The University of Hamburg launches corona archive

It wants to preserve memories of the crisis and its impact on public life

Everyone knows that we are living in unprecedented times. The coronavirus crisis will likely shape the future of technological development and political approaches for decades to come – and it will most likely be one of the most impactful periods of our lifetimes.

At least that is what some academics and scientists seem to believe, as they have launched a brand-new platform – the Corona Archive (coronarchiv). It aims to preserve the memories of everyone who is living through the quarantine and has something to share with future generations – much like the goal of the Dolenjska Museum’s similar initiative.

A landmark project for unique circumstances

The goal of the Corona Archive is to become a massive collection of all sorts of things that can serve as an example of how people lived through self-isolation, social distancing and quarantine – personal memories, items and different objects.

In theory, everything can find a place in the Corona Archive, so long as it can be digitized – videos, shopping lists, chats, social media posts, warnings and notices, articles, letters, e-mails – you name it, so long as it contributes to understanding how people felt and overcame the crisis.

The academics spearheading the project are convinced that once humanity has put the corona crisis behind it, contextualizing its events will become an even harder task – that is why there is a great need for as many different memories to be collected from as many different sources as possible, allowing for future researchers to make sense of what has transpired.

Furthermore, while there is still no clear vision of how life will go on after the crisis is past us, one thing is for certain – its memory will have a lasting impact on everyone.

You can find out more about the project and even contribute by visiting the Corona Archive for yourselves.