Dallas Public Library shares historical pandemic stories
The life-changing events of COVID-19 are sure to be shared in many historical publications for decades to come. The best stories of historical events are those referenced from the people who lived through and experienced them first-hand.
Dallas Public Library is capturing the monumental COVID-19 
experiences of Dallasites in two new projects: a micro-podcast available on SoundCloud, titled Podcasting in Place to share recordings of epic stories, and an online magazine, DalLibZine, that publishes recent artwork by local professionals and amateurs.
“These last few months are going to be in the next history books that get printed and put on our shelves,” said Kirsten Calvert, manager of the Literature, Language & Religion floor at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library. “We want this podcast to help record this moment in Dallas. An important part of recording history is getting first-hand accounts of people whose lives were impacted and lived through it”, said Calvert.
Each episode from Podcasting in Place shares the stories of Dallas residents who are directly affected by Covid-19. The first two episodes are out now, with more being recorded.
DalLibZine launched June 1 with a collection of artworks surrounding the theme of coping. This theme is designed to inspire community, hope, and resilience in a time when people are feeling increasingly disconnected.
“Even while everyone is stuck in their homes, artists are still making art,” said Tiffany Bailey, manager of the Arts, Movies & Music floor at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library. “We display local artists in the library where people can come and view it for free. This is a way for us to do something similar online”, said Bailey.
The June issue includes visual art, audiovisual works, poetry, prose, photography and a recipe. Upcoming themes are Summer Dreams (deadline June 15th) and Learnings from Life (deadline July 15th) for the July and August issues.
To share your personal stories with the Podcasting in Place audience, email [email protected].
To submit to an upcoming issue of DalLibZine, register here.
For more information on the many free programs Dallas Public Library has to offer: the new curbside service at 16 locations, free library cards and other services, visit www.dallaslibrary.org.
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