New collections from Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library

Chemistry Class-women's, Atlanta University Photographs, Robert W. Woodruff Library, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.
Chemistry Class-women’s, Atlanta University Photographs, Robert W. Woodruff Library, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

We are excited to announce a new partnership with Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library, and the arrival of three new collections that provide us with documentation of the history of the largest consortium of African American private institutions of higher education:

  • Atlanta University Photographs (Late nineteenth and early twentieth century photograph collection that documents the history of Atlanta University, its students, alumni, and friends)
  • Clark College Photographs (Late nineteenth and early twentieth century photograph collection that documents the history of Clark College, its students, and alumni)
  • Interdenominational Theological Center- Gammon Photographs (Late nineteenth and early twentieth century photograph collection that documents the history of the Interdenominational Theological Center with items representing Gammon Theological Seminary)

Christine Wiseman, Unit Head, Digital Services and Derek Mosley, Assistant Head, Archives Research Center at the Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library hope that an international audience will view these new collections and plan to come to Atlanta to do more research. With the online availability of these collections, Wiseman and Mosely note:

“New researchers will have the opportunity to begin their research even before they come to the physical archives. The newly digitized photographs document individuals, events, athletics and buildings, enabling new users to acquaint themselves with the historic campuses of what is presently known as the Atlanta University Center. Current users can view historic photographs of the Atlanta University schools as they research specific periods and possibly find images of students, faculty, and staff that they may not have been able to uncover prior to digitization.”

These collections represent the customs and culture of institutions of higher learning in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Wiseman and Mosley recommend looking through the photographs in these collections that relate to student activities: “You can see how differently students dressed as compared to today, and the images showcase how formal education and even extracurricular activities were during that time period.”

We hope that you spend some time with these new collections, and welcome the Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library as our new partner.

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New Collections from City of Savannah, Research Library and Municipal Archives

Resolution regarding civil rights marches in the city of Savannah recorded in the Mayor's Speeches File Books for Savannah, Georgia, 1963
Resolution regarding civil rights marches in the city of Savannah recorded in the Mayor’s Speeches File Books for Savannah, Georgia, 1963

 

We are pleased to announce new collections with lots of new content from the City of Savannah, Research Library and Municipal Archives.

These new collections include:

Luciana Spracher, the library and archives director for the City of Savannah, Research Library and Municipal Archives, comments on the breadth of resources available: “For a municipal government, we have a very robust archival program, probably very fitting for a city of Savannah’s historical nature, and I think a lot of people will generally be surprised by how much we have, whether it is records on individuals, businesses, properties, or government growth and activities, in general.”

She adds: “We are particularly excited to share the oral history collections digitally.  Prior to this we did not have a good way to allow individuals to listen to the audio recordings and I think this new access will increase their use and appreciation.  I am also excited that we are sharing twentieth century collections and history with our citizens and users.  We have previously had a strong focus on nineteenth century records, but we are increasingly seeing where we need to start addressing gaps in our twentieth century records, and researchers are increasingly interested in studying twentieth century events and issues.

Now that these collections are available in the Digital Library of Georgia and the Digital Public Library of America, Spracher is eager to reach new researchers: “Our greatest hope for our collections through DLG and DPLA is that this will increase access and awareness.  We hope that new audiences will be introduced to them that may never have considered the City of Savannah as a source on certain topics.  I’m always excited when our records are used in ways that we never could have anticipated or hoped for.”

We hope that you take the time to explore these new collections, and learn more about how the twentieth century has shaped Savannah’s modern history.

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