Every industry has undergone major changes since the COVID-19 pandemic and archives and related repositories are no exception. As historical researchers, we had a unique perspective as we watched these institutions adjust in real-time. Since 2020, we at TRG have discussed internally the changes we’ve seen at local and national repositories. After all, what happens in the archival world impacts us directly and therefore impacts our clients. From abrupt lockdown to cautious reopening to new normal, here are some of the most significant changes we have seen:
1918 and 2020: Navigating U.S. Elections Amidst Global Pandemics
The years 1918 and 2020 have been prominent in our national discourse lately, as Americans’ endured devastating pandemics during each year. A less talked about commonality? There were general elections that had to be carried out in both years, despite the impact of the Spanish Influenza in 1918 and COVID-19 in 2020.
Exploring How the 1918 Spanish Influenza Impacted Public Libraries
December 2020 marks the tenth month in which COVID-19 has upended the daily lives of Americans. Throughout the duration of this crisis, we at Taylor Research Group (TRG) have sought parallels between our present experiences and the events of the 1918 influenza, the last pandemic to severely impact day to day life in the United States. As professional researchers that rely on archival repositories of all sizes – from local libraries to the Library of Congress – we were particularly curious as to how such spaces were impacted in 1918