WHY THIS PROJECT
The Coronavirus outbreak has affected nearly every aspect of our daily lives.  Global response to the ongoing crisis is transforming the norms by which our nations, regions, and institutions operate.  Amidst all of the monumental events taking place, we believe it is important to keep sight of what is also happening at a community and personal level. Therefore, the OWU Historical Collection is asking for your help to capture a fuller picture of the pandemic’s impact on OWU and its community members across academics, student life, and campus operations.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
Though completely voluntary, we invite any interested member of the OWU Community (faculty, staff, students, administrators, alumni using their OWU email address) to keep a record of your lived pandemic experience. How has it affected you and those around you?  What story do you want people to know about this extraordinary time?  The things you observe in your life and community are unique.  Everything we can collect about your experience will help us share a richer and more complete idea of what the Coronavirus pandemic was like with future audiences.

WHAT TO SUBMIT
What you submit to us is entirely up to you.  Diary entries, photographs, videos, anything you have created as you reckon with and document your experience of the pandemic is welcome.  Perfection is not necessary!  We are more interested in your account than a polished draft.

An FAQ about the collection is available here: https://library.owu.edu/c.php?g=1028144

ADDITIONAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ADDING YOUR WORK TO THE HISTORICAL COLLECTION
1. It’s public: Like any personal letters or works donated to and accepted by the Historical Collection, it will be stored, organized, and made available to researchers and other audiences who are interested in the University’s history. This might even mean publishing your submission as part of an OWU Digital collection at a later date. So please keep in mind the public nature of this collection.
2. We won’t do anything without your permission:  Department staff will contact you to complete a Deed of Gift for your work.  The Deed of Gift will ask for permissions we need to collect and make your work accessible.  It will also ask you to assign a Creative Commons License (https://www.creativecommons.org) that will identify how others will be able to use your work.  You can review the terms of the Deed of Gift here (https://forms.gle/cyaNPjzveDdYWGsK7).
3. You can request to have your work be included in the collection but hidden from public access for a set period of time (an embargo).  If you would like your work to be embargoed, please request it in the Project Description section of the form.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
When you are ready to participate, please fill out this Google form with some information about you and what you are submitting.  We will then follow-up with you about your intended submission and how to send it to us.

Be advised that completion and submission of this form does not constitute acceptance of submitted materials into the OWU Historical Collection.  You are more than welcome to change your mind after indicating interest. Acceptance of materials for the Coronavirus Collection and the fitness of responses are subject to review by department staff.

If you have any questions, please contact Eugene Rutigliano, Curator, OWU Historical Collection at historicalcollection@owu.edu.