Items

November 17, 2020

Luis Cortez Interview

Luis "Louie" Cortez is an employee of St. Mary's University and in this quick oral history he gives us an insight into how life changed for him while working through a pandemic.

2020-11-20

COVID-19 brought on many changes to the St. Mary's University campus, including the second floor of the Louis J. Blume Library. These changes included the plexiglass pictured and hand sanitizer for the student workers to use when performing duties. Masks are required at all times in the library and the plexiglass is used as an extra safety precaution for both staff and patrons. Temperatures are taken before being allowed into the library and there is also plexiglass located at that entrance.

2020-11-16

Modification to Library

One of the busiest areas on campus is the Blume Library, particularly the Cotrell Learning Commons which is where the campus Starbucks is located. Changes were made to library operations in March and that included how the public would enter and exit the building. In order to limit the number of patrons inside the building, a walk-up window was added to accommodate those wanting to enter just to get Starbucks.

2020-06-25

Seniors Embrace the Arts During Quarantine

These images are so visually striking and uplifting. A lot of diversity is represented in the group as well. The seniors used their creativity and their imagination to take part in the challenge. These photos were taken at the Amenida Seniors Community in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Perhaps other museums can follow suit and issue “museum challenges” to ease the stress of Covid-19.

2020-03-20

Artis-Naples Social Media Post

Instagram post by the Artis-Naples. The photograph is their sign that reads “May memories of this season’s iconic moments help you through this difficult time. Be well!” The Artis-Naples is home to the Naples Philharmonic and The Baker Museum. The post itself announces that they will be taking time on their Instagram account to go through the memories of the season’s moments. There is a link to their website regarding COVID-19.

2020-04-02

Collier County Announcement: "Safer At Home" Order

Collier County Manager Leo Ochs, Jr. sent out an email discussing the “Safer At Home” order issued by Governor DeSantis. He explains government work is considered essential, and the county has taken measures to protect employees from exposure, such as moving as many public services as possible online. This order includes the closure of the Collier County Museum.

2020-05-06

Collier County Museum Email - Action Required: High-risk category/need to WFH notification

Email from the Director of the Collier County Museum, Amanda Townsend, to staff regarding potential museum reopening and Work from Home procedures. The first email in the chain is from the Collier County Manager, Leo Ochs.

2020-11-02

IMAG History & Science Center COVID-19 Changes

Fort Myers IMAG History & Science Center new hours and exhibit closure web page for COVID-19. There are new hours, groups must register at least a week in advance, and there are exhibits that are remaining closed until further notice.

2020-10-30

Artful Practices for Wellbeing

I found this post while doing research on museums and their pathing through the plague year. Here’s one of many examples where museums continue to produce new content for the public to aid in the routines of life.

2020-10-30

Building True, Lasting Collaborations with Source Communities

This is an excellent online article I found while exploring the American Alliance of Museums website. It discusses the development of American museums by focusing their efforts on community-expertise to curate their items in the midst of a pandemic.

2020-10-30

Keeping Constant Connection

Museums have suffered in a very unique way during the Covid-19 pandemic. Without the primary form of interaction with society, in-person, museums are forced to translate their material online where chances are high they become just another online source or library. The Institute of Museum Ethics goes beyond its name in its content. Almost like a social media website for museums, the IME posts the latest stories and news regarding all things artifacts, donations, and media coverage on museum developments; a really great tool for any researcher and a pleasant read for anyone who takes an interest in preserving the present and appreciating the old.

2020-10-14

COVID Closure Collections Reward

Award given to me and my supervisor from the manager of the Museum of the Everglades that recognizes our effort entering 6,000 items into our collections system while we were working from home. While the museum shut down in-office operations the collections team (my supervisor and me) were able to utilize our time at home skillfully to enter 6,000 records. This item memorializes the hard-work our collections staff puts in every day, even amid a frightening pandemic.

2020-10-23

Sign Outside Collier County Museum Requiring Face Mask

This is the sign the Collier County Museum at the Government Center put on the front window when it was announced by the Board of County Commissioners that masks are required within all public buildings. The sign was posted right after the museum resumed in-building operations and was enacted along with more rigid sanitation and cleansing procedures.

2020-09-15T16:35

COVID-19’s Impact on Collier County Museum Projects

This is an article written by the Naples Daily News discussing the budget issues that Collier County’s museum system is facing due to COVID-19. Since the museum system is primarily funded through the tourism tax, the funding has plummeted about $300,000 due to the pandemic. Steve Carnell, the director of the public services department, said that the museums have taken the hardest hit - the operating budget had to be reduced by a whole quarter ($464,000). Because of this, a lot of the planned growth of the museum has been put on hold until funding can be secured. The article includes even more information on how operations in the five museums have transformed due to COVID-19.

2020-07-19

Cultural Institutions and COVID-19: Anonymous Survey

These two documents contain the responses to the Cultural Institutions and COVID-19: Anonymous Survey. This survey was undertaken with the support and assistance of Juilee Decker, at A Journal of the Plague Year, in order to capture the experiences of those working in museums and other cultural institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to a combination of furloughs and layoffs as a direct result of COVID-19 lockdowns, and conversations around racial justice in the light of this year’s Black Lives Matter protests, museums and other cultural institutions have been facing an unprecedented reckoning, in terms of workers’ rights and racial justice. This survey asked individuals how this year’s events have impacted them, as well as their perceptions of the cultural sector, focusing specifically on those issues of workers’ rights and racial justice. All responses were collected through the Cultural Institutions and COVID-19: Anonymous Survey website (https://covidmuseumsanonymous.wordpress.com/), between July and October, 2020. This website was further advertised through an Instagram account, found here: https://www.instagram.com/covidmuseumsanonymous/ . The survey had 107 respondents, with 97 giving permission to have their responses published publicly.

2020

Inside and Outside, At Home, Spring 2020 Semester, Brooklyn

This submission interweaves the personal and professional experiences of an associate professor in the Brooklyn College Library with references to events happening in the larger society during the months of the COVID-19 pandemic through early October 2020.

2020-10-22

Museum Awareness and COVID-19

I have been recently researching digital archives and their effective helpfulness in the midst of crises and pandemics, such as COVID-19. While discovering new sources for research, I came upon a community that is treasured by society yet sufferers immeasurable when neglected, museums. From what I have put together in following archives and museums, there is a difference and the difference is impactful: People interact with archives while museums interact with people. Archives can be easily engaged through any format and do not struggle to adapt to a rapidly evolving society. Museums and their charm center on one core energy source, in-person engagement, interaction, and display. Museums attempting to permanently shift to online have the risk of fading into another informational website (Advertising is a dense fog). The attraction is the ability for people to see artifacts and art in person. I personally love museums and I know that without them, history seems to lose some of its luster as well. I found this website, American Alliance of Museums: COVID-19 Resources and Information for the Museum Field, while searching through museum resources and listening to museum and art directors discussing the future of their work. It is a tool for anyone from a visitor to a museum director in staying connected to updates on openings and closures as well as how museums are encouraged to keep up with their audiences. Though a permanent solution isn’t found to the situation or even COVID-19 for that matter, I have found that the need to keep moving forward is not just surviving, but living. This resource created by AAM might be the catalyst for museums to evolve into online forms successfully; that would be joyful news in difficult times. I have saved this link to a web page saver, Wayback Machine, so it can be accessed at any time even if the page is removed or recreated. Thanks for reading!

2020-10-20

An Unexpected Visit by the Wienermobile

After 7+ months of isolation and with our museum closed to the public for most of this year, my coworker and I - archivists at the Arizona Historical Society in Tucson - were delighted to look out the library window and see the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile parked in front of the newly-opened hotel across the street. And to preface this story - this hotel just opened during a pandemic after construction delays all year, and working across the street we've been subjected to the horribly annoying sounds, smells, and dust of construction ALL DAY LONG for this entire year. But as soon as our last researchers left the museum, we raced outside to take pictures with some of the other museum staff. The amount that the unexpected visitor has made us laugh this week has really brought out how tough this year has been on us all mentally, so much so that the tiniest thing has made us smile more than we have in months (and despite the fact that we're all die-hard opponents of capitalism and I'm a vegetarian).

2020-03-24

Shelter-in-Place University Email

On March 23, 2020, Bexar County issued that there would be shelter-in-place ordnance effective at midnight on March 24th. The week leading up to this ordnance my supervisors and I began preparing to telework. This required adapting my workload to be performed remotely, and I would essentially have to re-learn the ordering process for items like eBooks. I work in the acquisitions department of the university’s library and since the semester was still going on it was essential that I continue to preform my duties in a timely manner. As a department we had to adapt our methods of communication, extend the amount of time allowed to preform duties, and do our best to maintain morale in an uncertain and often isolated environment. The purchasing of physical items for the library were put on hold and any pending orders would be received but remain unopened until staff was allowed to return.

2020-07-07

Part of the blog that is used to teach on the impact of COVID-19 on energy use of Brooklyn College

This blog is used as part of the class that learn how to calculate the impacts of students on the energy use and carbon footprints of Brooklyn College.

2020-10-13

Finally moving to Phase 2

Wenatchee has been in lockdown and stuck at phase 1.5 for months due to an inability to get the virus under control. We finally received word that we could move to phase two and reopen things like the museums and library in town, which have been closed for 7 months due to COVID. This reopening means that many public services like computer use at the library and wifi for those who do not have access to it at home will be open and able to be used by those that need it. It is an important to compare where we are at to other places that moved into new phases much quicker, some of which had spikes because of it. I personally have not been able to leave and have been stuck at my house for months. I used to go to the library three times a week for school and to get out of my house but with a pandemic, I have been spending more time inside. I do not feel comfortable enough to go to the library yet, but am excited that the option is now there. Back to normal is still not an option though, and I worry that this will cause more cases in my area. This whole experience has been eye opening for how much I did unplanned, now I have to plan everything I do so I can keep myself and my family safe.

2020-08-14

Library Takeout Video

A librarian at Duke University made a video outlining the steps for library takeout and it's amazing.

2020-10-08

SF Public Library + SFMOMA giveaway

SF Public Library has partnered with SFMOMA to provide free art kits at mobile library locations. I live in the city, and thought this was a neat way for the library to engage with people while their branches are closed.

2020-09-29

Making the best...

We are living in a world of crisis with COVID-19. trying to keep some type of normality for my daughter has been a little hard. Not being able to hang out with friends, not being able to go to the mall, amusement parks has been hard. Never the less I have found ways for her to have some type of normality (while practicing social distancing). We were able to travel to Arizona and visit family members, as well as visiting my parents in TX. While being there we were able to visit the NASA museum, Galveston Pier, and the zoo. We knew this school year would be different. Social isolation has impacted her in a good way let me explain. The last semester of 6th grade was not the best. She was dealing with a lot "teenage drama" which was affecting her school work. It was not her best semester but never the less she was able to get it together. As this new school year started she has been able to focus in her studies maintaining her grades up. I know its almost 3 months since school started but hey, I am optimistic.

2020-09-24

Toning Down and Tuning In: Addressing Archival Silences of Covid-19 Community Curation Flier

Flier for the first workshop in the JOTPY workshop series.

2020-03-30

Covid Art: Quarantined Artists Inspired by the Coronavirus

This article posted by Al Dia about Covid Art and a virtual museum in Barcelona, Spain, where a collection of covid art can be viewed. The collection consists of illustrations, photographs, paintings, drawings, animations, video, etc. According to the one of the publicists, these pieces of art reflect how we are all living and feeling during the pandemic. Art has always reflected what was going on during that time period. #covidart, #pandemic, #virtualmuseum, #quarantine, #Barcelona (HST580, Arizona State University)

2020-09-11

Covid Inspired Fashion

Photographed by Mary Ann Michna, artist Sarah Aziz visits New Harmony, Indiana to do a photoshoot in her COVID inspired fashion

2020-07

Jewish Melbourne: Survivors in Isolation - A different isolation

In July Elly Brooks - who is a photographer, member of the Board of the Jewish Holocaust Centre, and President of Friends of JHC - worked with the JHC to take photos of Holocaust survivors at their front doors. In line with Melbourne's lockdown procedures, the JHC was closed, and everyone was required to be at home, so these photos show the survivors as they stayed home to isolate. Elly Brooks reflected: "Holocaust Survivors and other elderly people are perhaps more impacted in this time of covid isolation than younger people as they are confined to their homes under the country’s partial lockdown and many find themselves far from their usual network of support. What shines through this series of images of Holocaust survivors in Melbourne is a strong spirit to overcome adversity, with an understanding that it is a temporary. Most of the survivors pictured, have been coming to the Jewish Holocaust Centre for many years, presenting their testimony to students and the general public and being connected to a community. In early March, when the pandemic was becoming an inevitable danger in Melbourne, the survivors were the first to be asked to stay home, away from the JHC. For some, the memories of our survivors are always there just below the surface and this enforced isolation makes our elderly feel vulnerable and threatens their independence. As a photographer, I wanted to capture the strength and dignity of survivors as they posed on their doorsteps of their homes during this lockdown.As a longtime friend to most of them, I have been missing them so it also gave me good reason to visit them and hear their wise words. For some the virus brought back memories: “that feeling of dread all the time. You never know if other people on the street are going to give you the virus, or they were going to turn you in to the Gestapo because you were a Jew.” Each survivor had their photo taken and they each contributed a reflection: Joe de Hann: I keep occupied by reading and cooking for myself. I have been alone a long time so I am used to being by myself but I miss the Holocaust Centre and the people Henry Buch: I feel unchallenged and lack motivation. My son visits but my daughter is in isolation. Jewish Care assists me but when you are isolated like this memories and worries come back Irma Hanner: “It’s not a war! “We are in a lucky country but even so we must be aware of and call out racism. The extremes of politics both right and left sides are bad. “I miss my work at The Jewish Holocaust Centre” Gisa Frayman: I am lucky that my children come to visit which means that I am not alone. We talk everyday on the phone and as long as they are well, they visit me John Lamovie: I have a large family and before this isolation they visited often but not now. That is the hardest for me at this time.Life during the pandemic ihas an unsettling resonance, especially the isolation from family members. Some of my family drive by to wave to me. A couple of family deaths were very hard to reconcile at this strange time of isolation. I attended a virtual funeral. Overall I feel lucky and nothing to complain about. Abe Goldberg: It’s not a war but it is very hard for me because my wife Cesia is in care and I cannot visit her. That is devastating for me not being allowed to visit her. We have been together so many years Sarah Saaroni: I’m perfectly fine and see my family from a distance. I am fully occupied and well looked after. Henri Korn: Life during the pandemic is unsettling especially the isolation from my friends and family. “It pains me that I cannot be with my family, with my friends,” Wolf Deane: We are happy to be living here and have our family close by. Joe Swarczberg: I miss The JHC, the students, staff and my friends. I used to go often and now I just stay at home. I hope I live long enough to see the new Centre. David Prince: I miss my work at The Holocaust Centre especially seeing the students. I am used to being independent and have friends and family nearby. It is an unsettling time and I hope we can go back to the way it was and I am around to see the new Centre. Viv Speigel: I miss going to The Centre but I am lucky to see my family from a distance and I have all that I need. Maria Lewitt: I am happy to be close to my family and well cared for. John Chaskiel: I am fine and my family visits from a distance. They come to my driveway but I miss The Holocaust Centre and the students. I hope I will see the new museum

2020-08-29T10

Pandemic Birthday

The 3 of us became friends (more like family) when we started working together in a cultural institution/museum space. We have been in constant communication with each other, sharing resources and joy. 2 of us have a birthday a few days apart so we decided to spend it together! This is our birthday vision boards and a photo of us,

2020-05-13

Melbourne Jewish Book Week and COVID - 19, part 3

MJBW shifted to regular online events that are now occurring on the second Tuesday of each Month

2020-03-18

Melbourne Jewish Book Week and COVID - 19

Melbourne Jewish Book Week was raring to go with its 2020 Festival, scheduled for 2-7 May. International and local writers were booked – more than 80 in total. Almost two years in the planning, the festival was going to include two full days of panels and workshops; opening and closing night galas; a performance at fortyfivedownstairs; a literary brunch with two leading writers from New York; and a keynote address. As coronavirus spread, and governments started imposing restrictions, including the closure of borders, we held several meetings and on 12 March we decided that a live festival was not in the interests of our supporters – and we pulled the plug, with tears and heartache. We were one of the first festivals to do so, but in the days and weeks that followed, no-one had any other option. We felt an obligation to our supporters, sponsors and writers to provide an alternative. We opted for regular on-line events using available technology, and decided not to commit to a live event until the heath risks were well and truly passed. Six months later, we are delighted and proud of what we have achieved in the CoVid world. Starting with no knowledge of the technology, we are now familiar with all aspects of Zoom. We have established the second Tuesday of the month as Melbourne Jewish Book Week evening. Our offerings (to March 2021) have been: • May 2020 Philippe Sands and Mark Baker • June 2020 David Isaacs and Elizabeth Finkel • June 2020 (extra) Colum McCann and Mark Baker • July 2020 Ben Lewi and Jan Epstein • August 2020 Juliet Rieden and Bram Presser • September 2020 Paul Valent and Rachel Kohn • October 2020 Shais Rishon (MaNishtana) and Claire Coleman – moderated by Isabelle Oderberg. • November 2020 Summer Reading Guide with Tali Lavi, Elissa Goldstein and Bram Presser • February 2020 Arnold Zable and Tali Levi • March 2020 Open mic

0020-08-27

Back to School

It's the book I started reading on the first day back to school

2020-08-23

Chris Twing Internship Portfolio

I had planned to take the summer off from classes but when I saw an opportunity to be part of real time archiving in relation to the crisis I was living through I eagerly jumped at the opportunity. While I was initially worried, we, as interns, would get stuck doing the repetitive tasks no one else wanted, I was thrilled to be part of the creation and problem-solving process of a real time archive. While most students in my program focus on American or Global history my focus has been on public history. One of the tenants of public history is involving everyone. The archive became a place to see this in real time. We weren’t collecting only around famous people, important people, or large movements. We wanted to collect the stories of everyday people and also took the time to figure out whose voices were missing and attempt to remedy that problem. To that end I took on an extra project to add Black voices to the archive. I collected a list of all the historically black colleges and universities and also searched for museums and cultural or heritage centers across the country that we could contact in hopes they would want to work with us to add those voices to the archive. In addition to curating and adding items to the archive each week we focused on learning a particular skill set related to the archive. The one I struggled with the most was oral history. Though I am fine speaking in public and am not an introvert, I found conducting my first two oral history interviews exceptionally unnerving. However, I also discovered how important they are and what an incredibly rich source of information oral histories represent. What I learned from oral histories was so impressive that I have plans to conduct an oral history program in conjunction with my local historical preservation commission in the future. I am also no longer nervous about conducting oral histories. By the end of our fifteen-week internship we had become even more than a team, we had become a family. I believe this was partially due to a shared crisis. We were living through the Covid-19 pandemic together. For many of us, our weekly Zoom (online meeting platform) was nearly the only face to face contact, though virtual, we had with anyone. This was the case for me. Another intern joked he was going to rename his journal about the project, “The Summer I Distracted Myself from a Pandemic by Thinking about the Pandemic”. I realized that is exactly what happened. The pandemic really started in mid-March for me. I spent the initial month or so sewing face masks and that was how I kept myself focused and sane. Once the internship began in May I began processing my experience of the pandemic by working on the archive. I believe this summer will have been one of the defining moments of my life.

2020-06

Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Running Alongside the Locked Up Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden happens to be near where I reside in the Bronx. Every summer and spring my friends and I plan a few trips to this lovely place to experience all of the natural beauty of the garden. However, this year however, the “Botans,” as we like to call it, was closed for the entirety of the spring and a large chunk of summer due to the pandemic. I believe they are just now, in early August, starting to open with limited capacity. I decided to capture this photo on my run to illustrate how the garden’s beauty is able to penetrate the surrounding community even from outside the gates. You can see the lavender peeking up over the gate and we were able to take a look inside through the openings of the fence to appreciate the park’s beauty. My mask reads “New York Strong.”

2020-06-14

A Distanced Graduation

The image above shows the window of the Peaks Island Library, where the town celebrated their graduating seniors with a “Congrats class of 2020” sign. Surrounding the banner are the names of the high schools the students attended. Since the shutdown began just months before my class was set to graduate people all over the state have been putting up signs and decorations to give us a celebration. We had virtual commencement speeches, videos, lawn signs, balloons, and free pizzas that in a way made the year more special than a normal walk across the stage.

2020-04-06

Smallpox in Boston: Inoculation and the Revere Family

As the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread in Boston, museum interpreters at the Paul Revere house looked to the archives to learn more about how Boston has responded to wide-spread illness in the past. This blog post from The Revere Express blog explains how the smallpox epidemic effected the Revere Family and ways that 18th century medicine responded to the illness.

2020

MASSCreative Action Alert

Supporters of artists and cultural institutions, MASSCreative asks their Twitter audience to write to their federal lawmakers and urge them to remember the creative community when creating pandemic relief. This tweet specifically discusses the Heroes Act and the Heals Act

2020-08-06

Bloom/Florece

I've loved drawing all my life but I've never felt like I had the time to practice or the skill. I started journaling and this is one of the drawings I did. I feel proud of it...

2020-03-30

“Spring Garden” – Van Gogh, a painting stolen by COVID-19 – Laren, the Netherlands

A painting on Loan to the Singer museum from the Groninger Museum was stolen overnight. The painting – “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring 1884” by Vincent Van Gogh now cannot be seen by the community and may not be seen again, removing a valuable piece of history and culture from people when they are potentially unable to have gotten the chance to see it due to coronavirus. The thieves smashed a glass door and ran off with the painting before security was able to find them. Here is a link ot an article: https://www.boston.com/culture/arts/2020/03/30/vincent-van-gogh-painting-stolen-netherlands.

2020-06-04

Museums and Collecting COVID-19

On June 4, 2020 the Curators Committee of the American Alliance of Museums presented a session focused on Collecting COVID. The session called attention to the importance of documenting significant history while living in a pandemic and discussed the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of collecting objects, ephemera and materiel in the time of crisis. The presenters (Stacey Swigart, Drexel Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships; Thomas Lonnberg and Tory Schendel Cox, Evansville Museum of Arts; Juilee Decker, Rochester Institute of Technology; and Redmond Barnett, Historian/Consultant) reviewed best practices, safety measures, look at museums who are collecting and how communities can/are involved and what communities can do to document your local/regional history. This item is a PDF of their entire presentation.

2020

What We Offer

This page explains the basic education opportunities offered by the Paul Revere Memorial Association. The page mentions ways to contact staff to craft virtual learning experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic.

2020-07-29

Salem History Through the MHS Archive

This advertises a virtual event held by the Massachusetts Historical Society. This webinar discusses the history of collections about Salem, MA within the Massachusetts Historical Society. This webinar covers the history of Salem from its founding up until the present.

2020

A Sailor's Life, Live!

Although the museum usually hosts youth educational programs in the summer, they've made the programs available online. For children interested in learning about the USS Constitution, they can view videos like this one and watch museum educators teach about the ship and its history. This video also includes USS Constitution crew members.

2020-07-28

Jewish Women in the Labor Movement

This is an example of the types of virtual programs held by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Based on the primary sources held at this institution, the society invited audiences to engage with the material virtually.

2020-08

Virtual Summer Research Stay-At-Home

This screenshot explains a virtual event hosted by American Ancestors and the New England Historic Genealogical Society. This event is an example of how researchers are adapting to the pandemic. With the building closed, the New England Historic Genealogical Society is hosting a program to encourage researchers to access digitized material and continue researching during the pandemic

2020-04

JFK Library From Home

This webpage explains to audiences how they can experience the John F. Kennedy Library and learn about the legacy of President Kennedy from home. By following the museum via the suggested social media platforms, audiences can see the highlights of the museum holdings. The library email digest, including museum opening updates and events, is also advertised on this page.

2020-03-18

John F. Kennedy Library COVID-19 News Release

This news release from the John F. Kennedy Library explains that members of the staff had completed their 14-day quarantine. However, the release maintains that the museum will stay closed. As an example of inter-organization communication and response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this news release shares the timeline for closure and response at the JFK Library

2020-04-17

Explore the Archives