Community Stories

In an effort to document the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the township and its residents, the Scotch Plains Public Library is collecting the stories and artistic expressions of the community during this unprecedented time.  The library encourages Scotch Plains residents and workers of all ages to contribute to the historical record of life in Scotch Plains during the COVID-19 quarantine by submitting your stories, photos, or images of original artwork expressing your personal experience. Please respond to any of the questions below, or submit an attachment, so that we may add your story to this community collection. The collection will be made available to the public in the future.

Participant guidelines:

  • Participants must live or work in Scotch Plains
  • Participants under 18 must provide contact information for a parent or legal guardian.
  • Submissions of sensitive or graphic content will not be posted.

The library reserves the right to exclude from the collection content which violates library policy.

Teens: If you are a student in grades 6-12 you are also invited to add your story to our teen time capsule!


COVID-19 Community Stories
We encourage you to consider any of the following questions in your response, but feel free to share your experiences or thoughts in any format you choose:
  • What has surprised you most as this quarantine has unfolded?
  • What is your biggest fear?
  • What is an unexpected, positive impact of the quarantine?
  • What is the most difficult part of the quarantine?
  • What are your hopes for the future when this is all over?
Click or drag files to this area to upload. You can upload up to 2 files.
Allowed formats: .png, .jpg, .doc, .pdf

Earlier this year, PBS launched American Portrait, a multi-platform experience that allows us to see what it really means to be an American today. The project now includes prompts about the impact of the pandemic. If you would like to contribute your own story, in response to any of the American Portrait prompts, we invite you to include the tag #ScotLibStories, so that we may gather them into a local collection.