We find ourselves living in a historic moment. The outbreak of COVID-19 has thrust the LSU community into the unprecedented challenges of safely living, working, teaching and learning during a pandemic. LSU Libraries Special Collections is launching a campus-wide initiative to record the personal experiences of LSU students, staff and faculty during the outbreak and contribute them to the University Archives. We encourage you to share stories, photos, videos, audio recordings, visual & textual creative works and other documentation about your experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic at lib.lsu.edu/special/covid-stories. 

What should I document? 

The pandemic and stay-at-home orders are affecting each of us in different ways. Think about the ways that this is affecting you, and submit only what you feel comfortable sharing. Listed below are a few suggestions. You are not required to use the suggested prompts. 

Prompts for students 

• What is it like to take all of your classes online? What do you feel like you’re missing from not being in the classroom? Are any parts of the experience better? 
• What do you miss most about the campus? 
• How has socialization changed during this period? 
• If you’re graduating this semester, how are you planning to celebrate? 

Prompts for faculty and staff

• If you’re at home, what has it been like? How much of your work can be done remotely? 
• If you’re still on campus, what is it like with so many people working and studying remotely? How are you keeping safe? 
• Are you trying to balance work with caring for children or family members? 
• How are you keeping up with your colleagues? 
• How much of your teaching have you been able to move online? How have you adapted your syllabus and teaching style? 
• Are you able to continue with your research? How has your research process changed? 

Prompts for everyone

• How are you communicating with family and friends? 
• What is life like in your town during the pandemic? What does social distancing look like around you? 

How do I submit?

Visit Documenting COVID-19 at LSU to begin your submission.

What materials do you accept? 

We are taking only digital materials at this time. We can accept material in a variety of digital formats including: jpg, png, tiff, mp4, mov, mp3, wav, txt, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx.  

What happens after I submit my material? 

Materials will be reviewed by Special Collections staff, and selected files will be preserved as a permanent part of the University Archives. Some materials may also be included in the Louisiana Digital Library.

What if my material includes sensitive information or information about other people? 

Please only share things that you are comfortable with other people seeing. The submissions we collect will become a permanent part of the University Archives and will be available for research. 

If you include other people in your submission, please make sure they are aware that the material will be archived and available to the general public. We’ll ask you for submission of supporting documentation about this.

For questions or assistance, please contact us at lsucovidstories@lsu.edu.