GHS INCREASES ACCESSIBILITY TO ARCHIVAL
COLLECTIONS THROUGH NHPRC GRANT
Savannah, Ga., September 24, 2014 - The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) announced today the completion of a 2012 National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant to digitize archival collection finding aids in Encoded Archival Description (EAD), link digital items to corresponding finding aid inventories, and create a searchable database of finding aids hosted by the Digital Library of Georgia.
Archival collection finding aids are documents that provide detailed information about the contents of individual collections which in turn allow researchers better access to, and understanding of, the materials.
“We are very grateful to NHPRC for selecting the Georgia Historical Society for this grant,” said Lynette Stoudt, Director of the GHS Research Center. "At the start of the project, most of GHS’s finding aids were only available in paper format, located in 3-ring binders in our Research Center. Now, thanks to this new resource, over 2,300 collection finding aids are available online to researchers anywhere in the world, twenty-four hours a day on our website.”
As part of this project, GHS archival collection finding aids were also linked to relevant articles in the New Georgia Encyclopedia and Today In Georgia History educational web resources.
“Accessing Georgia history just became a whole lot easier” added Stoudt.
The NHPRC is a 15-member body established in 1934 and chaired by the Archivist of the United States. Affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) it supports a wide range of activities to preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, created in every medium ranging from quill pen to computer, relating to the history of the United States.
Today in Georgia History is a joint collaboration of Georgia Public Broadcasting and the Georgia Historical Society.
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