The Queens Public Library wants your COVID-19 story

The Queens Public Library, the Queens College Library and the nonprofit Urban Archive are asking residents to share their pandemic stories for a large community record. Photo via NYC.gov

By Victoria Merlino

What’s your pandemic story?

The Queens Public Library, the Queens College Library and the tech nonprofit Urban Archive want to hear it.

The three organizations are joining forces to launch the COVID-19 Project, a community archive that will record the thoughts, feelings and personal experiences of residents living in the epicenter of the pandemic. 

Residents who wish to contribute stories can call the toll-free number 855-QNS-LOVE. The project is accepting audio testimonies, photos and written testimonies, and will conduct remote long-form interviews. 

“Queens remains the epicenter of the pandemic in New York City, with many residents working on the front lines and providing essential services to community members,”  said Natalie Milbrodt, QPL’s coordinator of metadata services and the founding director of the Queens Memory Project. Queens Memory is the community archiving program run by QPL and the Queens College Library that the COVID-19 Project originates from.

“The stories they are sharing with us today will be an invaluable resource to those in the future trying to understand this turbulent time in world history,” Milbrodt said.

Residents’ stories will become part of the Queens Memory digital collection at QPL and the Queens College Library, as well as be available to online researchers. 

To submit stories, visit qplnyc.urbanarchive.me/cities/nyc.