The Niagara Falls Public Library, Local History Department is asking for your help
This project is an effort to document the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the City of Niagara Falls, NY. This project hopes to document the pandemic and it’s effects on those who live, work, and/or are associated with Niagara Falls, NY in order to preserve its history and culture during this crisis.
We want to hear from you about how the pandemic is changing your daily life.
You can share your story by doing the following:
- Completing our questionnaire (You can also use this form to submit digital items)
- If you do not have a gmail account please go here: https://nflh.wordpress.com/questionnaire-the-covid-19-niagara-project/
- Creating and sharing a journal/diary
- Submit your journal, artwork, photos, audio recording, or video (Please limit photos, audio recordings, and video to 5 maximum) to: covid19niagaraproject@gmail.com
- **Please submit a Donation Acquisition Form with your materials or your submissions will not be accepted for the project**
Consider the following questions:
- What will you remember most about this moment?
- Has your place of work reduced hours, or forced to close?
- How are you navigating work and family needs?
- Has your child’s school closed? How has this effected them?
- What steps has your family taken in order to prevent the virus’s spread?
- How has this changed daily life in other ways?
What exactly are we looking for?
- Photographs
- Written anecdotes or observations that tell the story in your own words (diaries are a great resource, for example)
- Short videos that are able to show a quick glimpse into life during this time (for example, could come from your Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
- Audio recordings
- Anything related to the COVID-19 pandemic and your experience that you think would be interesting to someone ten, twenty, or one hundred years from now
We would be grateful for physical objects too. Please consider setting those aside and contact collections staff when the Niagara Falls Public Library Local History Department re-opens. You can email us at covid19niagaraproject@gmail.com or nflh@nioga.org to learn more about this process. Some examples of objects (by no means a complete list!):
- Art: draw or paint about your experience
- Homemade face masks
- Poetry, Diaries, Journals, Letters, etc.
- Signs posting park closures, “do not gather” notices, or other social distancing directives
- Objects made at home during the Stay Home/Stay Healthy order
- Records from your business that document how it responded to the crisis (social media graphics, e-mail or mail correspondence, business announcements, etc.)
Please do not send any physical items until Local History reopens as we will be unable to accept them until then.
The COVID-19 Niagara Project 