When Paul Brandeis Raushenbush contacted the Oral History Archives to access an oral history interview with his grandparents, Elizabeth Brandeis and Paul Raushenbush, he was already researching their role in what would become a national unemployment insurance policy, part of the Social Security Act of 1935. He couldn’t have foreseen the pandemic and that 17 […]
Tag: COVID-19
Plague, Passover, and Perspectives on Social Distancing (Dr. Joshua Teplitsky)
This essay was written by Joshua Teplitsky (Stony Brook University) for the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies’ Spring 2020 Magazine. The full magazine can be downloaded on the IIJS website. As the global pandemic gains momentum and the human toll rises, many religious communities around the world are striving to balance physical health with […]
University Archives COVID-19 Questionnaire
Just as we turned to our records to find out how Columbia responded to previous health crises, the University Archives is now collecting materials to document the coronavirus pandemic. The University’s official response is being recorded by saving communications, emails, websites and other documents. In addition to these materials, we are inviting faculty, students, alumni, […]
Interested in contributing oral histories of the COVID pandemic?
As you can imagine, oral histories of the pandemic are incredibly important stories to gather with care and sensitivity in this moment. In response to queries about contributing oral histories or how to conduct them, please explore the following resources. For advice on conducting oral histories on this topic and with best practices and ethics […]
Too soon? Archives humor in a time of pandemic
"the archive is closed until further notice"– technically true– a bit boring– everyone is saying it "we have sealed the vault until the plague passes"– heroic– sounds like you have a treasure hoard in the strongroom– nobody can check as the archive is closed — UoY Borthwick Institute for Archives (@UoYBorthwick) April 1, 2020 RBML […]