Oral histories from Georgian WWII veterans now freely available online

“This unique project shone a light on the special men and women who sacrificed themselves for all Americans and continues to be a valuable historical resource for researchers, family, and friends of the veterans.”

Aug. 15, 2019

CONTACT: Deborah Hakes, dhakes@georgialibraries.org

ATLANTA — Video recorded recollections from 50 World War II veterans originally from the Bainbridge, GA, area are now available online through YouTube and the Digital Library of Georgia. The interviews, which were originally captured on VHS and VHS-C tapes, were digitized as part of a summer student practicum program sponsored by Georgia HomePLACE, a unit of the Georgia Public Library Service, the Southwest Georgia Regional Library System, and the Clayton State University Master of Archival Studies program. 

The interviews preserve the experiences and history of WWII veterans and provide insight into the cultural and societal values in America between 1939-1945. The majority of veterans interviewed for the project have since passed away, making preservation all the more crucial.

“This unique project shone a light on the special men and women who sacrificed themselves for all Americans and continues to be a valuable historical resource for researchers, family, and friends of the veterans,” says Library Director Susan Whittle. “Responding to a request from an older community resident, SWGRL librarians & historians interviewed and videotaped many of the area’s “Greatest Generation” to share their war experiences and preserve them for posterity in our library and archives.” 

The World War II Veterans Project was an oral history initiative conducted by the Southwest Georgia Regional Library System from 1998-2008 with funding from The Thomas M. and Irene B. Kirbo Charitable Trust. In 2002, the library received a National Award for Library Service from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, partly in recognition of the project’s success.

In order to preserve and improve access to these oral histories, the analog interviews were described, digitized, and uploaded to YouTube. They are additionally searchable within the Digital Library of Georgia. On average, each recording lasts 30 to 40 minutes and chronicles the interviewee’s age when drafted or enlisted, the branch of service, and training. Interviewees recount the nature of their assignments and duties, and often the weapons or artillery used, the transport ships, trucks, trains, and planes; the countries in which they were stationed; and where applicable, the major battles in which they participated.  

Joshua Kitchens, Director of the Master of Archival Studies program at Clayton State, says, “Outside-of-the-classroom experiences, such as working with Georgia HomePLACE, help our students apply the knowledge and skills they’ve accumulated in their course work. It is invaluable that our students have these types of opportunities to gain firsthand experience. Partnerships like these also help our students give back to the larger community of institutions preserving Georgia’s memory.”

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Georgia HomePLACE encourages public libraries and related institutions across the state to participate in the Digital Library of Georgia. HomePLACE offers a highly collaborative model for digitizing primary source collections related to local history and genealogy. HomePLACE is a project of the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. HomePLACE is supported with federal Library Services and Technology Act funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service.

The Clayton State University’s Master of Archival Studies (MAS) program prepares professionals for careers in government, businesses, and collecting archives. The program emphasizes digital archives and electronic records. Because the program concentrates on archives and records, it offers a more in-depth study than students would receive in a library, information science, or public history program. Its innovative blend of traditional archival knowledge with information technology responds to the need for professionals who understand contemporary records and record-keeping systems. 

The Southwest Georgia Regional Library System serves the residents of Decatur, Miller, and Seminole Counties. The library system houses books, audiovisual materials, computers, genealogical resources, and more to serve the needs of the residents of the area. The Southwest Georgia Library for Accessible Services provides materials for blind and physically handicapped persons and serves a 22 county region in Southwest Georgia. We strive to provide the collections, reference services, and events that best serve the members of our community.

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South Georgia Newspapers Added to the Georgia Historic Newspapers Website

The Digital Library of Georgia is pleased to announce the addition of the previously digitized South Georgia newspaper titles to the Georgia Historic Newspapers (GHN) website.

https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/

Daily Times Enterprise (Thomasville), March 9, 1916

GHN now provides online access to forty seven South Georgia newspaper titles published in eleven cities (Albany, Americus, Bainbridge, Brunswick, Cairo, Cuthbert, Thomasville, Tifton, Valdosta, Vienna, and Waycross) between 1845 and 1922, including:

Advertiser (Brunswick), 1875

Advertiser and Appeal (Brunswick), 1888

Albany Daily Herald, 1906

Albany News, 1869-1880

Albany Patriot, 1845-1866

Albany Tri-Weekly News, 1867

Albany Weekly Herald, 1892-1901

Americus Daily Recorder, 1884-1890

Americus Recorder Tri-Weekly, 1881-1884

Americus Times-Recorder (daily), 1891-1900

Americus Times-Recorder (weekly), 1891-1902, 1907-1910, 1817-1821

Americus Weekly Recorder, 1883-1891

Americus Weekly Times-Recorder, 1902-1907

Bainbridge Democrat, 1881-1909

Bainbridge Search Light, 1903-1913

Bainbridge Weekly Democrat, 1872-1876

Brunswick Advertiser, 1875-1881

Brunswick Advertiser and Appeal, 1881

Brunswick Weekly Advertiser, 1889

Cuthbert Appeal, 1866-1884

Cuthbert Enterprise and Appeal, 1884-1888

Daily Advertiser-Appeal, 1888-1889

Daily Times-Enterprise (Thomasville), 1890-1922

Grady County Progress (Cairo), 1910-1917

Post-Search Light (Bainbridge), 1916-1922

Search Light (Bainbridge, 1901-1903

Thomasville Times, 1873-1889

Thomasville Times-Enterprise, 1893-1903

Tifton Gazette, 1892-1919

Times-Enterprise Semi-Weekly Edition (Thomasville), 1913-1922

Times-Recorder (Americus, daily), 1891

Times-Recorder (Americus, weekly), 1891

Tri-Weekly Sumter Republican (Americus), 1866-1867

Tri-Weekly Republican (Americus), 1870

Valdosta Times, 1905-1912

Waycross Evening Herald, 1911

Waycross Headlight, 1884-1887

Waycross Herald, 1892-1893

Waycross Journal, 1901-1914

Waycross Weekly Herald, 1893-1902, 1908-1910

Waycross Weekly Journal, 1914

Weekly Advertiser Appeal (Brunswick), 1888

Weekly Edition of the Waycross Evening Herald, 1904-1908

Weekly News and Advertiser (Albany), 1880-1892

Weekly Sumter Republican, 1870-1885

Weekly Times Enterprise and South Georgia Progress, 1905-1908

Weekly Times-Recorder, 1910-1917

The site offers full text searching and multiple browsing options. GHN is compatible with all current browsers, and the newspaper page images can be viewed without the use of plug-ins or additional software downloads.

This summer, the Digital Library of Georgia will be adding several previously digitized newspaper titles, including titles from the Savannah and Athens Historic Newspaper Archives. Upcoming new releases will include dozens of R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation-funded antebellum titles from around the state, the NDNP-funded Savannah Morning News, and several CLIR-funded student newspapers from Atlanta University Center and Spelman and Morehouse Colleges.

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