Remembering COVID-19; or, a duty to document the coronavirus pandemic

Abstract

Remembering the coronavirus pandemic represents an obligation to the present and the future. Illuminating the intersections between remembrance, documentary heritage, memory institutions and COVID-19, this article argues that libraries, archives and museums have a unique and urgent duty to document the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolds to help ensure that its associated recorded heritage is collected, preserved and archived for the present and future purposes of consultation, reference and remembrance. Explicit ‘duty to document the coronavirus pandemic’ policy provisions should be adopted by libraries, archives and museums to, first, strengthen their current COVID-19 documentary initiatives and, second, support other possible documentary initiatives related to this or future global health crises. By documenting COVID-19, it can be collectively remembered and future possible health crises can be better anticipated.