Documenting COVID-19 Experiences at SUNY Maritime College: FAQ

SUNY Maritime College Archives and Special Collections

Mailing Address:
Stephen B. Luce Library
6 Pennyfeild Avenue
Bronx, NY 10465

Phone: (718) 409- 7228

Email:  library@sunymaritime.edu

URL: https://sunymaritimearchives.libraryhost.com/

*Please contact us via email at this time. Archives staff are currently working remotely, so please expect delays in responding to mail or phone calls.  

Requirements for Individual Contributions:

• Affiliated with SUNY Maritime College.
• Accompanied by a signed donor agreement.  See the Forms page.
• Be an approved format (digital) or size (physical items).  See Resources for Project page for specific details.
• If you'd like to provide an immediate written response to the questions, you can use "Your COVID-19 Story" page.
• You can also sign up to have an Oral History interview done on our How to Participate page. 

Do I need Special Equipment or Software to Participate?

No, you can use your personal devices (e.g. computer, phone) to record audio and video with the factory-installed software.  Zoom is a great software tool that can record and automatically generate transcripts of your video interview.  Otter.ai is another option for recording and as an added bonus, it will transcribe the recording for you, too.  Be sure to review the File Format Specifications on the How to Submit page.  If you have specific software or equipment questions, contact the library@sunymaritime.edu.

Do the written entries have to be submitted in English or Do the Oral History interviews have to be conducted in English?

No.  Individual experiences and Oral history Interviews may be conducted in any language. We request that a translation is provided if possible.  We also ask that you identify the language if the materials are in a language other than English. 

Do Oral History interviews have to be conducted in-Person?

No.  Oral History interviews should be done at a distance using a phone or other electronic device and/or by using programs like Zoom or Otter.ai.  In the current situation, we highly recommend avoiding face to face in-person interviews.  If you can only conduct an interview in-person, we ask that you strictly follow Social Distancing Guidelines established by the CDC when conducting an in-person interview AND/OR encourage the person to fill out the Your COVID-19 Story instead of conducting an in-person Oral History interview.  We do not expect you to travel to conduct in-person interviews. 

What about Privacy concerns?

We value and respect your right to privacy. The Deed of Gift form and Maritime College Digital Collection form includes sections for donors to write out any restrictions on the materials. These restrictions can be not releasing materials into publicly available collections for a duration of time (i.e. restricted for 10 years after submission date), or remain anonymous (your name will be included in donation forms however it will not be included in any finding aid or digital collection).

The purpose of this project is to document personal experiences in the form of a campus-wide history project to help record our daily lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. To expand access and understanding about the COVID-19 Pandemic experience to current and future individuals, the Archives will collect documentation and accept voluntary donations on the COVID-19 pandemic experiences for inclusion in the Archives.  These voluntary materials will be made available through our physical and digital collections.   

We want you to be comfortable in donating your materials, so if you have concerns about sharing your personal experiences or oral history interview, send us an email at library@sunymaritime.edu