The Covid-19 pandemic was one of the most traumatic events in recent history, hitting particularly hard in places marked by the combination of precarious infrastructure and denialist governments, such as Brazil. Yet, this event may have opened the way for rethinking how we deal with collective memory, particularly as mediated through digital technologies – towards more democratic pathways. This paper presents an ethnographic study of Brazil’s Covid-19 Pandemic Digital Memorial, an unprecedented preservation and dissemination project set to publicly launch in March 2026. Led by the Ministry of Health of Brazil, the Pan-American Health Organization, and the State University of Campinas, the Memorial has developed conditions to preserve and provide access to documentation regarding the experiences of the Brazilian population during the Covid-19 pandemic (Ministry of Health (BR) et al., n.d.). By establishing innovative technical solutions and workflows, it brings together dozens of collections from different regions of Brazil, many produced informally by citizens without preservation infrastructure. The project incorporates community participation in curatorial steps such as metadata development, sharing document packages, and web design. Through these collaborative practices, the Memorial has assembled thousands of digital documents from across Brazil, with substantial contributions from the public. As one of the initiative’s coordinators, I have overseen its development since 2020, working with a multidisciplinary team of historians, archivists, digital preservation specialists, and humanities researchers. This paper, therefore, employs ethnographic methods to provide a critical assessment of the making of the Digital Memorial. In addition, it discusses the creation of the Memorial using innovative methodologies and developments in digital heritage preservation aligned with OAIS standards (for instance, through integration of Archivematica and Tainacan software, and by employing Large Language Models for cataloging and research within the archive). Ultimately, the paper argues that the Memorial, as a case study, offers an inspiring model for developing methodologies and infrastructure for managing digital heritage aligned with community engagement and sovereignty, particularly in the context of collective catastrophic events in peripheral areas. (Ministry of Health (BR) et al., n.d.). By establishing innovative technical solutions and workflows, it brings together dozens of collections from different regions of Brazil, many produced informally by citizens without preservation infrastructure. The project incorporates community participation in curatorial steps such as metadata development, sharing document packages, and web design. Through these collaborative practices, the Memorial has assembled thousands of digital documents from across Brazil, with substantial contributions from the public. As one of the initiative’s coordinators, I have overseen its development since 2020, working with a multidisciplinary team of historians, archivists, digital preservation specialists, and humanities researchers. This paper, therefore, employs ethnographic methods to provide a critical assessment of the making of the Digital Memorial. In addition, it discusses the creation of the Memorial using innovative methodologies and developments in digital heritage preservation aligned with OAIS standards (for instance, through integration of Archivematica and Tainacan software, and by employing Large Language Models for cataloging and research within the archive). Ultimately, the paper argues that the Memorial, as a case study, offers an inspiring model for developing methodologies and infrastructure for managing digital heritage aligned with community engagement and sovereignty, particularly in the context of collective catastrophic events in peripheral areas.

Context

In Brazil, the Covid-19 pandemic claimed over 700,000 lives and left a profound impact nationwide (World Health Organization, n.d.). The Digital Memorial is committed to preserving the digital testimonies and records of Brazilian citizens about this major event, aiming to safeguard and promote access to both contemporary memories and those documented during the pandemic under the influence of unfolding events. This work has been made possible by dozens of projects across Brazil that, since mid-2020, have collected records of Brazilians’ experiences with the pandemic (World Health Organization, n.d.). The Digital Memorial is committed to preserving the digital testimonies and records of Brazilian citizens about this major event, aiming to safeguard and promote access to both contemporary memories and those documented during the pandemic under the influence of unfolding events. This work has been made possible by dozens of projects across Brazil that, since mid-2020, have collected records of Brazilians’ experiences with the pandemic (Marino et al. 2021). Developed on various platforms by diverse social actors, these initiatives have produced “informal archives” of great value, reflecting numerous social groups, including marginalized and vulnerable sectors – a phenomenon that I’ve been studying since 2020 and that resonates worldwide (Marino et al. 2021). Developed on various platforms by diverse social actors, these initiatives have produced “informal archives” of great value, reflecting numerous social groups, including marginalized and vulnerable sectors – a phenomenon that I’ve been studying since 2020 and that resonates worldwide (Marino and Nicodemo 2022a). (Marino and Nicodemo 2022a).

Although these projects have been created creatively and voluntarily by citizens throughout Brazil, their materials are at risk of being lost. The Memorial fulfills its mission by aggregating these records into a digital repository, which preserves these collections according to international standards and makes them available through an interactive portal for dissemination and research, with permanent storage ensured by a secure repository.

The Memorial’s creation is aligned with UNESCO’s Charter on the Preservation of Digital Heritage (2003) and the UNESCO Memory of the World Program, which clarifies connections between documentary heritage and pandemics (“Memory of the World | UNESCO,” n.d.). It ensures that documentary memory is preserved and accessible for future study, raises public awareness, and fosters institutional and community cooperation for preservation and access. These guidelines and activities emphasize the necessity of preserving digital records in the modern era and highlight the global importance of protecting documents during crises, such as pandemics, wars, and environmental disasters. (“Memory of the World | UNESCO,” n.d.). It ensures that documentary memory is preserved and accessible for future study, raises public awareness, and fosters institutional and community cooperation for preservation and access. These guidelines and activities emphasize the necessity of preserving digital records in the modern era and highlight the global importance of protecting documents during crises, such as pandemics, wars, and environmental disasters.

The Digital Memorial of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Brazil comprises extensive collections of historical records from the general population, forming plural documentary sets that represent the struggle to preserve the memory of this event (Marino and Nicodemo 2022b). These records, informally compiled across the country, highlight themes and scopes often overlooked during the pandemic, such as the experiences of marginalized urban communities and Indigenous peoples. These documents offer rich narratives and valuable information for research, enabling the history of the pandemic to be written with attention to subjects that transcend statistical and biological data. They capture sensitive aspects like fear, death, and mourning, as well as socio-historical dimensions including inequality, racism, gender-based violence, and human rights violations (Marino and Nicodemo 2022b). These records, informally compiled across the country, highlight themes and scopes often overlooked during the pandemic, such as the experiences of marginalized urban communities and Indigenous peoples. These documents offer rich narratives and valuable information for research, enabling the history of the pandemic to be written with attention to subjects that transcend statistical and biological data. They capture sensitive aspects like fear, death, and mourning, as well as socio-historical dimensions including inequality, racism, gender-based violence, and human rights violations (Marino 2025). (Marino 2025).

Digital preservation, technological innovation, and community engagement

The Memorial has faced a challenge that archivists and digital preservation specialists have known for decades: providing reliable, lasting preservation in the digital environment (Blom et al. 2017). Informal pandemic documentation projects begun throughout Brazil since 2020 are highly diverse, employing various strategies such as online forms, messaging apps, websites, and social media – producing assorted document types and metadata (Blom et al. 2017). Informal pandemic documentation projects begun throughout Brazil since 2020 are highly diverse, employing various strategies such as online forms, messaging apps, websites, and social media – producing assorted document types and metadata (Marino 2026). Successful preservation requires the fulfillment of key functions, including metadata standardization, integrity and format verification, creating backups, routine checks, digital repository deployment, and access strategy development (Marino 2026). Successful preservation requires the fulfillment of key functions, including metadata standardization, integrity and format verification, creating backups, routine checks, digital repository deployment, and access strategy development (Marino 2024). These tasks demand specific infrastructure, skilled labor, and defined preservation guidelines – requirements that most voluntary pandemic memory projects lack the capacity to meet, which means that they face the imminent risk of disappearing. (Marino 2024). These tasks demand specific infrastructure, skilled labor, and defined preservation guidelines – requirements that most voluntary pandemic memory projects lack the capacity to meet, which means that they face the imminent risk of disappearing.

More than providing digital repositories that match the recommended guidelines for proper preservation, the Memorial also developed innovative technical solutions addressing the specificities of the collections we gathered. As the paper will present, the Memorial has provided software integration between Archivematica (“Archivematica: Open-Source Digital Preservation System,” n.d.) and Tainacan (“Archivematica: Open-Source Digital Preservation System,” n.d.) and Tainacan ( ( Tainacan – A Flexible and Powerful Repository Platform for WordPress, n.d.), reinforcing sovereignty and allowing for better integration of the processes of preserving and disseminating digital records online. Moreover, the paper will discuss the ethical challenges faced when implementing the responsible use of LLMs for cataloging and archival research (Finn and Khosrowi 2025) – which include the paradoxes of working for a public project while sustaining dialogues with Big Tech companies. (Finn and Khosrowi 2025) – which include the paradoxes of working for a public project while sustaining dialogues with Big Tech companies.

More than technical, the challenges that the Memorial has faced are human. Its collection is primarily composed of contributions produced and provided by Brazilian citizens who sought to record one of the country’s most significant and traumatic recent events. This effort to preserve memory marks an important shift in how an event of such magnitude is documented, driven by civic commitment and aiming to foster a democratic and representative memory (Noiret 2022; Pons 2022). As the paper will present, the Digital Memorial learned from this history, developing practical solutions for the incorporation of ideals of citizenship, democracy, and representativity into its processes of archiving, curation, and dissemination. (Noiret 2022; Pons 2022). As the paper will present, the Digital Memorial learned from this history, developing practical solutions for the incorporation of ideals of citizenship, democracy, and representativity into its processes of archiving, curation, and dissemination.

The Memorial was built upon dialogue and attentive listening, with project creators and document producers serving as partners throughout each stage (Flinn et al. 2009). The reception of collections involved establishing unique workflows in archival management, maintaining ongoing dialogues between staff, collection creators, and document producers to ensure materials were handled according to legal and ethical standards – especially given the sensitive nature of the documentation (Flinn et al. 2009). The reception of collections involved establishing unique workflows in archival management, maintaining ongoing dialogues between staff, collection creators, and document producers to ensure materials were handled according to legal and ethical standards – especially given the sensitive nature of the documentation (Caswell et al. 2021). Similarly, cataloging procedures were guided by input from those who initially built these collections, seeking solutions that honor the particulars of each record. Moreover, exhibition strategies on the web portal (Caswell et al. 2021). Similarly, cataloging procedures were guided by input from those who initially built these collections, seeking solutions that honor the particulars of each record. Moreover, exhibition strategies on the web portal (Ministry of Health (BR) et al., n.d.) also maintained a dialogical approach, fostering active curation with project leaders to define dissemination and access strategies consistent with the identities of those who diligently produced these projects. (Ministry of Health (BR) et al., n.d.) also maintained a dialogical approach, fostering active curation with project leaders to define dissemination and access strategies consistent with the identities of those who diligently produced these projects.

The paper, therefore, presents a pathway for managing digital memory with the public, based on an open, democratic, and invitational initiative, aiming to develop memorialization, archiving, and accessibility practices that may serve as models for other contexts (Sabiescu 2020). (Sabiescu 2020).

Methods and contributions

As mentioned, this paper presents a critical assessment of the making of the Digital Memorial of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Brazil. It employs ethnographic methods, drawing on my participatory observation, analysis of project documentation and collections, and digital ethnography of the technical aspects involved in constructing the Memorial (Dicks et al. 2006; de Seta 2020). The paper also takes a self-ethnographic approach and accounts for observations from participants – aiming for a transparent procedure that recognizes my own bias, considering my key role in leading this project (Dicks et al. 2006; de Seta 2020). The paper also takes a self-ethnographic approach and accounts for observations from participants – aiming for a transparent procedure that recognizes my own bias, considering my key role in leading this project (Underberg and Zorn 2013). (Underberg and Zorn 2013).

By presenting a context from Brazil, the paper highlights experiences of digital engagement in the Global South, pointing to global inequality but, more importantly, demonstrating possible pathways for developing preservation policies that are effective, democratic, and sustainable (Zaagsma 2023). Spanning discussions on technological innovation and new forms of community engagement in managing digital memory, the paper culminates in a concrete example that goes beyond the preserved collection, allowing reflection on the theoretical, methodological, and epistemological directions of the humanities in a world where digital technologies have transformed how history is documented (Zaagsma 2023). Spanning discussions on technological innovation and new forms of community engagement in managing digital memory, the paper culminates in a concrete example that goes beyond the preserved collection, allowing reflection on the theoretical, methodological, and epistemological directions of the humanities in a world where digital technologies have transformed how history is documented (Erll 2020). (Erll 2020).

In this sense, the paper’s contribution goes beyond the pandemic in Brazil, offering resources to reflect on the memory of events and places facing similar archiving challenges – such as the pandemic globally, wars documented in real time, and extreme climate events – all of which may benefit from the insights this study presents. The paper, therefore, makes a significant contribution to ongoing debates concerning digital archives, which are central to the advancement of the digital humanities, by arguing that when dealing with the challenges posed by the real-time digital memory of collective catastrophic events (particularly in peripheral areas), one should combine the development of methodologies and infrastructure for managing digital heritage with strategies for enhancing community engagement.