Staff at this B.C. museum want to read personal diary entries written during the pandemic - Action News
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British Columbia

Staff at this B.C. museum want to read personal diary entries written during the pandemic

It's been said that we are living in unprecedented times. Now,a B.C. museum wants to ensurefuture generations can get a sense of what it was like to live through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Trail Museum and Archives is planning to exhibit records for future generations

Staff at the Trail Museum and Archives is really hoping to receive diaries that document the experience of essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. (Credit: iStock/Getty Images)

It's been said that we are living in unprecedented times.

Now,a B.C. museum wants to ensurefuture generations can get a sense of what it was like to live through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Trail Museum and Archives in the West Kootenayregion of the provinceis asking area residents to donate their diaries, journals or other personal records that reflect how they felt and what they didduring the coronavirus outbreak.

The plan is to exhibitthese first-hand accounts at the museum years from now to give the public a sense of this historic moment.

"We can read the news. We can read the measures that are being put in place, but we don't really know how that lands with people," said museum managerSarah Benson-Lord in an interview on Daybreak South.

She said a good journal entry could includethe small details of daily living,writing about your emotions and ethical dilemmas, such as risking a trip to the shops for one item.

Anyone interested in donating their personal records to the Trail Museum and Archives can bring them to the facility, located at the city's Riverfront Centre on Bay Avenue, after the emergency health orders are lifted and the museum reopens. (trailhistory.com/museum)

Benson-Lord also recommends writing as if you expect someone to read it, rather than just keeping basic records about case numbers and daily tasks.

"I'd love to know what people are learning about themselves," she said,adding that keeping a journal is also an opportunity for peoplewho don't sound off on social media to vent their frustrations.

The museum staff is particularly interested insubmissions from essentialworkers that reveal their feelings and fears while working on the front lines of the health crisis.

Benson-Lord said the exhibition won't be displayed for at least five years, likely longer. She said the wait is necessary to see what ramifications the pandemic will have on society.

Museum staff can copy any donated records, so donors can keep a copy for themselves and donors can ask for privacy protectionif their entries are particularly sensitive.

Donations can be made in-person at the Trail Museum and Archives at the city's Riverfront Centre once emergency orders are lifted and the facility reopens. Questions for museum staff can be emailed tohistory@trail.ca.

With files from Daybreak South