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Oregon State University
Special Collections and Archives
Research Center

COVID-19 at Oregon State University Collection, 2020-2023

Predominant Dates: 2020-2021
The COVID-19 at Oregon State University Collection consists of materials submitted to or collected by multiple projects whose aim was to document university and community life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collection includes submissions to a collecting initiative led by the Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC); two outreach activities sponsored by the OSU Libraries; and an additional collecting project led by OSU Psychology professor Regan Gurung. The collection also includes compilations of university- and library-wide broadcast emails communicating operations adjustments necessitated by the pandemic, as well as university social media posts reflecting the culture of remote work at OSU. The collection is rounded out by a print zine published by the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, and an assortment of pandemic-related websites that have been preserved by SCARC staff within the Internet Archive. The collection is largely born digital, supplemented by a smaller paper component.
ID: MSS COVID
Extent: 5.39 gigabytes
More Extent Information
Scope and Content Notes
Biographical / Historical Notes
Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.
Arrangement
Preferred Citation: COVID-19 at Oregon State University Collection (MSS COVID), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Acquisition Note: Collection materials were transferred to SCARC from numerous donors between 2020-2023.
Acquired: 2020.
Languages of Materials
Other

Container List

Series 1: University Communications, 2020-2022 Add to Shelf

Series 1 consists in part of emails broadcast either university- or library-wide, and providing updates and guidance on operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The university communications were usually authored by the President's Office or the Office of the Provost, with numerous messages written by Dan Larson, OSU's Vice-Provost for Student Affairs and designated Coronavirus Response Coordinator. Library operations messaging was typically authored by University Librarian Faye Chadwell or Associate University Librarian (later Dean of Libraries) Anne-Marie Deitering. Messages circulated by the Library Employee Association that highlighted the remote working environments for individual faculty or staff are also included.

The remainder of the series is comprised of compiled screenshots of the OSU Today Instagram feed, which also featured the remote working environments for employees across the university.

Extent: 16 PDF files
Digital File 1.1: University and Library Communications, March 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 59 pages
Digital File 1.2: University and Library Communications, April 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 87 pages
Digital File 1.3: University and Library Communications, May 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 106 pages
Digital File 1.4: University and Library Communications, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 46 pages
Digital File 1.5: University and Library Communications, July 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 24 pages
Digital File 1.6: University and Library Communications, August 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 29 pages
Digital File 1.7: University and Library Communications, September 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 95 pages
Digital File 1.8: University and Library Communications, October 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 17 pages
Digital File 1.9: University and Library Communications, November 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 27 pages
Digital File 1.10: University and Library Communications, December 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 10 pages
Digital File 1.11: University and Library Communications, January-March 2021 Add to Shelf
Extent: 43 pages
Digital File 1.12: University and Library Communications, April-June 2021 Add to Shelf
Extent: 52 pages
Digital File 1.13: University and Library Communications, July-October 2021 Add to Shelf
Extent: 53 pages
Digital File 1.14: University and Library Communications, November 2021-January 2022 Add to Shelf
Extent: 26 pages
Digital File 1.15: OSU Today Instagram releases, March-December 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 234 pages
Digital File 1.16: OSU Today Instagram releases, January-February 2021 Add to Shelf
Extent: 21 pages
Series 2: SCARC COVID-19 Collecting Initiative, 2020-2022 Add to Shelf
Series 2 consists of materials collected primarily by SCARC Public Services Assistant Anna Dvorak that document individual and collective reflections on university and community life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series includes several pandemic journals kept by students and community members, particularly during spring term 2020. Also included are photographs, art works, interview transcripts, and documentation of a community art event held in early January 2021. The entire series is born digital and its contents are available in the SCARC reading room or upon patron request.
Extent: 114 JPG; 63 PDF, 23 TIF, 3 PNG, 2 MP4, 1 MOV, 1 PSB
Digital Folder 2.1: 4-H Students, 2021 Add to Shelf
Reflections on their 4-H experiences in 2020 and 2021 written by students statewide and submitted as a component of their larger 4-H Record Books. The students ranged in age from 11-18. Reflections were written by: Finnley Barnett, Daniel Carlson, Ruth Carlson, Russell Classen, Morgan Copeland, Jasmine Fairchild, Hayden Freschweiler, Jackie Gehred, Evelyn Grzemkowski, Grace Hooley, Seth Hooley, Olivia Howell, Audrie Klawuhn, Gabriella Lambert, Taylor Nichols, Cassie Roberts, Elsie Rodolph, Carly Shanklin, Sydney Smith and Micah Widner.
Extent: 21 PDF
Digital Folder 2.2: Anonymous, 2020 Add to Shelf
Three submissions authored by individuals who wished to remain anonymous. Submission 1 is a pandemic diary written by an OSU undergraduate student from April 1 to June 5, 2020, initially as a component of coursework assigned for PHL 203 and later as an outlet for personal expression. Submission 2 is an essay on Planned Parenthood written in December 2020 following the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court. Submission 3 is a post originally written in Canvas in April 2020 as a component of coursework assigned for PHL 203 and reflecting on the author's state of mind.
Extent: 3 PDF
Digital Folder 2.3: ANTH/FCJS 486 Students, June 2020 Add to Shelf
A collective journal authored by undergraduate students enrolled in ANTH/FCJS 486. The project used auto-ethnographic and narrative techniques to document "Foodways during the time of COVID-19." Student authors were: Langley Black, Luke Brockman, Emma Callaway, James Chan, Paris DeMers, Makenna Elias, Sandra Hunt, Yujing Jia, Kirstin Lovely, Sierra McCutchen, Ai Nishida, Gisell Santana, Kelsey Talbot and Trey Webb.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.4: ANTH/FCJS 586 Students, June 2020 Add to Shelf
A collective journal authored by graduate students enrolled in ANTH/FCJS 486. The project used auto-ethnographic and narrative techniques to document "Foodways during the time of COVID-19." Student authors were: A, Mariana Ribeiro Porto Araujo, Zhuo Chen, Emily Herrera, Adam Lauderdale, Argenis Hurtado Moreno, Jena Thoma and Andie Thompson.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.5: Bayles, David - Orange Pipes Project, January 2021 Add to Shelf
Documentation of a community event led by artist David Bayles that was inspired by the installation of fiber optic cable in rural Philomath, Oregon. The centerpiece of the event was a single 24-foot-long roll of art paper on which Bayles had printed 15 photographs that he had taken of fiber optic cable being laid. In the border areas of this print, participants were invited to write stories, thoughts and ideas on connection and communication in the year 2020. The event was held on January 3, 2021 at the Independent Community Center.
Extent: 23 TIF, 3 PDF, 1 MOV and 1 PSB
Digital Folder 2.6: Brownfield, Brandyn, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Weekly pandemic journal written from March 30 - June 3, 2020 as a class assignment. Brownfield was living with his parents in Clatskanie, Oregon during this time.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.7: Bryant, Dakota, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Weekly pandemic journal written from March 31 - June 3, 2020 as a component of coursework assigned for PHL 203.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.8: Carlson, Kip, June-July 2020 Add to Shelf
Interviews conducted by Carlson, the sports editor of the Oregon Stater alumni magazine, with OSU coaches and student athletes reflecting on the cancellation of spring sports seasons. Interviews are with Laura Berg (softball head coach), Mitch Canham (baseball head coach), Troy Claunch (baseball player), Kate Maxim (women's rowing head coach), Mariah Mazon (softball player), Zach Niedermeyer (men's rowing athlete) and Jon Reehoorn (men's golf head coach).
Extent: 7 PDF
Digital Folder 2.9: Golubchik, Inna, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Two journal entries written as a component of coursework assigned for an undergraduate Philosophy class. Golubchik was living in California during this time.
Extent: 2 PDF
Digital Folder 2.10: Green, Robert S., 2021 Add to Shelf
A daily diary written from March 16, 2020 - March 15, 2021, and set primarily in Truckee, California with occasional trips to Mill Valley, California. Entries cover many aspects of life during the pandemic, with special focus on issues affecting a restaurant business and a small law firm. Green was a 1981 graduate of OSU in Political Science.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.11: Hay, Ashley, May 2020 Add to Shelf
Pandemic journal written from March 12 - April 30, 2020. Hay was a graduating senior at OSU.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.12: Hunyh, Alex, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Weekly pandemic journal written from April 5 - June 7, 2020 as a component of coursework assigned for PHL 203. Hunyh was a first year student at OSU.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.13: Johnson, Dawn, November 2020 Add to Shelf
Reflections on sewing hospital masks for health care workers during the summer of 2020. Folder also includes a photo of a car decal reading, "I helped sew 6 million masks." Johnson was an OSU alumna.
Extent: 1 PDF; 1 JPG
Digital Folder 2.14: Lawson, Hannah, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Photograph of a gouache on paper painting of the Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC) reading room. Lawson was a student assistant in SCARC and created the painting from memory.
Extent: 1 JPG
Digital Folder 2.15: McOmber, Karl, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Weekly pandemic journal written from April 5 - June 7, 2020 as a component of assigned coursework. McOmber was an undergraduate senior at OSU.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.16: Moule, Jean, May 2020 Add to Shelf
Pre-print of an article authored by Moule and titled, "Nana Jean Experiences Covid-19 Infection and Consequences," Skipping Stones, July-September 2020. Moule was a professor emerita in the OSU College of Education.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.17: Nyce, Trevor, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Weekly pandemic journal written during Spring term, 2020. A first year undergraduate, Nyce was living in Corvallis and Junction City, Oregon during this time.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.18: Ocean 11 Student Club, April-June 2020 Add to Shelf

Submissions to weekly "Quarantine Challenges" issued to members of the Ocean 11 marine club at OSU, as led by Cynthia Leonard, academic advisor for the OSU Marine Studies Initiative. The challenges were designed to get club members out of their homes and into nature, with submissions consisting of photographs, videos or drawings documenting individuals' outings. The themes were as follows: 1. Bunches of Birds; 2. Pet Paparazzi; 3. Focus on Flora; 4. The Sky's the Limit; 5. Fun Fungi; 6. Feeding Frenzy; 7. Growing Gardens; 8. Go Wild.

Student participants included: Laurel Brinson-Larrabee, Landon Bunting, Russell Campbell, Jensen Davis, Ian Hofbeck, Nadia Leal, Delaney McGee, Hayleigh Middleton, Kelleigh Petersdorf, Seth Staten, Elizabeth Wirsching and Daisy Youmans.

Extent: 52 JPG; 9 PDF; 3 PNG; 2 MP4; 1 MOV
Digital Folder 2.19: Paresa, Dana, April 2020 Add to Shelf
Diary comic drawn during COVID-19 self isolation and reflecting on Paresa's experience of taking a Master Gardener class from OSU Extension and reading about chef Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
Extent: 1 JPG
Digital Folder 2.20: Perry, Carla, April 2020 Add to Shelf
Photo collage of the Nye Beach neighborhood in Newport, Oregon as collected by Perry on a walk through the area taken on April 4, 2020. Images include signage posted by area businesses and neighborhood residents. Perry was a Newport resident and the mother of an OSU graduate.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.21: Perry, Jackson, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Weekly pandemic journal written from March 31 - June 2, 2020 as a component of coursework assigned for PHL 203. An undergraduate Computer Science major, Perry was living with his parents, who had recently moved from California to a new community in Arizona.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.22: Petersen, Chris, 2020-2021 Add to Shelf
Photographs of Corvallis and the OSU campus during the pandemic. Images include signage posted by businesses and residents; scenes of stockpiling food, social distancing, and remote working and learning; masks placed on iconic outdoor art pieces; TRACE testing, food delivery robots, and desolation on the OSU campus. Images also include a sculpted flower arrangement expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement, and scenes of smoky skies taken during the 2020 Labor Day fires. Petersen was a Corvallis resident and faculty member in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.
Extent: 59 JPG
Digital Folder 2.23: Quiring, Thomas, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Weekly pandemic diary written during Spring term, 2020. Quiring was a first year student at OSU.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.24: Seltmann, Haven, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Weekly pandemic journal written as a component of coursework assigned for an undergraduate Philosophy class.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.25: Shafer, Karen, March 2022 Add to Shelf
Daily diary kept from March 2, 2020 to March 31, 2022. Shafer was an emeritus professor from Southern Oregon University living in Lincoln City, Oregon.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.26: Signs, Shelly, June 2020 Add to Shelf
A compilation of kudos messages that highlighted good work done by staff in the OSU University Relations and Marketing division, as circulated during spring 2020. These messages were originally shared during meetings of the division's directors, and later were emailed division-wide. Signs was director of University Events.
Extent: 1 PDF
Digital Folder 2.27: Trinidad, David, June 2020 Add to Shelf
Weekly pandemic journal written as a component of coursework assigned for an undergraduate Philosophy class.
Extent: 1 PDF
Series 3: OSU Libraries and Press COVID-19 Outreach, 2020-2021 Add to Shelf

Series 3 documents various forms of outreach extended by the OSU Libraries and Press during the COVID-19 pandemic. Included are digital surrogates of COVID-related signage that was posted throughout the Valley Library, as well as a virtual tour of library spaces that was created to guide use of the building during the period of limited reopening in Fall 2020.

The series also holds submissions to two initiatives centering on postcards. The Postcards to Campus project offered participants an opportunity to submit either physical or digital postcards in the spirit of artistic expression and maintaining a connection to the OSU campus during the period of remote learning. The Postcards to Public Health Workers served as a mechanism for participants to express gratitude to public health employees statewide.

Extent: 262 paper postcards, 31 JPG, 19 PNG, 12 PDF
Digital Folder 3.1: Library Signage, 2020-2021 Add to Shelf
Extent: 18 JPG, 12 PDF, 3 PNG
Digital Folder 3.2: Postcards to Campus, 2021 Add to Shelf
Digital postcards
Extent: 16 PNG, 13 JPG
Folder 1.1: Postcards to Campus, 2021 Add to Shelf
Paper postcards
Extent: 62 items
Folder 1.2: Postcards to Public Health Workers [1 of 2], 2021 Add to Shelf
Paper postcards
Extent: 120 items
Folder 1.3: Postcards to Public Health Workers [2 of 2], 2021 Add to Shelf
Paper postcards
Extent: 80 items
Series 4: The Bright Side Project, 2022 Add to Shelf
Led by OSU faculty member and social psychologist Regan Gurung, The Bright Side Project sought to document the ways in which individuals coped with the pandemic. Series 4 consists of participant-submitted reflections on resilience during this period, and includes narrative essays, poems and photographic illustrations. The entire series is born digital and its contents are available in the SCARC reading room or upon patron request.
Extent: 12 PDF files
Digital File 4.1: Quarantine Greens, by Olivia Eiler, 2022 Add to Shelf
poem
Digital File 4.2: "What the Pandemic Taught Me: More Communication and Flexibility Goes a Long Way with Students," by John Hansen, 2022 Add to Shelf
Digital File 4.3: "NOW (Now, nOw, noW, Now?!)," by Michael Maser, March 2022 Add to Shelf
Digital File 4.4: "COPIUM: The Rare Pepe Style Frog Meme That Kept People Grounded During the Pandemic," by Mathew Peterkort, 2022 Add to Shelf
Digital File 4.5: "Creature Comforts," by Syd Pruitt, 2022 Add to Shelf
Digital File 4.6: The Pivot: Walking on Eggshells, by Syd Pruitt, 2022 Add to Shelf
poem
Digital File 4.7: To the dreams in paradise, by Pavel Sengupta, 2022 Add to Shelf
poem
Digital File 4.8: "Going Remote," by Catalina Slangan, March 31, 2022 Add to Shelf
Digital File 4.9: "The Pivot: An Unexpected Retirement from Higher Education," by Nancy L. Wayne, 2022 Add to Shelf
Digital File 4.10: "Getting Through the Pandemic," by Marvin Masao Yonamine, 2022 Add to Shelf
Digital File 4.11: "Going Remote," by Marvin Masao Yonamine, 2022 Add to Shelf
Digital File 4.12: "The Pandemic," by Marvin Masao Yonamine, 2022 Add to Shelf
Series 5: The Benton County Quaranzine, 2020 Add to Shelf

The Benton County Quaranzine was compiled by the staff of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library and consists of submissions from area residents collected from June 1 to November 2, 2020, focusing on life during the pandemic and the era's political unrest. The resulting print publication includes drawings, cartoons, collages, photographs and other artistic renderings, as well as essays and poems.

Contributors to the project were: Quinn Andreas, Ellen Beier, Jack Compere, Molly Curry, Tru Denton, Sarah Finkle, David Grube, Mari Beth Hackett, Forrest Johnson, Charlie Kelso, Colleen Kitchen, Erin MacAdams, Nancy Chestnut Matsumoto, Orion Olson, John Otto, Vic Russell, Linda Varsell Smith, Karen Stephenson, Kim Thackray, Marvel Vigil and Marion J. Whitney.

Folder 1.4: The Benton County Quaranzine, 2020 Add to Shelf
Extent: 1 print zine; 47 pages
Series 6: Archive-It Collection: "COVID-19 at OSU and in Corvallis, Oregon ", 2020-2023 Add to Shelf

From April 2020 to March 2023, SCARC staff used the Archive-It web archiving tool to collect websites of interest as they evolved throughout the pandemic. This collection of preserved websites is available through the "Covid-19 at Oregon State University and in Corvallis, Oregon" Archive-It landing page, which is a product of the Internet Archive.

The most frequently crawled websites were OSU's official Covid-19 Information page (387 crawls) and the OSU TRACE voluntary testing program website (279 crawls).

Other collected websites included OSU Today; the OSU Libraries Virtual Reading Room; the OSU Libraries Postcards to Campus project; and "Nurturing Connection(s) amidst Covid-19 Closures," an ArcGIS StoryMaps project created by OSU graduate student Robin Fifita. The collection also includes crawls of a webpage outlining safety precautions for patrons of the Corvallis Farmers' Market; a website titled "Small Farms, Local Food and Covid-19" produced by the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences; and The Bright Side Project homepage.

Likewise included are crawls of five YouTube videos released by Oregon State University: "A quick word from the Oregon State University faculty" (March 28, 2020); "Social Support in a Time of Physical Distancing" (April 1, 2020); "We're Here for You" (April 8, 2020); "A Message from Academic Advisors at Oregon State" (April 15, 2020); and "Thanks to Our Staff" (April 28, 2020).

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