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Thursday 12th May 2011
Would you keep a one-day diary
for Mass Observation?
In 1937, Mass Observation called for people from all parts of the UK to record everything they did from when they woke up in the morning to when they went to sleep at night on
12th May. This was the day of George VI’s Coronation. The resulting diaries provide a wonderful glimpse into the everyday lives of all sorts of people on this day.
The Mass Observation Archive repeated this call in 2010 by asking for electronic diaries written on 12th May. This day, coincidently, was the first day of the new coalition government. These diaries are stored in the Archive alongside the 1937 documents. May
12th 2011 is likely to be quite an ordinary day but we would still like to have your diary.
Write as much as you can about what you do, who you meet, what you talk about, what you eat and drink, what you buy or sell, what you are working on, the places you visit, the people you meet, the things you read, see and hear around you and of course what
you yourself think.
Anyone from any part of the UK whatever your age or background is welcome to send us a diary but it must be in electronic form!
How to take part:
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Diaries MUST be in electronic form - emails or email attachments
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You should include a brief self portrait: your age, where you live, whether you are married or single, your present job or occupation if you are
working and any other information that you think is important to record. We need this as background to your diary.
·
If 12th May was a typical day for you please say so. If not, please say why it wasn’t. Any reflections on the day and on how you felt while keeping
the diary always welcome.
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So that we can add your diary to the rest of the Archive for the future, please include the statement below at the end of your diary.
If you don’t attach this statement, we won’t be able to keep your diary or make it part of the Archive.
“I donate my 12th May diary to the Mass Observation Archive. I consent to it being made publically available as part of the Archive and assign my copyright in the diary to the
Mass Observation Archive Trustees so that it can be reproduced in full or in part on websites, in publications and in broadcasts as approved by the Trustees”.
Please submit your responses by email
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Jessica Scantlebury,
The Mass Observation Archive
Special Collections,
The Library, University of Sussex,
BRIGHTON BN1 9QL, UK
Tel. +44 (0) 1273 678157
http://www.massobs.org.uk/index.htm
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/library/speccoll/