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Documenting the Pandemic:

MRU Community Experiences of Life During COVID-19

In April 2020, the Mount Royal University Library put out a call for members of the MRU community to contribute digital objects that documented the local impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, or that related their personal, professional, or academic experiences during the pandemic. Over the next two years, the Documenting the Pandemic project received dozens of contributions of photos, creative works, and text submissions, many of which can be viewed below. All contributions are now part of the MRU Community COVID-19 Collection at the MRU Archives and Special Collections. Thank you to all those who contributed, and please email archives@mtroyal.ca if you would like to access the collection or have any questions.

Contributions Gallery

Pandemic Stories

In winter 2022, students in HIST 4405 (Public History) undertook a project to document the pandemic experiences of the Mount Royal University community, with the assistance of their instructor Joe Anderson. The Pandemic Stories project had two main goals: to provide a narrative of people adapting to changing conditions in a time of fear and uncertainty, and to provide students with practical experience in public storytelling as historical events unfold. Students conducted oral history interviews with MRU students, staff, and administrators, and also researched how Calgary reacted to a previous pandemic, the "Spanish Flu" or influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, as reported at the time in The Calgary Herald. 

Text Submissions

Contribution Form

Please note that the call for contributions to the Documenting the Pandemic project has now concluded. Thank you to all those who contributed, and please email archives@mtroyal.ca if you have any questions.

Few aspects of daily life remain untouched by the pandemic; work, study, leisure, family, and communities have all been affected. This project aims to tell the COVID-19 stories of the MRU community by collecting experiences and artifacts of life from these uncertain times, and preserving them for the historical record.

Your contributions can help researchers of the future - and perhaps, ourselves - to understand what it meant to live, work and study during the outbreak. So please tell us your stories, share your thoughts, document what you have seen and done, and record how the world around you has responded to the pandemic. Help us document and preserve this historical moment.

Who can contribute?

We welcome contributions from MRU students, employees, alumni and neighbours.

What can you contribute?

We invite donations of digital objects that relate to the local impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that reflect your personal, professional, or academic experiences. Contributions may take the form of:

 

Photographs & images

Diaries, journals, blog posts, essays

Video and audio recordings: Oral histories, commentaries, interviews, songs

Creative works: Artwork, signs, poetry, creative writing

 

Due to social distancing protocols, we can only accept digital contributions at the moment. If you have physical items to contribute (for example, a handwritten journal), please contact us at archives@mtroyal.ca.

Contribution ideas

Unsure of how you might participate? Each of us has many stories to tell of what we have experienced and observed during the pandemic. Some ideas to consider for sharing your story:

  • Capture your experiences of home-working, home-learning, or home-schooling.
  • Document your daily life during the pandemic through words or photos. How have you passed the time? What have you observed in your neighbourhood? How has your family been affected by the virus?
  • Record personal responses to news reports or major events.
  • Share reflections of your transition from in-person to on-line learning or teaching.
  • Reflect on your concerns or hopes relating to the pandemic.

What will happen to your contribution?

Items that are accepted will be preserved in the Archives and Special Collections as part of the MRU Community COVID-19 Collection, and will be made publicly accessible online.

Mount Royal University takes the law and your right to privacy seriously. If you believe that the Collection contains works that infringe your copyright, privacy or other rights, please contact us at archives@mtroyal.ca.