Is submitting to the Coronavirus Collection voluntary? Yes. This collection is set up to allow OWU community members to share their thoughts about a world-changing event in whatever way they see fit. This means that you are in no way required to submit work, even if you have completed the submission form. Also, if you need to change the scope or format of your project midway through, just let us know.
I’m not affiliated with OWU as a student, faculty, staff member, or alumnus. Can I still participate? No. At this time, we are only accepting submissions from members of the above groups.
What should I submit? This is really and truly entirely up to you! We are interested in how the pandemic has affected the lives, work, and experiences of OWU community members in ways big and small. We anticipate that what you want to share and the ways that you want to express it will be unique to you. We are not imposing any limits on length, format, or tone. Multimedia projects are encouraged but certainly not required. We mention Academics, Student Life, and Campus Operations as topics to consider in the form’s introduction. These things have all been upended by the pandemic and your personal experience can help us make it clear to future audiences the many ways that has been true. Students wrapping up their senior year remotely, essential staff preparing campus for closure, faculty reworking their syllabi for online teaching - there are countless stories to tell and as many ways to express those stories.
Is there anything I shouldn’t submit? The pandemic is a public health crisis, and it is possible that your submission might include the personal health information of yourself or others. This information is legally protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Once we receive a submission form indicating your interest in participating, a staff member will contact you to discuss whether any personally identifiable health information about another person or persons is present in your work. You cannot include personally identifiable health information about another person or persons, or information that could allow a third party to identify other people without that person’s explicit consent. If such information is included in your work, the department will need to work with you to establish a means by which that information can be legally presented.
Does my project have collaborators? If you have developed a project with another person or people or used the work of others in your project in some way, the answer is probably yes. It is important for both you and us to identify every person involved with your submission because it determines who has a say over how the work is shared and presented. If you are unsure, use the form to list possible collaborators and their role(s) in the submission. Department staff can follow-up to help with figuring out who else may need to accept the terms of donating to the Historical Collection.
Can my work be presented anonymously? Yes. The submission form allows you to specify whether you would like to be attributed as the creator of the work you submit. In both the Coronavirus Collection housed in the Historical Collection and any public presentation of its content, your work will remain completely anonymous. Be advised that the form collects email addresses as a means of confirming your relationship to OWU, so identifying information will be attached to your submission.
Can my submission be restricted from use for a period of time? Yes. If you would like to embargo, or assign a time period after which your submission will become available in the Collection, you can specify it in the project description section of the form.
How frequently can/should I submit? This is up to you. If you want, you can send your submission in installments via the submission form or you can send it all at once when you are finished.
I have physical materials to contribute. How do I submit them? We can currently accept digital projects and the digital portions of projects that include other kinds of materials. Because of the pandemic, we can not yet accept physical materials for the Collection. We still want them though! If your submission is in physical form (for example a handwritten diary) you can set up a donation method and date with the Curator when the OWU Libraries have reopened.