Month: February 2020

Georgia Archives Hosts African-American History Program: "Genealogical Research at the Georgia Archives"

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On Saturday, February 1, the Georgia Archives and the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) hosted the African American History Program: “Genealogical Research at the Georgia Archives.”
The free program was held from 9:00 a.m.-3:15 p.m. at the Georgia Archives. Tours of the Archives were given after the program. There were four sessions, with a morning and afternoon break provided by Friends of Georgia Archives and History (FOGAH).
For the first session, Tamika Strong, Georgia Archives’ Reference Archivist, presented “Researching at the Georgia Archives: An Introduction.”
 Reference Archivist Tamika Strong asks a question
For the second session, Kayla Barrett, Georgia Archives’ Deputy Director, presented “African American Genealogical Research at the Georgia Archives.”
 Georgia Archives Deputy Director Kayla Barrett presents to group
For the third session, Paula Whatley Matabane, AAHGS Metro Atlanta Chapter, presented “Genealogy and Lies in a Courtroom Drama over Ownership of Enslaved Ancestors.”
 Dr. Paula Matabane presenting
The final session was a panel discussion: “Research Techniques” with facilitator Judy Rose Weaver, AAHGS Metro Atlanta Chapter. On the panel were three AAHGS Metro Atlanta Chapter members: Tammy Ozier who presented “Finding Manumission Records in Louisiana Archives”; Janice Bryant presented “Strategies for Researching Free People of Color”; and Johnette Brooks presented “Tips for Researching Military Records.”
 Standing: Panelist Johnette Brooks

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Now Available Online

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WRITER: Mandy Mastrovita, mastrovi@uga.edu, 706-583-0209
CONTACT: Sheila McAlister, mcalists@uga.edu, 706-542-5418
ATHENS, Ga. — Sanborn fire insurance maps for select Georgia towns and cities dating from 1923-1941 now available for free online
The Digital Library of Georgia has just made Sanborn fire insurance maps produced between 1923-1941 for 39 Georgia towns and cities in 35 counties freely available online. The maps, which are now in the public domain, can be retrieved at dlg.usg.edu/collection/dlg_sanb, and complement the DLG’s existing collection of the University of Georgia Map and Government Information Library’s 539 Sanborn maps dating from 1884-1922 that have been available since 2005. The DLG has also upgraded its image viewer, which will allow better access and improved navigation to the new and older Sanborn images from this collection.
Sanborn maps were designed to assist fire insurance agents in determining fire hazards for properties by outlining the construction of buildings and their elements, as well as the location of water facilities, house and block numbers, and the names of streets. They have proven useful in researching urban growth and decline, urban planning design, and the historic use of buildings in a city.
Cari Goetcheus, associate professor in the College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia notes: “Sanborn maps are a wonderful snapshot of place in time from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s.
Originally created by insurance companies to understand building materials in cities so they could decide what and how to insure the built environment, these maps offer much more than that by providing insight into Georgia’s diverse cultural, political, social, economic, and geographic history.
For example, my students and I have most recently been using Athens Sanborn maps to document land-use change in an area known as Hot Corner, the historically black business district of Athens from the late 1800s to the 1970s.”
Valerie Glenn, librarian and Head of the University of Georgia’s Map and Government Information Library notes:
“Because the maps contain such rich details, they provide a clear picture of a town as it existed –culturally, socially, economically, geographically. Users can see how many banks, or theatres, or piano stores existed; the “colored” schools and churches; and the distance between the river and the cigar factory.
Over time this makes it easier for users to, for example, identify changes to historically African-American neighborhoods in a given town or see the development, expansion, and/or decline of a central business district.”

Link to featured images:

Arlington, Calhoun and Early Counties, Georgia, Apr. 1934/ Sanborn Map Company
Fire insurance maps which show building construction by hand coloring, locations of elevators and windows, and available water facilities. Shows commercial and religious occupancy of buildings, dwellings with property boundaries, and house and block numbers. Includes notes on population, water facilities, fire department, and prevailing winds. The maps represented are from the University of Georgia Libraries Map Collection.
About the University of Georgia Map and Government Information Library
The University of Georgia Map and Government Information Library (MAGIL)’s mission is to provide bibliographic, physical and intellectual access to cartographic and government information in all formats. The UGA Libraries serves as Georgia’s regional depository for documents published by the Federal government as well as the official depository for documents published by the State of Georgia. Its collections include select international and United Nations documents. Cartographic resources include maps, aerial photography and remote sensed imagery, atlases, digital spatial data, and reference materials, with a particular emphasis on the State of Georgia. Visit libs.uga.edu/magil
About the Digital Library of Georgia
Based at the University of Georgia Libraries, the Digital Library of Georgia 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. Visit the DLG at dlg.usg.edu.

Apply for the Carol Hart Scholarship by March 1st

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SGA’s scholarship committee will be taking applications for the Carol Hart Scholarship up through Midnight EST on March 1st, 2020.

This scholarship will fund tuition for one individual to attend the Georgia Archives Institute’s summer session beginning June 8th and ending June 19th. 

Please visit the following page to apply: https://soga.wildapricot.org/scholarships/hart/
To apply, you will need to fill out an application form as well as provide a 1-2 page cover letter as well as a copy of your CV or resume.

The Carol Hart Scholarship will cover an amount equal to the noncredit tuition for the institute, but not to exceed $500, and a year’s membership in the Society of Georgia Archivists. After participating in the Georgia Archives Institute, the recipient will submit a brief article on the experience for use in the SGA Newsletter.

Please note that individuals must apply separately to the Georgia Archives Institute by March 15th, 2020 and pay the application fee to the Georgia Archives Institute. The deadline is Midnight on March 15, 2020 for receipt of application and $75 application fee (which is refunded if not admitted to the Institute).

Copyright and Oral History Webinar

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PA Digital will hold a webinar on issues of copyright in oral history collections led by PA Digital’s Rights Team Lead Ana Enriquez on February 25 from 10-11 am EST.

The session will cover topics such as originality, authorship, and public domain status using examples from PA Digital collections. The session will be recorded and posted to PA Digital’s website.

Please register here: https://forms.gle/KT8Xzt2QgbYhBQVZ6.

Call in at: https://zoom.us/j/266071406

Two Upcoming DLG/SGA Co-Sponsored Workshops on Copyright

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Join DLG and SGA on March 20 for two copyright workshops taught by Greg Cram, Director of Copyright, Permissions and Information Policy at The New York Public Library. The workshops will be held in the Russell Special Collections Building at the University of Georgia, Athens. Registration for each workshop is $15.


2020 Spring Workshop: Using Copyright to Open Your Archives

Friday, March 20, 2020, 8:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.

As cultural heritage organizations digitize their more of their archival collections, copyright is often seen as a barrier to making these digitized collections broadly available to users. Although copyright issues tend to be more complex for archival items, this workshop will challenge the perception that copyright is a barrier to access by discussing ways archivists can use copyright to their advantage. At this workshop, attendees will increase their understanding of copyright law in the context of archival collections, including sound and moving image items. Attendees will discuss strategies for addressing these complex challenges using a number of tools, including public domain determinations, library exceptions, fair use and risk. Through a variety of interactive lessons, attendees will leave feeling more confident about copyright.

 Instructor: Greg Cram, New York Public Library
Register here.
2020 Spring Workshop: Living Our Values: Advanced Considerations in Opening Digital Collections
Friday, March 20, 2020, 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M.

For the last decade, a primary focus in the digitization of archival collections was copyright and contract law. In the last few years, there has been a renewed focus on bringing core professional values to digitization projects. These values are embodied in considerations like privacy and respect for indigenous cultural sensitivities. As new models of funding digitization projects emerge, cultural heritage organizations are often asked to restrict access to digitized collections when commercial vendors are involved. Attendees of this workshop will gain a deeper understanding of how these considerations impact digitization projects. Attendees will learn about practices and strategies to incorporate professional values into their digitization efforts and identify ways to responsibly make collections available for reuse.

 Instructor: Greg Cram, New York Public Library
Register here.

Valdosta State University Archives Map and Plat Collections Now Available Online

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WRITER: Mandy Mastrovita, mastrovi@uga.edu, 706-542-0587

CONTACT: Sheila McAlister, mcalists@uga.edu, 706-542-5418 
Three map and plat collections featuring historical maps, plats, deeds, records, and correspondence pertaining to South Georgia land holdings dating from 1767 to 1899 are now available in the Digital Library of Georgia.
These resources belong to Valdosta State University Archives. They have been made available online thanks in part to the DLG’s Competitive Digitization grant program, a funding opportunity intended to broaden DLG partner participation for statewide historic digitization projects.
The three digital collections are:
  • Deeds and Plats, Georgia, available at dlg.usg.edu/collection/valdosta_ms18, consisting of residential and commercial deeds, plats, maps, and other documents from counties and towns, mostly in southeast Georgia, dating from 1767 to 1899.
  • Deeds, Camden County, Georgia, available at dlg.usg.edu/collection/valdosta_ms21, which includes deeds, plats, land grants, and legal documents dating from 1833 to 1899 regarding land in Camden County, Georgia, and northern Florida.
  • John Adam Treutlen, June 1767, available at dlg.usg.edu/collection/valdosta_ms165, a land grant dated June 1767 assigned by King George III of England conveying four hundred acres of land in the parish of Saint Matthew, Georgia to John Adam Treutlen, Georgia’s first elected governor.
Digitization, description, and online access to these collections provide historical value to Georgia genealogists, and researchers of South Georgia and its development.
John G. Crowley, associate professor in the department of history at Valdosta State University notes: “Materials such as these are invaluable to genealogists and historians. They reveal patterns of land use, settlement, industrial development, and those involved in such enterprises. For the genealogist, land records are a source of general background information on individuals and families, establish patterns of movement and employment, and often reveal family relationships otherwise unknown or unproven. Southern historians, local historians, and genealogists both amateur and professional will profit enormously from improved access to this material.”
Chris Meyers, professor of history at Valdosta State University states: “The collections to be digitized represent what a genealogist would consider a prized find. Deed records fill significant gaps in genealogical research and making these records available to all, through digitization, represents a significant service to all genealogists.”
Link to featured images:
Royal Land Grant, St. Matthews Parish, Georgia, 1767/ Treutlen land grant/ Treutlen Deed
Land grant dated June 1767 assigned by King George III of England conveying four hundred acres of land in the parish of Saint Matthew, Georgia to John Adam Treutlen. Treutlen became Georgia’s first governor in 1777.
(attachments to this email: treutlen-page-1.jpg, treutlen-page-2.jpg)
About Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections
The VSU Archives and Special Collections supports the University’s commitment to scholarly and creative work, enhances instructional effectiveness, encourages faculty scholarly pursuits, and supports research in selective areas of institutional strength focused on regional need by collecting, preserving, and providing access to records of enduring historical value documenting the history and development of VSU and the surrounding South Georgia region and in support of VSU curriculum. Visit valdosta.edu/academics/library/depts/archives-and-special-collections/
About the Digital Library of Georgia

Based at the University of Georgia Libraries, the Digital Library of Georgia 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. Visit the DLG at dlg.usg.edu.