Paper short abstract:

The Finnish Literature Society acquires a large part of its material via theme-based questionnaires, but the amount of responses has been decreasing. Competing with a variety of media and channels where people can share personal narratives, what steps should a memory institution take to stand out?

Paper long abstract:

Like many other memory institutions all over the world, the Finnish Literature Society (SKS) reacted quickly to initiate a questionnaire of everyday life in the midst of the Covid pandemic. Mainstream and social media soon exploded with pandemic-related surveys, blogs, and testimonies, as well. With worldwide uncertainty prevailing, people had a strong need to analyse, unburden, and understand. In terms of uncertainty, the collection process was unique as we were dealing with and working in exceptional circumstances. It also highlighted questions we at SKS had been aware of for some time. The SKS Archives acquire a significant part of material via theme-based questionnaires, calling on people to write about their memories and experiences of a particular topic. With social media we should be able to reach more people than ever before, however the number of responses has been decreasing dramatically. With the variety of media and channels available for personal testimonies, where do we stand and what kind of steps should we take in order to stand out? Not even great visibility is enough if potential respondents are uncertain of the function of the archives or the handling processes of their questionnaire responses. GDPR requirements may reassure, but also confuse or even frighten potential contributors. We recognize the benefits of life writing, as well as our expertise as a memory institution in preservation and making material accessible within regulations. How can we pass on this message to our potential contributors in a comprehensible - and preferably attractive - way?