In the midst of a global emergency, Australia's historical institutions are already thinking decades ahead as they plot ways for us to remember the past.

While the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, museums and libraries around the country are busy planning and collecting to ensure people in 100 years' time can look back and understand how we coped.

National Museum director Mathew Trinca is plotting a way to remember this crisis in future. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The National Museum of Australia has launched a social media project asking people to share and record their experiences during this life-altering moment in history, while state libraries are asking citizens to collect leaflets and posters for posterity.

Through a new Facebook group called "Bridging the Distance", the museum is encouraging people to share their stories, photos and videos for display during a future exhibition – once things calm down a bit.