Items
Subject is exactly
Museums & Libraries
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2021-03-20
Van Gogh Exibit
It's not an exaggeration to say the new Van Gogh exhibit is an immersive experience. The projectors cover the walls and floor in vibrant psychedelic brush strokes that are constantly in movement, cycling through paintings like The Starry Night, Bedroom in Arles and his self-portraits. Learn more at the link in our bio. 📷: Mariah Tiffany @tangerine__scream -
2021-03-21
Fake at STRAAT
This artwork is a reproduction of the famous work FAKE made on NDSM at the beginning of the Corona pandemic. Created using stencils, Super Nurse represents the many nurses who turn out to be true superheroes during the crisis. The work has gone viral worldwide, showing that street art is the perfect medium to address contemporary issues. -
2021-03-21
Due to Covid-19 the STRAAT Museum is Closed
Due to Covid-19 the STRAAT museum featuring urban and street art is closed. -
2021-03-18
With Hope
Today is Thursday, March 18, 2021. Saturday, March 13, was the first anniversary of the Friday the 13th that essentially broke the world, and that was our last day of normal. Or at least that’s how we all remember it now. On Monday, March 15, 2021, the students at my high school returned in “full swing” for the fourth quarter of the school year. I mean by full swing that we have no A and B days, and we are not all virtual. We still have an asynchronous day on Wednesday, but we all know that will soon go away. Many kids are staying virtual, and I don’t know how long that will be an option. So, we have had three days of students back on campus, and I think I would be much more concerned if I myself were not vaccinated, but I am fully vaccinated, and my husband completed his two-week waiting period a couple of days ago, so my house is “safe.” (Though I don’t totally feel that way yet) I don’t work on Wednesday right now, so we celebrated being fully vaccinated by going to an outdoor brunch, which was totally socially distanced, and I appreciated it a lot. I digress, though… school feels like school again. Sure, we limit the number of students who come into the library at lunch, but they are here, the halls bustle, and kids' noise in the hallway trails through our open library doors between periods again. Unfortunately, we are jumping back into things right in time for state testing, so we got this week of “bliss” before things become chaos of finding computers to test, getting students to make sure their computers are updated, and the general panic of finding space and making schedules that comes with any year of state testing. I want things to continue to trend in a direction where I don’t have to rescind all this hope a couple of months from now. -
2021-03-13
Smithsonian receives vial from the first Covid-19 vaccine does administered in the US
"The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History received the vial from the first authorized Covid-19 vaccine does administered in the US. The museum formed a task force last April aimed at chronicling events from the past year as well as documenting the effects of the pandemic has had on businesses, work, politics, and culture, said a news release. "These now historic artifacts document not only this remarkable scientific progress but represent the hope offered to millions living through the cascading crises brought on by COVID-19," museum director Anthea M. Hartig said." -
2021-02-27
Pandemic Fashion
Since the beginning of the pandemic, I wore a mask. I think I went one place without one on Friday, March 13, as the world fell apart and I was driving home to Phoenix from my mother’s house in San Diego County. But since then, I have been collecting masks the way I would collect graphic and band tees as a teenager and young adult. I have developed “criteria” for what I like, prefer, and even need in a mask. I think about it when I pick one each day. If I am wearing patterns, I grab a solid mask in a complementary color. Solid outfits open up the gates to lots of options. Very quickly, I realized I needed a way to manage these masks. The two hooks that hang near our front door for stocking at Christmas promptly became something else. A bin of clean masks hangs on one hook and a lingerie bag on another. The routine is simple, grab a mask from the container as you leave, come home and drop it in the bag. When the bag is full, zip it up and drop it in the wash. Done! So here are some of my favorites: • Baby Yoda • Disneyland Spirit Jersey style • Old Navy, Old Navy, Old Navy – they come in five packs, available for every season and holiday, prints and solids, easy to grab, cannot say enough • And, of course – the true hero of the pandemic, masks made with love. My coworkers and I have chosen the raccoon for our library mascot. My boss’ mom had this beaver fabric just sitting around, so she made one for each of us (bonus points, this one has a nose wire), and finally, the same wonderful ex-co-worker of our department who made us all the raccoon masks made school-themed ones for us, the Desert Vista Thunder, one with lightning bolts and one with the school colors in the plaid. • Our other library theme is rainbows and all things equality – down to the matching rainbow Apple Watch bands we have to pair perfectly with this rainbow hearts mask from the Human Rights Campaign. I am not ready to give up wearing masks. I have both doses of Pfizer, and it has been two weeks, but I still think masks are a good idea and something that I will for sure be wearing when I feel any kind of sick post-pandemic if that ever happens. It’s the responsible thing to do, and frankly, I have too much invested into my masks and management system to say goodbye to it anytime soon. -
2020-09-10
Documenting the Experiences of Black America during the COVID-19 Pandemic
This story, from the Harvard Gazette, features the work of two friends -Tracie Jones & Sarah DeMott- as they try to curate the experiences of black Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. Their collective effort resulted in Black America and COVID-19; a library guide that seeks to serve as a historical database for stories about the impact of the pandemic on African American communities. Information and material included in the database ranges from oral histories, podcasts, blogs, and links to webinars. -
2021-02-25
Longing to go Outside
Like people, my dog seems to miss going out to public spaces (like an out door mall, hiking, the patio of a restaurant, even the Pima Air and Space Museum) and getting attention from all the humans that pass by. He too is missing out on the social experiences that he used to enjoy before the pandemic. -
2021-02-25
Floral Heart Project comes to Milwaukee on March 1 day of COVID-19 mourning
Originally an art project, the Floral Heart Project has morphed into a memorial for those that have died of COVID-19. The project is going to Milwaukee on March 1st to install a heart-shaped floral wreath at the Museum Park Center. -
2021-02-23
Community quilts will commemorate stories of the COVID-19 pandemic
The Cameron Art Museum and the Advocacy Project have teamed up to display quilts made by people around the world. These quilts depict the struggles their makers have faced during COVID-19. The museum is encouraging families to make their own COVID-19 quilt squares and return them to the museum. Returned squares will be made into a quilt that will be displayed at the museum for a limited time. -
2021-02-11
Oral Histories and Archiving
Looking through the oral history section of JOTPY, I noticed a few recordings of interviews. This got me thinking about oral history and its similarities to journalism and the work journalists do. I then started thinking about how journalists and historical societies could work together to keep oral histories and newspapers. Could there be a way for journalists to get the correct permission from their interviewees to have their recorded interviews be put into the historical society of the area where they’re working? I was thinking of my time at a small-town newspaper in a rural area. What if my interviews with the local people and the local government officials who aren’t necessarily big-names were put into the archive to help fill the space? Could these interviews help provide a bigger picture of the town and the way it worked during this timeframe? Could they fill a “silence” these historical societies and their archives have? I also recorded town hall meetings and school board meetings almost every week. These meetings are recorded, but often in written form by a secretary. I was recording these events via phone/recording device (actual audio). The work I was doing (the work a journalist does) offers another medium for the archive. I think this would be an interesting interdisciplinary project, especially within rural areas. And what about now? The move towards online meetings and discussion due to the pandemic allows more accessibility to these board meetings or interviews. But are they being archived at the local level? Private meetings are a bit iffy on permissions and accessibilities, but what about those meetings open to the public? Are they being recorded and then placed where others can access it, and then is the local town historian or historical society archiving it as well? If they are, how are they doing it? -
2020-11-05
Echoing Empty Galleries
This photo, taken at the Detroit Institute of Art, is a glimpse of the drastically different pandemic-era museum experience. Upon entrance to the museum, guests are masked, tickets are bought online, temperatures are checked, and then one can wander the silent, empty galleries. Diego Rivera’s monumental Detroit Industry Murals are even more awe-inspiring when drifting around the cavernous hall distraction-free, with only sentinel machines keeping one company. Presently, Rivera’s personal history of political conflict and pandemic-related loss ring especially true. Although museum visits have adapted, one can still experience a powerful connection to art, in a new, maybe even improved way. -
2021-02-09
Artists Reimagine How Covid-19 Will Shape the Art World
In a time when people can't go to museums or concert halls, arts and musicians are improvising. Many are taking part in digital exhibitions and performances. Others are embracing the practice of street art, it always artists to continue creating art and have more exposure to the general population. -
2021-02-02
Silences in Archives, Some Hopeful Musings
Gaps seem to be just about the only commonality among all public, digital, and academic history projects. One project simply cannot look at everything, nor should it. But this does not mean that each of these gaps should be considered silences. Silences in the archives are more specific. And they are typically the result of silences in the historical archives, left by those collecting the material or creating the documents. Silences can also appear naturally, for example, those who are either unaware of the Journal of the Plague Year, do not have the technical knowledge or infrastructure to access to it, are unaware that they are encouraged to participate, or who do not believe that the COVID19 pandemic is "real." In the present, they represent people who cannot or will not enter their stories into the archives. When large numbers of people in those groups do not contribute, that creates silences for the historians and humanists who will use the archive in the future to attempt to make arguments about 2020, and seemingly, 2021. The archive structure does not exclude these voices by design, but the tangible and intangible realities of the world that it is born into and built in does. And they are hard to account for, even in the most thoughtfully constructed projects and archives. Attempting to correct these silences by making entries on behalf of those perceived as "the silenced" does not always close the gap and sometimes actually silences them in favor of another's narrative. One exception might be that a tech-novice writes a story on paper, and a family member posts a photo of the paper with a verbatim transcription to the archive, listing the original author as its creator. Or assists with an audio recording as a piece of oral history and shares it. But to write stories about another, as another, seems disingenuous to the spirit of the project. Hopefully, if in 50 years the JOTPY is still a two-way street where material can be discovered as well as entered, historians, genealogists, and other humanists will scan, add, and upload the digital and analog records and accounts they find in their work, so that in 100 years historians have fewer silences to contend with. This future, of course, is reliant on sustainability, usually grounded in funding for digital projects and reliant on humanists interested in running it. Many digital public history projects are defunct online due to lack of sustainability and compatibility, and those recorded voices become lost, silencing and re-silencing them over again. -
2021-01-24
Common Symptoms of Both COVID-19 Vaccines
Many people are concerned with the symptoms that come with the vaccines and if they differ depending on which vaccine. Some of the common symptoms of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are: i. injection site pain ii. tiredness iii. headache iv. muscle pain v. chills vi. joint pain vii. fever viii. injection site redness or swelling ix. nausea x. feeling unwell xi. swollen lymph nodes. Bibliography: “Highlighted Infectious Diseases for Arizona.” n.d. Arizona Department of Health Services. az.gov. Accessed January 24, 2021. https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/index.php?utm_source=google_grant&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=covid19&utm_term=covid#novel-coronavirus-faqs. CDC. 2020. “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 11, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fvaccines%2Fabout-vaccines%2Fhow-they-work.html. -
2020-12-19
Naked Face
I started a new job in late June while much of the country was still on lockdown. Most of my coworkers were working remotely and those of us on-site strictly adhered to our face-covering policy. We slowly allowed staff, volunteers, and lastly, visitors on the property. A training program was developed for staff to guide visitor interaction, particularly concerning policy enforcement. In the photograph, Peter, our Artist-in-Residence is demonstrating a hand gesture we use when asking people to cover their face. There are multiple levels of strangeness associated with this photo, but the strangest of all is not knowing what my coworkers look like "naked," a term we appropriated to mean mask-less. -
2020-12-08
Final Paper for H396
For the past five months, I have interned with A Journal of the Plague Year to help curate submissions from the year 2020. I have learned a lot about the collecting process and am excited to have been a part of such a great project! -
2020-06-07
Family Day Activity
This comes from the #WendeOnline programming that started at the beginning of COVID-19. One facet of #WendeOnline is a monthly family day. They hosted a family day in pre-COVID times so this is an example of a direct translation from in-person to online programming. For June, the Wende collaborated with ESMoA to provide instructions on how to create a board game. The activity was called PLAY X GAMES X ART and encouraged families to design a game of their own based on household objects. They also provide a template in the pdf attachment that is based on historical games. While building a board game aligns more with the mission of ESMoA, it does loosely apply to the mission of the Wende. In my opinion, it is more important that the activity is collaborative and engaging than it directly relating to the subject matter of the museum. This event is different from most of the family day activities in the fact that it does not have an obvious link to history. Despite this, I think it is a unique way to engage with “visitors.” After making the game, families can continue to play it for a long span of time. Even once they’re done with the official family day activity, the experience can last longer. This is a great example of building a community within a household and between museums. This is important to me because this was a museum I went to in pre-COVID times and it is nice to see they are still building community. -
2020-06-09
The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles Create Puzzles for the People
At the beginning of June, MOCA updated its online store to include items relevant to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. I have several screenshots of different puzzles, masks, books, etc. but I thought this one was particularly interesting. In the articles I’ve read about museums creating an effective online presence, the main idea is providing the user an opportunity to engage in a transaction. Here MOCA is giving the user an opportunity to buy a puzzle from them and also engage with their focus on contemporary art. While doing the puzzle, the purchaser will be thinking about MOCA, even on some kind of subconscious level. In a sense this helps to build community and, in the future, will serve as a token of the time spent in quarantine. One day the puzzle will serve as an artifact. To state the obvious, selling puzzles is relevant because at the beginning of quarantine this was an activity a lot of people did. I think for a small time was difficult to get your hands on a puzzle. MOCA is not only providing an online user with the opportunity to engage in a transaction, but it is a relevant transaction. This demonstrates MOCA’s ability to effectively adapt to the changing social landscape. My submission is important to me because in pre-COVID times I loved going to the museum and I think it's great to see how they're still trying to build community. -
2020-09-24
Christopher: Find the things that gives you peace
Christopher is the administrative aid at the African American Museum of Nassau County. He works with museum director, Joysetta Pearse, to promote understanding and appreciation of African American culture, art and tradition through education, interpretation, exhibitions, collections and programs for the enrichment of the public. Chris discusses his work, as well as how we hopes to come out stronger, on the other side of COVID. He also discusses the loss of his uncle and getting a diagnosis of his own during COVID. -
2020-12-08
Wings Over the Rockies Through the Pandemic
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is located in a hangar of the former Lowry Air Force Base in eastern Denver, Colorado. The museum offers a host of historic aircraft, artifacts, space objects, and more. According to their website, each year the museum can expect “roughly 160,000 visitors representing all 50 U.S. states and 34 countries around the world.” This year has been much different. The pandemic of 2020 has had a major impact on people, the economy, and businesses all around the world. Certain organizations that rely on in-person attendance has been hit especially hard by the effects of COVID-19. Wings Over the Rockies closed its doors on March 13, 2020 indefinitely. Some staff members were able to continue to work from home. Others were not. When Wings reopened its doors over three months later the museum looked and operated entirely different. In an effort to follow state and CDC guidelines as well as put staff and guests at ease, the museum adopted a new system. Now, museum staff and visitors require face masks, the hangar is sectioned off to keep track of the amount of people in one area, signs and markers are placed throughout the museum to enforce social distancing, and visitors are required to pre-purchase timed tickets. Even with this entirely new system throughout the museum, the biggest effect of COVID-19 on the museum is the silence that plagues its building. As people are reflecting on the pandemic and adjusting their own lives to the changes it mandates, certain organizations, like museums, are struggling to attract visitors. Compared to the year 2019, the attendance to the museum during the months of August through November was down an average of 55% this year. Events at the museum, which provides a major source of revenue, is down 75%. A majority of employees work an average of 2-3 days from home per week. The educational programs that Wings provides, which previously saw students running about flying model airplanes and even building an actual plane, are being moved to virtual platforms or are being cancelled entirely. The question for places like museums is not “when will it be safe to return,” because the 182,000 square foot hangar boasted by this museum is more socially distanced than your local grocery store. The question is, “when will people feel financially and mentally comfortable to return to optional places such as museums.” Until society can step up and do what is necessary to return life to normal, the hope is that the educational and fascinating gems, like the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, can keep its doors open to see that day. -
2020-04-27
COVID-19 Memory Archival Project
This is a project that aims to collect as many personal stories as they can. Through archiving the pandemic, they want to assess the impact of COVID-19 on people. -
2020-11-30
Support the arts in Arizona: Ways to help museums, theaters, galleries during the pandemic
With the arts and museums struggling to stay afloat during COVID-19, a local newspaper suggests ways to support them. -
11/17/2020
Luis Cortez Oral History, 2020/11/17
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
Circulation Changes
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. -
2020-03-25
Online Museum
This is one of the unique ways that Museums are engaging with at distance learning, integrating VR technology. -
2020-11-06
#ElectionDay Encouragement
Honestly, the timing of this year’s election is maddening. Plague, social movement, and constant controversy is really overwhelming. No one, at least in my generation, has dealt with such a conglomerate of crises. I’m encouraged to see posts such as this from a community focused institution. No matter what we chose on election day, our community leaders are pointing to what is important and beneficial to each other and our nation: voting. -
2020-11-06
Museums, Challenging Heritage and Social Media During COVID-19
Abstract by Cassandra Kist: “In this opinion piece I reflect upon museum social media trends during COVID-19 and consider what it could mean in terms of future online engagement and the (mis)alignment of practices with institutional social missions. In opposition to the recent focus on uplifting museum content and activities online, I investigate an overlooked question regarding the role of challenging heritage on social media during the pandemic. I end with a call for the sector to consider the complexities of including or excluding challenging heritage from current museum online activities and in turn, the opening or foreclosure of critical reflections at a pivotal time in history.” -
2020-11-06
Museum Infographics for Awareness
Though created in 2018, the American Alliance of Museums created multiple infographics on the economic activity and contribution of museums in several states. I have been searching for multiple ways to bring awareness to preserving museums in the midst of the major pandemic and infographics are very informative and provide information in an organized and enjoyable way! -
2020-11-06
Efficient Website Designs for Museums
With the majority of interpersonal connections being translated into online sources, museums have had the hardest time adapting to an online format without losing their community/audience and assimilating into one of many different information websites. I discovered this article while doing research on the impact of COVID-19 on museums. Part of the difficulty in translating your audience to an online format is simply the appeal of the website itself. Giving museums and their communities tools to progress safely into the future is helping at the source, and things such as website creation is necessary for advancement, and for many museums, survival -
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. -
2020-11-02
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
Jewish Melbourne: Jewish Museum of Australia's emails about online events
With the Covid lockdown in Melbourne, the Jewish Museum of Australia had to close its doors to visitors. In response, they moved activities online, organising events to be held virtually. These events were shared with members of the Museum community through their email list. -
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. -
2020-09-10
Art recreations for R U OK? Day, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne
As part of RU OK? Day activities for staff in this challenging year, hospital teams were invited to submit a team photo on the internal social media network. The Palliative Care team responded with a compilation recreating famous art works. The Paul Getty Museum popularized the phenomenon of recreating famous art works with a handful of household items earlier in the year. -
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. -
2020-09-15T16:35
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
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)