How Kingston coped with Covid-19: inside Kingston University's new pandemic archive
Future generations may wonder how Kingston coped during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now, thanks to a new archive by Kingston University , they'll have some clues to look through.
Artefacts and documents compiled by the University show how staff, students and the wider Kingston community responded to the huge changes imposed by the pandemic after it began in March 2020.
Homemade masks, virtual quizzes, and more unusual and poignant items make up the collection so far, which can be seen in the library on the second floor of the University's Town House building.
The archive, made up of both physical and digital collections, was announced in December 2020 and is being led by University archivist Dayna Miller.
Miller, who first started compiling items for the collection following the March 2020 lockdown, said: "It will be so important for historians and the general public to have a record of what happened during this unprecedented time."
She added: "There has been a real mix of contributions to the archive so far with some quite poignant ones.
"We have seen a lot of information about the statistics and the effects of the virus, but what I'd like is for our archive to be something that reflects the human impact and how our students and staff have dealt with it.
"Healthcare students and staff have been working on the frontline, people have been working from home, or home schooling their children unexpectedly.
"We've received everything from written accounts to face masks. People even submitted the virtual quizzes they had over lockdown with their team members.
"One of my favourite contributions was from a colleague whose daughter designed her own superhero – Cat Girl – who had the power to cure Covid-19.
"We added the design to our archive as it is a great example of how different people have coped during the pandemic."
The archive team are keen to get more submissions and any contribution is welcome - so if you have a Covid-19 related item with an interesting story why not get in touch!
All you need to do is contact [email protected] with a few words about what you would like to submit to the archive and the context behind it.
Who knows - it could be the key piece of evidence future historians are looking for!
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