Lethbridge museum seeks pandemic artifacts to preserve for future generations

The Galt Museum in Lethbridge is looking for donations of used, at-home rapid test kits.

CALGARY — Today's pandemic will one day be tomorrow's museum's historical exhibit.

That's the thinking behind the Galt Museum and Archives in Lethbridge, which is looking for a unique donation to help represent the COVID-19 pandemic.

The museum is looking for donations of used, at-home rapid test kits.

Staff also want to collect the story behind the donated test kit and any photos taken with it.

The museum has already collected a variety of masks, locally-made hand sanitizer and a variety of pandemic-era signage.

"What we've been trying to do over the course of the pandemic is solicit donations of materials that relate to our collected experience of the pandemic so we can use those objects to tell that story to other (future) generations that won't have experienced that," said Galt Museum's Graham Ruttan.

The museum is asking donors to reach out through its social media accounts or by email.

One donor will be chosen next month, and given a tour of the museum's vaults.