When the World Shuts Down: Collections Access and Interpretation in a Time of COVID

Abstract

Abstract If the current COVID-19 pandemic has given archivists anything, it is the time to look strongly at current institutional programs. Whether it has made many consider the basic survival of their repositories, the efficacy of their outreach and collecting practices, or how to advocate for themselves to their users and governing bodies, the result is still a razor sharp look at their methodology. Through this, many have created additional documentation, expanded description practices, and even built new capacities entirely. This article will look at case studies of projects at two institutions – Seton Hall University and Georgetown University Law Library – that have creatively leveraged their resources during the coronavirus pandemic to both build on their collecting capabilities and expanded their outreach potential.