The COVID-19 pandemic turned the world on its head! The event has continued to come in waves, devastating so many things we took for granted — our institutions, our economy and our way of life. The world has had to reorder its priorities, making rapid adjustments and hoping to keep people safe and healthy. During this upheaval, first responders stepped up to take up the fight on a war-footing!
Many first responders who graduated from the Auburn School of Nursing (AUSON) recorded their experiences during the chaos that ensued. The school published a book — AUBURN NURSING, LIVING THE CREED During the COVID-19 Pandemic — capturing the accounts of alumni, friends and students who worked tirelessly to save lives. “For all of them, the experience has left an indelible, lifechanging mark — personally and professionally,” said Dean Gregg Newschwander. The dean presented the AUBURN NURSING book to Dr. Tommy Brown, archivist and associate professor at the University’s Special Collections and Archives Department, to add to his collection.
The department recently started an archival project titled AUnique Time. Conceived by archivist Lisa Glasscock, the project collects COVID-related items, documents, photos and experiences pertaining to the Auburn Family and the local Auburn community. The idea for the project developed when the department noticed it had very little in its collection directly from the 1918 influenza pandemic. A plaque commemorating the work of Auburn’s volunteer nurses was placed in the archives after it was removed from Langdon Hall, but it was not directly from the time of the 1918 pandemic.
Brown seeks the help of students, faculty, staff, alumni and local Auburn residents for contributions to add to the university collection of artifacts recording the pandemic, hoping to preserve a piece of the present for the future and to remember how Auburn fared throughtout the health crisis.
To date, the department has received around 50 physical items for the project ranging from T-shirts to masks, wellness kits, campus signage of University COVID guidelines and local newspapers featuring pandemic-focused stories.
The aim of the project is not only to take in physical items, Brown added, but accounts of life during the pandemic told through audio and video recordings. Those interested in contributing digital files to the project can complete a Qualtrics form available on the Auburn University Special Collections Archives Department website.
