COVID-19 has changed many things in York County. We know many of our members have experienced disruptions in their lives. Many of you have even lost loved ones, and we offer our condolences to you. We also offer a heartfelt thank you to all frontline workers, from medical professionals to grocery store clerks, who have made these times a little better through your hard work. It is deeply appreciated.
Pennsylvania’s First Lady Frances Wolf also recognizes the impact these times have had on Pennsylvanians. YCL supports her in her new online exhibit, One Lens: Sharing Our Common Views, which is accepting entries from people across Pennsylvania now.
What is One Lens PA?
One Lens (#OneLensPA) is a unique partnership between the First Lady’s Office, the PA Council on the Arts, the PA Historical and Museum Commission, the PA Tourism Office, and the Library of Accessible Materials for Pennsylvanians. The project aims to document the realities of life in PA during COVID-19 through photographs taken between March of 2020 and March of 2021.
One Lens will help document the story of Pennsylvania throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibit will celebrate the hard work and commitment of all Pennsylvanians as we continue our fight against COVID-19.
Why is this important?
We have seen millions of acts of endurance, grace, and charity from our library members, our workers, and our neighbors.
They should be remembered!
We are proud to support this project in encouraging Pennsylvanians, especially here in York County, to document these acts. We at York County Libraries are repositories of stories, and the story of how we have dealt with COVID-19 is among them. We look forward to seeing Pennsylvania come together for this project.
How do I Submit?
One Lens is accepting photographs in three broad categories. Photos should have been taken any time between March 2020 and now. The submitted images will be displayed for public viewing and saved as a visual documentation of the pandemic. The exhibit covers three themes:
- Our Heroes: showing the pandemic heroes who cannot stay home;
- Our Lives: how have we spent our time when no one is watching? and
- Our Communities: showing Pennsylvanians uniting in the face of a global health crisis.
Go to https://www.pa.gov/one-lens/, fill out the contact info, attach your picture, add a caption, and hit the Submit button. Photos may be submitted between now and March 8, 2021. You must be 18+ to submit, and any children in photographs need written permission from their guardians. You can submit one photo for each of the three categories, if you like! More info on the site.
Starting March 19, 2021, selected photos will be displayed as part of an online exhibit documenting life around Pennsylvania on the One Lens site and social media.
You do not have to be a professional photographer or even a skilled photographer to participate… just send a picture that you feel best shows what you want remembered about your COVID-19 experience. Let’s show the world the faces of York County—our grit, our toughness, our tenderness, our grace and our dignity.
Thank you for participating in the One Lens project. We look forward to seeing what York County shares!