Tizian Zum hu m*
C owdsou ced COVID-19 Collec ions: A B ie
O e iew
h ps://doi.o g/10.1515/iph-2021-2021
Published online July 12, 2021
Abs ac : This a icle p o ides an o e iew o how public
his o ians and o he ac o s collec ma e ial on he global
COVID-19 pandemic. Thei common goal is o a chi e a
di e si y o pe spec i es o documen hese his o ic imes.
Focusing on ini ia i es ha collec om a b oade public
and ha inco po a e some so o c owdsou cing, I dis in-
guish be ween wo app oaches: p ojec s ha collec
some hing speci ic and p ojec s ha o mula e hei call
mo e openly. The a icle discusses he s eng hs and
weaknesses o each app oach, wha oppo uni ies hey
open up, and wha limi s hey impose on u u e esea ch on
he pandemic. The 10 selec ed case s udies a e based in 10
di e en coun ies, ep esen he a ie y o ins i u ions ha
a e in ol ed in pa icipa o y collec ing, and ha e all pub-
lished hei collec ions online and a e hus use ul o
eaching and esea ch wo ldwide.
Keywo ds: COVID-19, pandemic, a chi e, public collec -
ing, c owdsou cing his o y
Fu u e his o ians ca ying ou esea ch on e e yday li e
du ing he COVID-19 pandemic may well be o e whelmed
wi h he amoun o ma e ial a hei disposal. This a icle
migh he e o e be help ul o hem. Howe e , i is also
in ended o be o immedia e use o schola s in e es ed in a
a ie y o con empo a y issues and in how o a chi e
ma e ial in ways ha includes he public.
1
The ob ious p oblem was how o selec he p ojec s o
be p esen ed in a sho o e iew pape . The bes app oach
was a p agma ic one. Since I wan ed o ensu e ha he pape
would be use ul in eaching and esea ch o a wo ldwide
audience, I only conside ed p ojec s whose p oduc s o e-
sul s a e accessible online, al hough hey come om as
many di e en coun ies as possible. In addi ion, in o de o
acknowledge he pa icipa o y aspec o public his o y, I
chose p ojec s ha in ol e some so o c owdsou cing, by
which I mean ha (pa s o ) he public a e ac i ely in ol ed
in he c ea ion o collec ions wi h hei pe sonal ma e ial, as
opposed o, o example, analogue o digi al collec ing done
by membe s o an ins i u ion o web c awle s. The main
downside o hese c i e iais ha hey ule ou many lib a ies
and a chi es. I should be s essed ha he la e a e espe-
cially engaged in much o he inno a i e wo k being p o-
duced in o de o documen hese imes.
2
The i s place olook o publichis o yp ojec son
COVID-19 is wo online maps. One is dually main ained by he
In e na ional Fede a ion o Public His o y and Made by Us, a
collabo a i e o b ing his o y o young people. The o he one
is pa o a “b oade esea ch p ojec on he impac o
COVID-19 on museum digi al s a egies”
3
a he Uni e si y o
G az. Unlike he IFPH map, which lis s ini ia i es om all
so s o ins i u ions, he la e only includes museums, bu
has he ad an age o p o iding fil e s. Fo ou pu poses, he
mos use ul fil e is “con empo a y collec ing p ojec s:”mos
o he o he s, such as “ i ual ou s”o “educa ional con en ,
”a e no specifically ela ed o COVID-19. Bo h o hese maps
ha e a bias owa ds No h Ame ica and Wes e n Eu ope ha
is ob ious a fi s sigh . The o e all alue o maps like hese is
simul aneously hei main p oblem: hey gene a e isibili y
o any p ojec s ha a e pinned he e andobscu e any ha a e
no .
F om hese maps, I selec ed 10 p ojec s o hei di-
e si y in e ms o app oach and geog aphy. They a e
based in 10 di e en coun ies on i e con inen s, bu six o
hem come om Eu ope.
4
The eason o his bias is no
only my pe sonal s andpoin and he o e ep esen a ion o
*Co esponding au ho : Tizian Zum hu m, Pos doc o al Resea che ,
Public His o y, Luxembou g Cen e o Con empo a y and Digi al
His o y (C2DH), Esch-su -Alze e, Luxembou g,
E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
1I would like o hank Da id Dean o his guidance in concep ualizing
his a icle, S e an K ebs o his help ul inpu s on a d a o his pape ,
and he wo e iewe s o hei use ul commen s. Sa ah Coope has
done a g ea job in p oo eading he ex . Resea ch on his a icle was
suppo ed by he Co id-19 as - ack g an 14704989 o he
Luxembou g Na ional Resea ch Fund (FNR).
2WARCne p o ides a good o e iew o he ac i i y o a ious
na ional a chi es in Eu ope.
3“Abou ,”Museum digi al ini ia i es du ing he Co ona i us
Pandemic, accessed Ap il 28, 2021, h ps://digi almuseums.a /abou .
h ml.
4I am unable o p esen a p ojec om Asiabecause hey a e in sc ip s
ha I canno ead. The e a e public collec ion p ojec s by, o example,
he Na ional Taiwan Museum o His o y o Kansai Uni e si y in Japan.
In e na ional Public His o y. 2021; 4(1): 77–83
Open Access. © 2021 Tizian Zum hu m, published by De G uy e . This wo k is licensed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional
License.
he egion on he abo e-men ioned maps; i is also o
ensu e a mo e balanced ep esen a ion o ins i u ional
backg ounds: while fi e o he ini ia i es we e launched a
uni e si ies, h ee a e om museums, one om an a chi e,
and one om a lib a y.
This di e si y p o ides many di e en poin s o iew
on he global pandemic, bu is no wi hou i s p oblems.
The shee numbe o p ojec s, and e en mo e so hei
mul i ude o pe spec i es, scopes, hemes, and echnical
solu ions, make b oade analy ical compa isons di icul .
Mo eo e , mos collec ing e o s emain local o na ional,
and hus ansna ional ques ions will be challenging o
ackle. Ha ing said ha , i is impo an o ecognize ha i
is he online a ailabili y o a ious global collec ions
which opens up possibili ies o compa a i e esea ch in
he i s place.
The ini ia i es a e p esen ed in pai s o enable some
deg ee o compa ison and o p opose esea ch ques ions,
wi h occasional e e ences o addi ional p ojec s in oo -
no es. I dis inguish be ween wo app oaches o collec ing.
The i s six p ojec s ga he mo e speci ic ma e ial in e ms
o heme o o m, while he las ou issued a mo e open call
o ma e ial.
1 Collec ing Speci ic Answe s
The p ojec s p esen ed in his sec ion asked speci ic
ques ions o a selec ed g oup o indi iduals abou how hey
expe ienced he pandemic. This was done h ough a ious
means, including by elephone, ideo, o email. In gene al,
his way o collec ing equi es mo e ime and o ganiza ion
han o he s and hus he e a e compa a i ely ew ini ia-
i es ha op o his app oach.
5
The Lockdown Dia ies om Cape Town is a Wo dP ess
blog by poli ical s udies schola s a he Uni e si y o he
Wes e n Cape and in e na ional de elopmen schola s a
he Uni e si y o Edinbu gh. Se en y people om Cape
Town sha e hei expe iences ia s uc u ed Wha sApp
in e iews. Be ween Ap il and July 2020, he esea che s
chose 26 cu en de elopmen s and some mo e gene al
hemes o o mula e 3–6 specific ques ions o each. The
opics ange om schooling o he ban on smoking and
d inking o c ime o us in go e nmen . The blog has e y
good in o ma ion on he pa icipan s wi h de ails abou
hei age and gende and he ype o se lemen hey li e in.
Thei anonymi y is p o ec ed, bu i is unclea how hey
we e selec ed.
The dia ies o answe s a e no published in ull, bu
a he appea as summa ized ex s wi h long quo a ions.
These gi e oice o he pa icipan s and p o ide a consid-
e able numbe o pe spec i es and hemes, while allowing
he eade o iden i y he mos impo an issues. In addi-
ion, he esea ch eam has published 10 ex s ha analyze
he con ibu ions. They e lec , o example, on he impac
o he Sou h A ican social g an s, on how he pandemic
a ec ed he inequali ies o he school sys em, and on he
poli ical economy o umo s in he ci y. In i s analy ical
dimension, he pla o m goes u he han mos o he
COVID-19 collec ions.
Be ween June and Augus 2020, he Reposi o y o Di-
dac ic Ma e ial o His o y Teaching (REMADIH) a he
Uni e si y o Al enas in B azil published a se ies o s uc-
u ed w i en in e iews wi h 35 pa icipan s, many o
whom ha e a uni e si y backg ound. They had he possi-
bili y o emaining anonymous, bu mos o hem ag eed o
p o ide in o ma ion abou hei age, gende , ace, p o es-
sion, and place o o igin. All o hem answe ed he same
fi e ques ions: Wha do you hink you will emembe abou
he pandemic? And wha do hey wan o o ge ? Wha has
changed in hei ela ionship wi h people close o hem and
wi h he en i onmen , including o ms o housing and
means o consump ion? Wha is hei ou ine du ing he
pandemic? Finally, pa icipan s we e asked o w i e fi e
wo ds ha define his momen o hem.
As opposed o he Lockdown Dia ies, which a e a he
unusual in his ega d, i is less easy o iden i y opics o
common conce n in he Al enas p ojec . Bu he ac ha all
eplies a e o he same ques ions allows o mo e openness
in analysis and easy compa ison. The ques ions a e p ecise
enough o igge meaning ul esponses, while s ill
allowing a di e se a ay o opics o be add essed. These
wo case s udies show ha he main ad an age o s uc-
u ed in e iews is ob aining insigh s ha a e mo e i id
and de ailed han wi h o he o ms o collec ing. A he
5The NHS a 70 p ojec a he Uni e si y o Manches e swi ched o
elephone in e iews a he s a o he pandemic and asked pa ici-
pan s, o example, wha hei fi s memo y o COVID-19 was. The New
Zealand Minis y o Cul u e & He i age encou aged people o p oduce
hei own o al his o ies and p o ided a lis o ques ions, o ins ance:
wha we e people doing du ing lockdown o wha we e hey hoping o
achie e du ing his ime. In Aus alia, he S a e Lib a y Vic o ia
launched a Memo y Bank and pos ed a weekly heme o fi e mon hs.
S a ing wi h “wha ’s in you idge?”, he hemes also included
“design a pos e o compose a slogan o p omo e public sa e y h ough
he pandemic”and ended wi h “wha do you wan people in 100 yea s
om now o know abou his ime?”People could send in hei e-
sponses ia Facebook, om whe e hey a e now di ficul o e ie e.
None o hese ini ia i es has so a published he con ibu ions in a
sys ema ic way, which means ha we canno ell how success ul hey
we e.
78 T. Zum hu m
same ime, his app oach al eady pu s o wa d a ce ain
na a i e abou he pandemic, as he in e iewe de-
e mines he con en a leas o some deg ee.
6
2 Collec ing Speci ic Objec s o
E en s
Ano he app oach o a chi ing COVID-19 ma e ial is o ask
people o speci ic i ems o expe iences ha a e connec ed
o he pandemic. Many museums op o his app oach;
mos do no collec objec s hemsel es, bu a he pho o-
g aphs ea u ing objec s. A numbe o pla o ms asked
people o sha e pic u es o public documen s, such as
go e nmen egula ions o pos e s in ba s and shops. O en
hese ini ia i es a e e y local in scope, bu he e a e
excep ions.
7
F om he Alpina ium comes one example o he
coun less p ojec s un by small- own museums. Loca ed in
Gal ü , a municipali y wi h less han 800 inhabi an s in he
Aus ian egion o Ty ol, he Alpina ium has asked people
o send in selfies o hemsel es wea ing a mask. On i s
websi e, he museum has published almos 200 pic u es,
many o which a e mo e o mal po ai s a he han selfies.
The online collec ing o m is e y b ie and simple, which
lowe s he ba ie o con ibu e. I comes a a cos , howe e ,
in ha he e is no addi ional in o ma ion abou he pho os,
such as da e o place.
The mask is a ypical and ecu ing objec in many
collec ions on he pandemic, a leas in he Wes . I would
be in e es ing o analyze whe he his is also ue o o he
egions, especially Asia. While masks may ha e become
edious o some by now, he backg ound o he pho os a
he Alpina ium o addi ional objec s ha people pose wi h
can be in e es ing o his o ians o e e yday li e. In addi-
ion, his widesp ead conce n wi h masks by collec o s and
con ibu o s alike is o his o ical signi icance i sel as i can
ell us and u u e his o ians some hing abou how socie ies
and indi iduals espond o public heal h measu es and
challenges.
Hun e Li ing His o ies asked i s communi y o docu-
men how hey celeb a ed 2020 Anzac Day a home. The
commemo a ion o allen soldie s om he Aus alian and
New Zealand A my Co ps could no be celeb a ed as usual
wi h public dawn se ices and ce emonies; ins ead, i had
o be held in p i a e ya ds. Hun e Li ing His o ies is an
ini ia i e abou communi y his o y and conse a ion in
Aus alia’s Hun e Region and is based a he Uni e si y o
Newcas le Lib a y’s Cul u al Collec ions. Pe sonal es i-
monies o Anzac a home could be sha ed by email and he
ins i u ion published app oxima ely 75 con ibu ions om
abou 40 con ibu o s.
8
People e ealed hei names and
mos ly sha ed pho og aphs wi h sho desc ip ions and
in o ma ion on whe e hey we e aken, bu some also
o e ed longe eflec ions.
Like he abo e p ojec on masks, his ini ia i e illus-
a es how people eac o public heal h measu es. Since
he day was celeb a ed among amilies in p i a e ya ds,
masks we e la gely absen . The b oade heme o mo ing
public and p i a e ga he ings o he home is, o cou se,
a he pe sis en on a global le el. Many en ies on mo e
open pla o ms deal wi h how people spen na ional o
eligious holidays and bi hdays. This opens up ans-
na ional compa isons o how commemo a i e e en s ha e
changed du ing he pandemic. A he same ime, Hun e
Li ing His o ies and he Alpina ium show how aluable i
can be o an ins i u ion o be locally g ounded o gene -
a ing es imonies.
9
6Fo discussions on he ole o na a i es in c owdsou ced his o y
and memo y s udies see: Ma k Hedges and S ua Dunn, Academic
C owdsou cing in he Humani ies: C owds, Communi ies and Co-P o-
duc ion (Camb idge: Chandos Publishing, 2017), especially Chap e 8;
Timo hy Recube , “The P osump ion o Commemo a ion: Disas e s,
Digi al Memo y Banks, and Online Collec i e Memo y,”Ame ican
Beha io al Scien is 56, no. 4 (2012): 531–49; Ped o Telles da Sil ei a,
“F om Ins an His o y o he Infini e A chi e: Digi al A chi ing,
Memo y and he P ac ical Pas a he Roy Rosenzweig Cen e o His-
o y and New Media,”His o ein 17, no. 2 (2018). doi: h ps://doi.o g/10.
12681/his o ein.10964.
7The hash ag # i inesenconfinemen , based a Pa is Nan e e Uni-
e si y, in i es people o send pic u es o windows in public spaces.
The pla o m is na ional in scope, bu has ecei ed a conside able
numbe o con ibu ions om beyond F ance among i s mo e han
3000 pho os ( oughly wo- hi ds o which a e published). The
Museum F on es e in Neuma k am Walle see (a own wi h ca. 6400
inhabi an s in Aus ia) simila ly asked o public signs, bu also pe -
sonal emails and o he hings. They ha e published almos 100 con-
ibu ions on an ex e nal websi e.
8I is a common obse a ion in c owdsou cing p ojec s ha
compa a i ely ew use s con ibu e a disp opo iona e amoun o he
ma e ial (T e o Owens, “Digi al Cul u al He i age and he C owd,”
Cu a o : The Museum Jou nal 56, no. 1 (2013): 121–30; Hedges and
Dunn, Academic C owdsou cing).
9The ole o locali y (spa ial and social) in c owdsou cing me i s
u he a en ion. Fo a p elimina y discussion in a business con ex
see: And eas Mladenow, Ch is ine Baue , Ch is ine S auss, and
Michal G egus, “Collabo a ion and Locali y in C owdsou cing”(pape
p esen ed a he In e na ional Con e ence on In elligen Ne wo king
and Collabo a i e Sys ems, Taipai, Taiwan, Sep embe 2–4, 2015). doi:
h ps://doi.o g/10.1109/INCoS.2015.74.
C owdsou ced COVID-19 Collec ions 79
3 Collec ing om Speci ic G oups
The p ojec s in his sec ion ga he iews on he pandemic
om a clea ly dema ca ed a ge g oup ha is no de ined
geog aphically. Gi en he ich ou come, i is, in e ospec , a
pi y ha e y ew ins i u ions op ed o suchanapp oach.The
wo ini ia i es a e also unusual in hei in e na ional scope.
10
The A is s Respond p ojec was es ablished in Ap il 2020
by he Vi ual Museum o A an -Ga de. Based in C oa ia, i is
a ee pla o m ocusing on Eas e n and Cen al Eu ope and
he egion’s global connec ions. Six y a is s om all o e he
wo ld esponded o he museum’s gene al call “ o i ually
p esen he hough s and a i udes o neo-a an -ga de a is s,
hei ene gy and he message hey ha e o he p esen
momen .”
11
Thumbnails o he a is ic esponses o m he
isual cen e o he websi e. The con ibu ions can be ound
in be e quali y wi hin he indi idual po ai s o he a is s
on he bo om o he page unde he small and somewha
misleading heading “news.”These po ai s p o ide de ailed
in o ma ion abou he esponding a is s and hei wo k.
Many o he a is s do no only display one o mo e pieces o
a , bu also o e a glimpse in o hei li e, p oblems, and
eflec ions du ing he pandemic.
Co 19: Ch onicles om he Ma gins, ins i u ionally based
a he Uni e si y o Swansea in Wales, desc ibes i sel as an
“a s-based digi al e hnog aphy.”
12
The eam consis s o 11
people, wi h a is s and socio-cul u al acili a o s as well as
academics om a ious disciplines including li e a u e, so-
ciology, and de elopmen s udies, bu no his o ians. They
gene a e ma e ial o “unde s and wha li e is like du ing he
Co id-19 pandemic om he pe spec i es o c ea i e asylum-
seeke s, e ugees and mig an s in he UK and a ound he
wo ld.”
13
The i ems a e published in a galle y consis ing o 48
ideos (a is ic and documen a y), 51 pho os (so ed by
opics), 31 wo d a con ibu ions, 10 audio eco dings (music,
pe o mances, and es imonies), and 13 d awings and pain -
ings. Recen ly, hey ha e launched a digi al exhibi ion wi h
ooms on hemes ha a e ele an o mos COVID-19 collec-
ions: home, ood, ai h, communi y, ca e, c ea i i y, ga den,
and walking. Finally, he e is a ib an blog ha con inues o
be ac i e o his day, unlike many o he p ojec s ha ceased
ac i i ies a e he fi s wa e.
E en mo e so han he o he p ojec s p esen ed in his
pape , hese wo aise he ques ion o he deg ee o which
such collec ions can be conside ed public his o y. The
answe will p obably depend on he de ini ions asc ibed o
he ield by hose who encoun e said collec ions. In hei
explana ion o he A is s Respond p ojec , he ini ia o s
in e es ingly e e o bo h he public and his o y: “We wish
o he public o welcome he c ea i e ene gy o hese a -
is s –a is s who a e eady o poin ou he s a e o hings,
o espond wi h a and c ea i i y, as hey ha e done in all
di ficul imes in he pas .”
14
Like he o he collec ions,
hese a is ic ones a e use ul o eaching and esea ch on
he pandemic, no only om a his o ical pe spec i e. Mo e
cen ally, hey sha e he in e ac i e p inciple and o e all
conce n o p ese ing es imonies o people and hei
e e yday expe iences.
4 Collec ing Th ough an Open Call
P obably he mos equen way o collec ing ma e ial on
he COVID-19 pandemic is ia an open call o he public. In
his manne , people can decide hemsel es wha o docu-
men . Gi en he na u e o digi al collec ing, he ma e ial is
o en a chi ed as pho og aphs, bu he e a e some in-
s i u ions ha p ese e objec s.
15
10 The House o Eu opean His o y collec s objec s and na a i es
om ac oss he con inen , o example ainbow banne s o pho o-
g aphs o closed bo de s. The Jou nal o he Plague Yea (see las
sec ion) has collec ions on he LGBTQ communi y and on Jewish
Melbou ne. I is also an example o how di ficul i is o con ey an
in e na ional app oach. Despi e ha ing almos 14,000 i ems in i s
collec ion wi h a chi es om Aus alia, Canada, La in Ame ica (in ac
mos ly om Pe u), and he Philippines, i s map only ea u es oughly
5300 con ibu ions, abou 4000 o which a e om he USA.
11 “‘A is s Respond’p ojec ,”Museum o A an -Ga de, accessed
Ap il 28, 2021, h p://www.a an ga de-museum.com/en/museum/
p ojec s/a is s- espond-p ojec /.
12 “Aims and Objec i es,”COV19: Ch onicles om he Ma gins,
accessed Ap il 28, 2021, h ps://co 19ch onicles.com/4907-2/.
13 “C ea i ely Ch onicling Co id19,”COV19: Ch onicles om he
Ma gins, accessed Ap il 28, 2021, h ps://co 19ch onicles.com/.
14 “‘A is s Respond’p ojec ,”Museum o A an -Ga de, accessed
Ap il 28, 2021, h p://www.a an ga de-museum.com/en/museum/
p ojec s/a is s- espond-p ojec /.
15 In la e Ma ch 2020, he Wien Museum launched a call o pho os o
objec s ha exempli y changes in p i a e and p o essional li e. On i s
websi e, i published 235 ou o he 6000 pho os ecei ed. In June, i
s a ed o ga he he physical objec s o s o e and eco ded he s o ies
ela ed wi h hem. People can s ill p opose ma e ial. The Wes e n
De elopmen Museum in Saska chewan, Canada, hos s a simple
c owdsou ced exhibi ion wi h oughly 150 pic u es on how he p o -
ince iews he global pandemic. Via an online o m, people can up-
load pho os and w i e some hing abou hem. The Na ional Museum o
Aus alia has c ea ed “B idging he Dis ance –Sha ing ou COVID-19
Pandemic Expe iences,”a public Facebook g oup whe e people a e
encou aged o sha e pe sonal s o ies and expe iences. The Lib a y o
he Uni e si y o Chile has g ouped hei own 173 con ibu ions in he
ollowing ca ego ies: pho os, ideos, le e s/ ex s, d awings, audios,
memes. A Google accoun is necessa y o sha e hese.
80 T. Zum hu m
Il Museo della Qua an ena s ands ou among he
many examples o open collec ing by smalle museums
because o i s ca e ul app oach o es he ics. I is an
ini ia i e o he T iden ine Diocesan Museum in cen al
T en o, a ci y wi h oughly 120,000 inhabi an s in I aly. I
has ecei ed o e 180 con ibu ions so a , which can be
sen by email, Facebook Messenge , o p i a e Ins ag am
message. Each one comes wi h a da e, a sho desc ip-
ion, and a name o pseudonym. The p ojec displays he
i ems online as i hey we e a is ic o a cheological ob-
jec s and he e has been an ou doo exhibi ion wi h
p in ou s in he same design. The websi e is g ea o look
a and b owse h ough, bu he e is no sea ch engine and
he con ibu ions do no ha e ags.
Mémoi es de Nan es confinée is, o my knowledge,
he only ini ia i e by an a chi e ha publishes wha i
collec s. The municipal a chi e o his F ench ci y wi h
314,000 inhabi an s ga he s con ibu ions ia email o
Ins ag am hash ag. I has mos ly ecei ed pho os, bu
also some ex s and ideos. Like many o he pla o ms o
his kind, he a chi e does no indica e de ails like place
and da e. Mos con ibu o s emain anonymous, bu hey
p o ide a longe o sho e desc ip ion o hei en y.
Some pic u es pop up se e al imes in sligh ly di e en
e sions o wi h di e en cap ions. I is no clea wha
exac ly is being published, as he si e does no always
load hesamenumbe o images. The pla o m illus a es
ha no e e y echnical solu ion is equally sui able o
anspa en when i comes o a chi ing con ibu ions
om he public and p esen ing hem online in a well-
a anged manne .
In such open collec ions, con ibu o s decide wha is
impo an and wo hy o a chi ing. This allows esea che s
o de ec pa e ns and o compa e o e all de elopmen s
om which hey can d aw b oade conclusions. One di i-
cul y will be o ind he igh ools and me hods o ca y ou
such an analysis, gi en he a ie y o echnical solu ions.
Mo e impo an ly, we need be awa e ha no collec ion
p ocess can be absolu ely open. F aming ma e s g ea ly
and he use o social media, o example, a o s hose who
use such pla o ms.
5 Collec ing wi h Omeka S
This las sec ion p esen s wo p ojec s ha collec h ough
an open call using Omeka S, a con en managemen sys em
de eloped a he Roy Rosenzweig Cen e o His o y and
New Media. Omeka S is ailo ed o digi al exhibi ions and
has o en been used o apid esponse collec ions. The
p ojec s enable e e yone o upload and la gely cons uc
hei en ies hemsel es, wi h cu a o s subsequen ly
e iewing and publishing hem. The map iew ha is
usually inco po a ed gi es use s an immedia e o e iew o
he numbe o i ems and whe e hey come om. These
ini ia i es a e o en based a uni e si ies and ha e a na-
ional o ins i u ional ocus.
16
One o he majo COVID-19 c owdsou ced a chi es is
he Jou nal o he Plague Yea , launched a A izona S a e
Uni e si y. I p obably o ms he wo ld’s la ges collec ion
on he pandemic, wi h o e 14,000 i ems om a ious
a filia ed ini ia i es and a cu a o ial eam o “mo e han
300 a chi is s, acul y, s a , s uden s, eache s, and public
his o y p ac i ione s and o ganiza ions.”
17
One o hei
collec ions is he Ca le on Co id-19 A chi e om he libe al
a s college o he same name in No hfield, a own wi h 20,
000 inhabi an s in Minneso a. The p ojec is a collabo a-
ion be ween he a chi e and a ious ou each p og ams o
he college and has ecei ed o e 400 con ibu ions so a .
I ames i s mission in e ms o public his o y o explain
why such p ojec s ma e : public his o y no only “wea es
he his o ian in o he na a i e,”i also “o e s a way o
engaging c i ically wi h he pas while ne e losing sigh o
ou oles in c ea ing he u u e.”
18
Like many o he p ojec s a ilia ed wi h he Jou nal o
he Plague Yea , he cu a o s o he Ca le on COVID-19
A chi e ac i ely collec and each ou o he communi y
membe s in o de o gene a e con ibu ions. O en, his
p ocess includes s uden s who no only cu a e public
submissions bu also p oduce en ies hemsel es, ga he
ma e ial, and design exhibi ions. The si e ea u es 17 col-
lec ions and 4 exhibi s. The o me g oup he con ibu ions
by a ious opics o en y ype, such as a el, gene a ional
dispa i ies, a icles om he college magazine, o com-
muni y pho os. The la e p o ide e lec ions and con ex
on speci ic hemes, o example his o ic pandemics in he
a ea, using i ems om he collec ion. In addi ion, you can
16 Fo an o e iew o he pla o ms om Aus ia, Ge many, Po ugal,
and Swi ze land, see: Ma co Gabellini and Tizian Zum hu m,
“Collabo a i e COVID-19 Memo y Banks: His o y and Challenges,”
The Luxembou g Cen e o Con empo a y and Digi al His o y, las
modified Janua y 19, 2021, accessed Ap il 28, 2021, h ps://www.c2dh.
uni.lu/ hinke ing/collabo a i e-co id-19-memo y-banks-his o y-and-
challenges.
17 “NCPH-Pee -Re iew-Round able,”The Jou nal o he Plague Yea ,
accessed Ap il 28, 2021, h ps://co id-19a chi e.o g/s/a chi e/page/
ncph.
18 “Welcome o he Ca le on Co id-19 A chi e,”Ca le on Co id-19
A chi e, accessed Ap il 28, 2021, h ps://co id19a chi e.si es.ca le on.
edu/.
C owdsou ced COVID-19 Collec ions 81
b owse he i ems by ag o ia a map and he e is a sea ch
unc ion.
The p ojec co idmemo y.lu, which I help main ain,
is based a he Luxembou g Cen e o Con empo a y and
Digi al His o y (C2DH) and has a compa a i ely passi e
app oach o collec ing; he e a e no cu a o s who
app oach indi iduals o g oups and ask hem o
con ibu e. Like simila p ojec s, we pos ed ad e ise-
men s in public spaces and on social media and ga e
in e iews o newspape s, adio, and ele ision. So a ,
we ha e acqui ed oughly 340 con ibu ions, abou 330
o which a e published. The main eason o no pub-
lishing a con ibu ion has been ha he e was no ob ious
connec ion wi h he pandemic. Possible copy igh in-
ingemen s we e o only mino conce n and ha e speech
o acism ha e no been an issue. Like mos Omeka S
ini ia i es, a map, in ou case combined wi h a imeline,
acili a es b owsing. When he si e is elaunched in May/
June 2021, i will ea u e exhibi ions on peculia i ems,
like a se ies o d awings and ca oons, o opics o
b oade in e es , like homeschooling. I will also hos
collec ions om o he p ojec s, o example o al his o y
es imonies wi h a ious heal h ca e ep esen a i es
ca ied ou by membe s o he C2DH and o he in-
s i u ions, such as he collec ion o COVID- ela ed ob-
jec s ga he ed by Luxembou g’s Na ional Museum o
His o y and A . We a e s ill hinking abou he bes way
o assign and in eg a e ags o acili a e esea ch and
e ain a clea s uc u e.
When i comes o he con en o he con ibu ions on
co idmemo y.lu, we we esu p ised by he high numbe o
i ems wi h a c ea i e spin and by he ac ha many had a
a he posi i e pe spec i e on he si ua ion. Looking
h ough he o he p ojec s p esen ed in his pape , espe-
cially hose wi h an open call, I obse ed simila pa e ns.
These need o be nuanced in he u u e h ough mo e in-
dep h analyses, bu a ew hough s a e wo h o mula ing.
Social g oups close o he ini ia o s o he p ojec s appea
o be o e ep esen ed. These indi iduals o en had he
p i ilege o being able o use he unexpec ed spa e ime
gene a ed by pandemic measu es in c ea i e and mind ul
ways. I seems o me o be equally impo an ha many
collec ing ini ia i es esemble social media pla o ms in
hei s uc u e and aming, especially in hei common
ocus on ego-documen s, which encou ages social-
media-like sel -p esen a ion. Besides excluding hose
ha do no use Facebook o Ins ag am, his app oach
ends o p oduce mo e o he same kind o con ibu ions.
I uns he isk o c ea ing a se ies o indi idualis ic s o ies
a he han encou aging use s o engage wi h a a ie y o
eme ging na a i es and c ea e a mul iplici y o accoun s.
The collec ions’ esemblance o social media also ex-
plains why, ac oss all collec ions, he i s wa e gene a ed
many mo e con ibu ions. O e ime, “co ona a igue”
sp ead and people had no hing new o say. This lack o
no el y makes social-media-like sel -p esen a ion a less
a ac i e op ion.
6 Conclusion
The a ie y o c owdsou ced COVID-19 a chi es is
imp essi e, in e ms o hei echnical solu ions, ap-
p oaches o collec ing, as well as he spa ial and hema ic
scopes hey ha e adop ed. The p ojec s p esen ed in his
pape illus a e ha local unde akings ha a e spa ially o
socially close o he en isioned pa icipan s can gene a e
plen i ul his o ical ma e ial om a b oade public. Con-
ibu o s wo ldwide a e conce ned wi h he e y angible
e ec s o poli ical decisions on public and p i a e li e and
a e happy o documen hei own eac ions o hese de-
cisions. These dynamics a e o cen al impo ance o his-
o ians o e e yday li e in gene al and o public his o ians
in pa icula .
Engaging wi h he c ea ion, main enance, display, and
analysis o c owdsou ced a chi es on he pandemic hus
os e s e lec ions on public his o ians’ ole in socie y and on
he na u e o he ield. When hey es ablish and s udy such
collec ions on cu en issues, especially when hey con ex-
ualize hese in he o m o exhibi ions, schola s (including
his o ians) p o ide p elimina y na a i es. While so doing,
hey a e eminded o hei ole in c ea ing he u u e, o use
he wo ds o ou colleagues a Ca le on College.
19
In his way,
he pandemic has had a conside able impac on he discipline
o his o y, which is o en wa y o p esen ism.
I hey a e o be o eal use o u u e esea ch, col-
lec ions ha e o be accessible; hey ha e o be main ained
and a chi ed in he long e m. Such sus ainabili y is
c ucial,bu i isno easy oachie e.
20
Alongside his basic
issue, a delica e p oblem o mos c owdsou ced COVID-19
collec ionsis ha manygaps emain.Se e alsocial
g oups and noncon o mis o skep ical iews emain
19 “Welcome o he Ca le on Co id-19 A chi e,”Ca le on Co id-19
A chi e, accessed Ap il 28, 2021, h ps://co id19a chi e.si es.
ca le on.edu/.
20 Ch is ine Ba a s, Valé ie Scha e , and And eas Ficke s, “Fading
Away …The Challenge o Sus ainabili y in Digi al S udies,”Digi al
Humani ies Qua e ly 14, no. 3 (2020). h p://www.digi alhumani ies.
o g/dhq/ ol/14/3/000484/000484.h ml.
82 T. Zum hu m
unde ep esen ed. The same is ue o people ha ha e
con ac ed he disease. While u u e his o ians on he
pandemic will find plen y o ma e ial on a ious aspec s
o e e yday li e, a leas om specificsocialg oups, hey
migh ha e ouble finding documen a ion on o ficial
decision-making p ocesses. In some coun ies, a chi is s
c i icize he ocus on c owdsou cing e e yday expe i-
ences. This emphasis akes away he esponsibili y o
a chi es o documen poli ical p ocesses and p e en s he
c ea ion o collec ions on issues ha migh be mo e
ele an in he u u e.
21
Bu i isalwaysdi ficul o p edic
he u u e, e en o public his o ians.
21 Ma ie-Anne Chabin, “Co id-19 e a chi age,”Le blog de Ma ie-
Anne Chabin, las modified July 1, 2020, accessed Ap il 28, 2021,
h ps://www.ma ieannechabin. /2020/07/co id-19-e -a chi age/.
C owdsou ced COVID-19 Collec ions 83
