Collected Item: “Collecting Covid-19 material at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum”
Give your story a title.
Collecting Covid-19 material at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum
What sort of object is this: text story, photograph, video, audio interview, screenshot, drawing, meme, etc.?
Text
Tell us a story; share your experience. Describe what the object or story you've uploaded says about the pandemic, and/or why what you've submitted is important to you.
The Smithsonian National Postal Museum has historically collected postal material from times of crisis, including 9/11 (https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/npm_2002.2002.12) and the Anthrax attacks (https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/npm_2002.2003.3). During this pandemic, postal workers are essential employees. There's been a resurgence in the public's use of mail (including letters to thank postal workers), the census was conducted by mail, and local elections have been conducted by mail. The National Postal Museum will review and accession material once staff is able to return to the building. In addition, we hope to collect oral histories from front-line, postal workers.
Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your story. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?
#Smithsonian, #National Postal Museum, #CollectingCovid, #museum
Enter a URL associated with this object, if relevant.
https://postalmuseum.si.edu/search-the-collection
Who originally created this object? (If you created this object, such as photo, then put "self" here.)
National Postal Museum staff
Give this story a date.
2020