Athens (Ga.) – Page 5

A goldmine has been excavated here in Athens—not the orange metal that decorates the lairs of the incredibly rich and presidential, trust me, but the rich loam of irreplaceable local history. Thanks to the efforts of UGA’s Digital Library of Georgia project and the hard work of the Athens-Clarke County Library staff, 25 years of Flagpole’s lost archives have been recovered and made available to everybody for free.

Cover of the inaugural issue of Flagpole, "Colorbearer of Athens Alternative Music," October 1, 1987. — Cover of the inaugural issue of Flagpole, “Colorbearer of Athens Alternative Music,” October 1, 1987.

We all tend to believe, in spite of our own crashes and losses, that digital is forever, that the digits will remain long after the printed paper has crumbled. Ha. Dream on. In the late ‘90s, while backing up our main computer, our resident technical expert (to remain nameless here) lost the first decade of Flagpole issues. Wiped out. Gone. The UGA library had microfilm, and we had paper copies, but there was no database online and no searchable files anywhere, except thumbing through back issues, looking for something.

Then, around 10 years later, it happened again. Our homemade website turned out to have inadequate protection and got hacked (the Russians?). We had to take it down, and along with it went the archives we had built up since the last catastrophe. Flagpole was lobotomized.

Since that time we have hired various programmers and companies who promised to reestablish our archives, but nobody has been able to deliver—nobody, that is, until the Digital Library of Georgia, hand-in-hand with the Athens-Clarke County Library, swooped in like Superman and Wonder Woman to restore Flagpole’s memory banks.

The library’s Heritage Room staff, with their stalwart interns using a high-speed copier, went through each issue of Flagpole page-by-page and shot digital images from their microfilm. When that laborious part of the project was finally completed, the Digital Library of Georgia over at the UGA libraries, created the searchable database and put it online.

Meanwhile, our own online archives have been rebuilt back through 2013 and are searchable issue by issue on our website, sort of.

You can search the whole Digital Library Flagpole site from 1987 through 2012. Type in R.E.M. and immediately get 181 articles … What fun! You can watch as Flagpole progresses through the years from a harum-scarum, slapped-together weekly music rag into a finely-tuned, professionally produced, seriously written harum-scarum weekly music rag.

This database is of inestimable value to people wanting to write about Athens, to explore local history, or to relive their youth. It’s all here, a rabbit hole just waiting for you to go down it. Research your favorite band. See what bad stuff we wrote about local politicians. Delve into the history, the music, the people who have made the news during the 25 years from 1987 to 2012 and more recently in our own archives. Flagpole has been at the center of our community life for the last 30 years, and now, thanks to the Digital Library of Georgia, we can all remember where we’ve been.

—Pete McCommons, editor, Flagpole magazine, January 17, 2018, http://flagpole.com/news/pub-notes/2018/01/17/the-digital-library-of-georgia-uploads-flagpole-s-archives. Reprinted with permission.

The Digital Library of Georgia (DLG) is pleased to announce the availability of the Red and Black in the Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive (GHN) at https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/gua1179162/ . Since 1893, the Red and Black has provided a training ground for University of Georgia students interested in gaining experience in various aspects of newspaper publishing and to produce a high quality daily newspaper for the University of Georgia community.

The Red and Black debuted in 1893 as a newspaper devoted to the interests of the University of Georgia’s student body. Two years later, the publication was discontinued after a conflict between university faculty and the Red and Black. In September, 1895, the publication resumed as a private venture, which proved successful enough to convince faculty to reclaim the paper in 1896. The University of Georgia Athletic Association assumed control of the Red and Black, which operated there in connection with the School of Journalism. In 1980, the UGA Board of Regents voted to approve the paper’s independence from the university. The Red and Black remains an independent publication and is the most widely circulated college newspaper in Georgia.

“As we celebrate our 125th anniversary, this is an exciting development for The Red and Black,” says publisher Rebecca Burns. “Our archives provide a record of student life and athletics at the University of Georgia that students, alumni, and fans appreciate. They also are a resource for researchers and scholars looking for insights into a student perspective on a host of important issues, from the World Wars and Vietnam War to the integration of UGA to more contemporary events and issues such as 9/11.”

The University of Georgia Libraries has launched a crowdfunding campaign to digitize back issues of the Red and Black dating from 2007-present. Currently, issues from 1893 to 2006 are available on the new website. The archive is keyword searchable, making it a valuable resource for the University community. To support or to learn more about this project, visit https://dar.uga.edu/funder/campaigns/digitize-the-red-black/ .

About the Digital Library of Georgia

Based at the University of Georgia Libraries, the Digital Library of Georgia http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/ is a GALILEO initiative that collaborates with Georgia’s libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions of education and culture to provide access to key information resources on Georgia history, culture, and life. This primary mission is accomplished through the ongoing development, maintenance, and preservation of digital collections and online digital library resources. DLG also serves as Georgia’s service hub for the Digital Public Library of America and as the home of the Georgia Newspaper Project, the state’s historic newspaper microfilming project.

Tag: Athens (Ga.)

Unique Partnership Captures Athens’ Music and Art Scene from the 1980s Onwards

Red and Black available on Georgia Historic Newspapers site; crowdfunding campaign to digitize back issues