Preservation Long Island, a regional nonprofit group that runs historical sites such as the Custom House in Sag Harbor and the Sherwood-Jayne Farm in Setauket, has kicked off a crowdsourcing project to "build a collection around the art, objects, and stories that uniquely reflect this historic moment."
The group is seeking to document the story of how Long Island is overcoming the pandemic for a campaign called "Preserving the Present — Collecting in the Time of Covid-19." Some of it may be chosen for sharing on the organization's online platforms, or for its permanent archive.
"As history unfolds around us, museums, archives, and historical societies across the state, country, and world are collecting stories and objects that define our lives during this global crisis," Preservation Long Island said in a statement.
People can take part on social media by posting photos with brief descriptions online. Social posts should have @presevationlongisland tagged and the hashtag #PreserveLInow included. Participation is also available by filling out an online form, which can be found at https://preservationlongisland.kindful.com/register/preserving-the-present-collecting-in-the-time-of-covid-19-2020.
Preservation Long Island, formerly known as the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Cold Spring Harbor. The group says its collection has been recognized as "one of the most robust and significant regional assemblages of material culture in New York State." It includes more than 3,000 objects and 185 cubic feet of archival materials that are representative of four centuries of life on Long Island.
Questions about the project can be emailed to [email protected].