Make your mark on history, be part of Memory Bank

When did you first hear the word ‘coronavirus’ or ‘social distancing’? What is the strangest thing you’ve bought in the last month? Who do you miss? Have you done anything you’ve always wanted to do during the past month, but never had time for?

State Library Victoria is calling on Victorians to help build an invaluable archive of daily life during this extraordinary moment in history.

The Library today launched Memory Bank, a long-term citizen collecting project where individuals, families, friends, schools, neighbourhoods and workplaces share their experiences of pivotal moments in time, such as COVID-19.

Each week Victorians will be invited to respond to a single question or theme and share their collective memories in a range of formats – photographs, videos and writing via a dedicated Facebook Group, the Library’s Memory Bank website and later, in person.

Library curators and collection specialists will guide the community in how and what to gather – from everyday shopping lists to poetry, photographs and diary entries – helping ensure the full spectrum of mundane and magical moments can be brought to life for future generations.

The first prompt will ask Victorians to take an inventory of every item in their pantry and fridge. Citizen collectors can learn more about why food inventories and other daily objects are invaluable to the State Collection through a series of videos posted in the Facebook Group and on the Library’s website.

State Library Victoria CEO, Kate Torney said the Memory Bank project is vital to the preservation of our state’s diverse and ever-changing history.

“We each have a role to play in capturing the history we are creating and it’s the small, seemingly incidental things which, pieced together, will provide a snapshot of this moment in time.

“Isolation has given rise to new ways of connecting, learning, working and living – along with new challenges and anxieties about the future.

“Through Memory Bank, we hope to capture the highs and lows of this period so that in five, 10 and 100 years there’s a collective memory of what life was like,” said Ms Torney.

State Library Victoria Lead Curator, Carolyn Fraser said Memory Bank is a different way of collecting and curating history. “Ordinary people, not just historians, play a critical role in recording extraordinary moments in time.

The Library is calling on the Victorian community to become citizen collectors so that together we can build a Memory Bank of these times for Victorians in the future,” said Ms Fraser.

To make your mark on history, be part of State Library Victoria’s Memory Bank by joining the Facebook Group, using the hashtag #SLVMemoryBank or visiting the website.

Watch Kate Torney, Carolyn Fraser and Historian Clare Wright share their insights on Memory Bank here.