COVID-19 was a global pandemic that altered many aspects of American life. From January 2020 to August 2024, over 1,100,000 Americans died from the disease. Quarantine measures, enacted to avoid the spread of COVID-19, altered the way Americans worked and lived. Many social activities—including school and faith-based gatherings—moved online. Even at this writing, COVID-19 continues to impact many Americans’ everyday experiences.

What’s an archive and community archivist? An archive is a time capsule and active space where past and present merge. It contains primary resources that preserve the history of several generations. An archivist appraises, arranges, describes, and preserves archives. Archiving is storytelling and you can be a Community Archivist! These toolkits can be used to reclaim and preserve history. ASU Library provides free Archive Starter Kits to the communities we serve (Latinx, Black, Asian and Pacific Islander, Indigenous, and LGBTQ). Please contact our team if you want a Starter Kit or if you want to borrow equipment to scan material or record an oral history interview. , Community-Driven Archives (CDA) Toolkits Archives 101 Resources to preserve your own history or lead an introduction to archives workshop. Community history and archives presentation   Download English version of the community history and archives presentation   Download Spanish version of the community history and archives presentation Presentation notes   Download English version of the community history and archives presentation notes   Download Spanish version of the community history and archives presentation notes Booklet and worksheets   Download Archives 101 booklet in Spanish and English   Download finding aid activity in Spanish and English   Download "Analyze a Photograph" worksheet in Spanish and English Storytelling 101 Resources to conduct an oral history interview or lead an introduction to storytelling workshop. Oral history interviews presentation   Download English version of the oral history interviews presentation   Download Spanish version of the oral history interviews presentation Presentation notes   Download English version of the oral history interviews presentation notes   Download Spanish version of the oral history interviews presentation notes Booklet and worksheets   Download oral history booklet in Spanish and English   Download interview form activity in Spanish and English   Download interview practice activity in Spanish and English Scanning 101 Resources to help you scan your photos and documents. Scanning and preserving archives presentation   Download English version of the scanning and preserving archives presentation   Download Spanish version of the scanning and preserving archives presentation Presentation notes   Download English version of the scanning and preserving archives presentation notes   Download Spanish version of the scanning and preserving archives presentation notes Booklet and worksheets   Download Scanning 101 booklet in Spanish and English   Download Excel "Metadata" worksheet in English   Download Excel "Metadata" worksheet in Spanish Kid archivist 101 Resources to introduce children to archives and the importance of preserving their story. This activity book was created by our student archivists! It can be completed in a classroom setting or with family. Booklet   Download kid archivist booklet in Spanish and English Recommended readings "'Invisibility Is an Unnatural Disaster': Feminist Archival Praxis After the Digital Turn" in the South Atlantic Quarterly "21st Century Community Outreach and Collection Development: ASU Chicano/a Research Collection" in the Journal of Western Archives "Metrics and Matrices: Surveying the Past to Create a Better Future" in The American Archivist "Community-Driven Archives: Conocimiento, Healing, and Justice" in the Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies

The recordings of former slaves in Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories took place between 1932 and 1975 in nine states. Twenty-two interviewees discuss how they felt about slavery, slaveholders, coercion of slaves, their families, and freedom. Several individuals sing songs, many of which were learned during the time of their enslavement. It is important to note that all of the interviewees spoke sixty or more years after the end of their enslavement, and it is their full lives that are reflected in these recordings. The individuals documented in this presentation have much to say about living as African Americans from the 1870s to the 1930s, and beyond.