Join us in creating a living history archive documenting the response of the UCR community to COVID-19.

Andrea Hoff's primary role as the University Archivist is to document the history of UCR, including current events. To that end, she has issued a broad call for materials and created an online form, which UCR community members can use to submit materials documenting their unique experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the UCR community.

"Initially, we were only archiving emails documenting the university’s response to the pandemic," Hoff explained. "But as the situation has evolved and the extent of the impact has become more apparent, we’ve decided to include materials that document more extensively those lived experiences by members of the UCR community."

A living history project, Hoff's goal is to amass a collection of primary sources that reflect the individual and collective experiences of UCR students, student organizations, faculty, researchers, and staff during this global pandemic, to preserve and record history as it happens.

"We are open to various formats, but items such as journals, diaries, photographs, and video are welcome," Hoff said. "We are also open to materials related to COVID-19 from campus departments and organizations."

One example of a primary source in Special Collections, such as the Fujimoto family diaries, which offer a glimpse into one family's experience during a distinct period of U.S. history. The Fujimoto diaries chronicle the lives of a Japanese-American father and son who lived in Riverside during WWII, spanning before, during, and after the family was forced into an internment camp.

With her current project, Hoff hopes to collect materials that will do the same for UCR during the COVID-19 global pandemic.