented the last year.
“Everyone has a story to tell,” Schlarman said.
More information can be found on the library’s website or by picking up a project kit with further instructions at the library. Submissions are due June 1 and can be turned in online or at the Youth Services or Reference desk.