Brooklyn Historical Society COVID-19 collection

The Brooklyn Historical Society COVID-19 collection consists of crowd-sourced material documenting the COVID-19 pandemic in Brooklyn, New York. Following Brooklyn Historical Society's call for submissions, Brooklyn Historical Society began received born-digital submissions on April 21, 2020. The collection consists of born-digital images, videos, and electronic documents submitted by individuals who live throughout Brooklyn, New York. The bulk of the collection consists of images of public spaces and storefronts in and around Brooklyn Heights and Prospect Park. There are several images of rainbow drawings in Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights apartment windows which were created by and for children to create joy and use as objects to spot during a scavenger hunt. There are also several images of sidewalk chalk art, business closure signs, and signs attached to apartment windows and buildings from the same neighborhoods. There are several images of signs on businesses and at parks that explain and encourage social distancing and wearing a mask. The collection also contains a small number of images that document individuals working and living indoors during the pandemic. During the latter half of 2020 and early 2021, college students submitted several autoethnographies in the form of digital documents and videos that document their experiences during the pandemic. The collection contains very little documentation of life beyond downtown, Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope. There are a small number of images from Williamsburg, Coney Island, Prospect Lefferts Garden, Midwood, and Sheepshead Bay. The collection also contains a few videos and images that document the seven o'clock cheer for front-line and essential workers.