News

Over 11,500 pages of digitized African American funeral programs from Atlanta and the Southeast are now freely available in the Digital Library of Georgia. The digital collection of 3,348 individual programs dates between 1886-2019 and contains contributions from the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, a special library of the Fulton County Library System; the Wesley Chapel Genealogy Group; and the Atlanta Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. Digitization was funded by Georgia HomePLACE, a program of the Georgia Public Library Service.

UGA Libraries will continue to provide course reserve services for faculty planning their courses for the fall semester, with some changes due to the COVID-19 situation. Requests submitted by July 17 are guaranteed to be completed and accessible by the first day of fall semester classes.

This academic year, the Libraries encourage instructors to utilize electronic course reserve resources, which can integrate with eLC and limit students’ need to access physical materials and spaces. Electronic course reserves also allow students to access materials after the Thanksgiving break and position faculty for a potential pivot back to online instruction at any point in the semester.

The UGA Libraries’ reopening plan begins with contactless porch pickup services for graduate students and faculty beginning June 23. UPDATE: Undergraduate students may reserve books for porch pickup as well.

Most library services and resources will remain available digitally through the summer, as a small group of library faculty and staff return to campus to begin preparations for safe on-campus operations during the upcoming academic year. However, due to requests, certain books may be checked out and retrieved by faculty and graduate students.

Libraries are often described as the heart of an academic community, and our hearts are broken by the wanton destruction of human life with the killings of George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. These are jarring and painful reminders that the 400-year pattern of racial violence against African Americans continues today and in our own state.

There is an important role for libraries, university publishers, and museums in helping to create positive social change, through honest reflection, listening and learning, and thoughtful evolution. The University of Georgia Libraries, including the UGA Press and the Georgia Review, strive to create an environment of acceptance and respect in which all students, faculty, staff, and visitors feel welcomed and represented; however, we acknowledge that we must consistently strive to do better to be a true ally and trustworthy partner to the communities we serve.

The Georgia Review was delighted to learn that Jacob Baynham’s essay "Jerry's Dirt," printed in the Fall 2019 issue, has won a National Magazine Award in the Profile Writing category of the 2020 National Magazine Awards for Print and Digital Media, administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). The “Ellies” awards ceremony was held virtually on May 28.

Jacob Baynham, a freelance journalist and essayist based in Missoula, Montana, has written about criminal justice for The Christian Science Monitor and about parenting for Outside magazine, and has reported internationally for Newsweek, theSan Francisco Chronicle, Slate, and other publications. “Jerry’s Dirt” chronicles the remarkable life of fiction writer Jerry McGahan, Baynham’s late father-in-law.

On Saturday, May 30 the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library will host its first ever Virtual Family Day event.

The event celebrates the exhibit “The Strategies of Suffrage: Mobilizing a Nation for Women’s Rights,” which explores the women’s suffrage movement from 1848 to 1920, focusing on the visual and verbal appeals activists used to promote their message to the public.

A newly launched website for the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies improves searchability for researchers and invites visitors to explore the Library’s collections, exhibits and events.

Two historical accounts that explore how higher education and the banking industry have influenced civil rights have been named the 2020 recipients of the Lillian Smith Book Awards, which are administered by the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia and honor books dedicated to social justice issues.

As history unfolds during the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries are collecting experiences and responses from Georgians to preserve for generations to come.

Georgia residents can contribute to the project by sharing how the crisis has impacted their family, business, education, and well-being. Digital submissions may include personal reflections, photos, poetry, recordings or any other means that demonstrate how the pandemic affects people’s lives.

“Georgians who contribute to the coronavirus collection will help to build our collective understanding of the kaleidoscope of human experience in this unusual circumstance,” said Toby Graham, university librarian and associate provost. “Even as we live through the COVID-19 crisis, we should begin to document this critical time for the benefit of future students and scholars.”

The UGA Libraries Undergraduate Research Award (LURA) recognizes excellence in inquiry and the process of gathering and using information in research. This award is open to any UGA undergraduate student undertaking a research project. Requirements are a meeting with a librarian to develop their information skills and a short essay describing their how their process enriched their final research paper.

Winners are chosen in the divisions of: Seniors, 1st-3rd Year students, and a Jurors’ Choice that recognizes use of a specialized library resource, research method, or other exceptional characteristic of the applicant’s research. More information on the winners and the award process can be found on the LURA website.