Princeton University Library is collecting oral histories about the COVID-19 pandemic from students, faculty, staff and alumni for the University Archives. The COVID-19 & Me: Oral History Project, led by Project Archivist for Student Life Valencia L. Johnson, aims to archive how people in the Princeton community are experiencing the effects of the ongoing crisis.
“This project is just one avenue to document what it’s like to be you, here and now. It will also serve as a primary source of research for future Princetonians or researchers who may be interested in learning more about this pandemic’s impact on the institution and the community,” Johnson said.
“So often, we think that stories of our everyday lives are not important enough to share with the world,” she added, “but it’s those human stories that prove to be invaluable over time. We are all going to be asked at some point, ‘What was it like?’ and this project is a way to talk directly to the future.”
Johnson is currently soliciting submissions from Princetonians; the collection will be made available online in the fall.
Read more about the project and how you can contribute here.
Alumni create online directory to support local businesses
Maggie Zhang ’16 and Daniel He ’16 recognize that small businesses are the heart of our communities — and the most susceptible to the economic effects of the pandemic. To help those businesses survive, they created Local for Later, an online directory to promote local businesses through gift cards. they wrote on their site, which has grown to include 11 U.S. cities.
Each city’s list is made up of businesses submitted by users, and includes restaurants, shops, and activities like theaters and tour companies.
See the lists and add your favorite here.
Princeton Faculty Members Send Greetings As Classes Go Virtual
No one has all the answers about what comes next, not even Princeton faculty. But as Princeton shifted to virtual learning during the COVID-19 outbreak, professors from across disciplines sent warm video reassurance that their mission remained the same, and that Princeton is wherever you are.
Writing in the time of coronavirus: John McPhee’s legendary course goes virtual
After 45 years of teaching his legendary “Creative Nonfiction” course on campus, Professor John McPhee, the Ferris Professor of Journalism in Residence and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has started teaching his class remotely. Read more …