Utah State University COVID-19 Oral History Collection Supplemental Documentation

The last time Utah State University (USU) closed for a pandemic was over a hundred years ago, in fall 1918. Evidence, especially firsthand accounts, of that period in USU’s history are limited in the archives. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Special Collections and Archives has collected the experiences of Utah State faculty, staff, and students in oral histories. These oral histories document the individual accounts of initial shutdowns and the continued response efforts through 2022. From the president of the university to student workers each oral history offers insight into how Utah State responded as an institution. Supplementing these oral histories is a broad collection of documents produced to aid in the response effort. This includes mass media including emails and signage as well as individual photos and email exchanges created during the worst of the pandemic. This final collection explores the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of Utah State University students, staff, and faculty and the response efforts from 2020 through 2022.