CLLS Special Projects ◯ COVID Diaries

COVID Diaries

CLLS Special Projects

Each of us has been impacted in different ways by the COVID-19 pandemic. Old, young, and in-between, we’ve all experienced big changes in our work life, family life, and social life.

The California State Library is inviting Californians to share their experiences and stories of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We encourage the California Library Literacy Services community to take part in this project and share a story, a poem, a letter–however you feel comfortable expressing yourself. Learners can choose to write their own submission or dictate their experience to their tutor.

The project team will collect submissions from learners, tutors, and library literacy staff, add submissions to the State Library’s archive, and maintain a California Library Literacy Services archive.

How the California Library Literacy Services community can take part

➤ Contact your library literacy coordinator for the link to the project website* which includes submission information and a full set of resources to help you take part.

➤ Use the resources below and on the project website to create a poem or story or whatever you choose to describe your experience.

➤ Send in your submission through the project website.

* The project website is for the California Library Literacy Services community only. Library literacy coordinators will provide learners and tutors with access to the URL.

Resources

A guided writing tool focusing on Covid-19

A resource for creating a Word Bank, something to help you think of words to use in a poem, letter, or other reflection

A template for writing a themed poem 

(it can be helpful to create your Word Bank first)

A story starters template to help you start writing

A template for writing a reflection in six words

A template for writing a Cinquain (five-line) poem

A template for writing a Diamond (seven-line) descriptive poem

A template for writing an autobiographical poem

A template for writing a self-reflective “I am” poem

California Library Literacy Services COVID Diaries Team

Thank you to the team for creating the California Library Literacy Services COVID Diaries resources and for helping library literacy learners, families, tutors, and staff participate in the COVID Diaries project. 

Alisa Adams, Sonoma County Library

Shanon Delaney, OC Public Libraries

Chelsea Genack Eggli, Oceanside Public Library

Toni Notar, Watsonville Public Library

Amy Prevedel, Consultant

Carrie Scott, Carlsbad City Library

Diane Shimota, A.K. Smiley (Redlands)

Cherall Weiss, Newport Beach Public Library

Automatic Readability Checker

Readability Consensus

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 16

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate