What’s it like to live through history? It’s a question many of us have been learning the answer to over the past month. Now the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. is asking local residents to document their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic.

While we are sheltering in place, working from home and distance learning, it can be hard to imagine the day when life returns to normal. Someday wearing a mask to the grocery store and not being able to find toilet paper will be a distant memory.

“There will be a time in the future where people are looking back to see, what was it like during the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.?” says Anne McDonough, the historical society’s library and collections director.

The organization has just launched a project called In Real Time, collecting the personal experiences of D.C. residents during the pandemic.

“There will always be official records,” says McDonough. “There will be government records, which are required by law to be archived. There will be media reports, which will be archived. But the thoughts and the responses and the impact on everyday, local people, if it is not actively collected, unfortunately that will go by the wayside.”