New collections from the Digital Library of Georgia, Summer 202

Mastrovita, Mandy L

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DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University

Georgia Library Quarterly Volume 60 Issue 3 Summer 2023 Article 14 8-1-2023 Digital Library of Georgia (June 2023) Mandy L. Mastrovita University of Georgia, mastrovi@uga.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq  Part of the Archival Science Commons, and the Cataloging and Metadata Commons Recommended Citation Mastrovita, M. L. (2023). Digital Library of Georgia (June 2023). Georgia Library Quarterly, 60(3). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol60/iss3/14 This News is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Georgia Library Quarterly by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@kennesaw.edu.   45 IN THE NEWS Digital Library of Georgia (June 2023)  ity records showing the 20th-century growth of Sugar Hill, GA, now available online in the Digital Library of Georgia  Selected by statewide cultural heritage stakeholders and funded by the DLG’s competitive digitization grant program, this collection is the city of Sugar Hill’s latest collaboration with the DLG and is available here: City Government Records.  The collection includes city council minutes, ordinances, resolutions, communications, economic studies, and other information ranging from the date the city was incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly (March 24, 1939) through the year June 1992.   The digitized collection was also funded in part by a 2022 Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council (GHRAC) grant award administered to local historical repositories to develop and/or implement projects that identify, preserve, and provide access to historical records. Funding was made possible thanks to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and GHRAC.  These documents, which in their original form were stored in the city archives room in file cabinets for years and with limited access, are now available for researchers interested in the diverse issues addressed through its many ordinances. The information in the records ranges from what types of businesses were allowed to operate in the city limits to rules guiding the residents’ property rights. It also includes records related to the city’s handling of property annexations, salary information for city government officials and staff, and rate/fee comparisons on utility rates (water, sewer, gas, sanitation) in the nearby localities. In addition, data that reflects the state’s cultural, political, social, geographic, and economic diversity provides a broader view of the community's growth over the decades.   Brandon S. Hembree, Mayor of the city of Sugar Hill, notes: The Sugar Hill Historic Preservation Society was created by the city of Sugar Hill in 2015 with the mission of expanding the community's awareness and appreciation for Sugar Hill's past. The city celebrated its 84th birthday on March 24, 2023. We have a rich history and, as the current mayor, I often view these City Council ledgers for information about our past and inspiration for our future as a community.  About the city of Sugar Hill  The Sugar Hill Historic Preservation Society meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. All meetings are held in the History Museum Room at Sugar Hill City Hall. https://cityofsugarhill.com/government/boards-commissions/historic-preservation-society/.C	Image courtesy of Sugar Hill Historic Preservation Society (Sugar Hill, Ga.)  1Mastrovita: Digital Library of Georgia (June 2023)Published by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2023  46 econstruction-Era Methodist Episcopal Church conference journals now available freely online in the Digital Library of Georgia  Selected by statewide cultural heritage stakeholders and funded by the DLG’s competitive digitization grant program, this collection is the Pitts Theology Library’s first collaboration with the DLG and is available here: Georgia Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church Collection.  The collection is comprised of bound conference journals dating from 1867 to 1939, produced by the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), a Northern church that established missions in Georgia during the Reconstruction Era. The MEC worked closely with the Freedmen’s Aid Society to find schools and colleges for the formerly enslaved while integrating the then-separate Black and White churches into the same conference. MEC churches were established in both rural and urban areas throughout the state. The conference journals contain the minutes, reports, and statistics of the MEC and its individual congregations throughout the state of Georgia. They present value for researchers interested in the history of religion and race in Georgia, genealogical records of clergy, disparity between Black and White congregations, and other statistical data. The materials are useful for genealogists, scholars of Methodism, and historians of Georgia during the Reconstruction Era as well as the late–nineteenth and early–twentieth centuries.  Thomas Elliott, Jr., D.Min., associate professor in the practice of practical theology and Methodist studies and the director of Contextual Education II, Teaching Parish, and Internships, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, defines the importance of digital access to this content: This particular subset of Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) journals, 1867–1925, documents an important period in Georgia Methodism spanning from the Reconstruction Era to the period preceding the unification of the MEC with two other Methodist denominations. As a lifelong Methodist and elder in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, these journals significantly contribute to my own denomination’s history despite the relatively small size of the MEC Georgia conferences. These materials are essential tools for researching Methodist history, and having them more accessible to my students and the wider public further helps preserve the Methodist tradition. I know I speak for my “Methodist at Candler” colleagues in saying that interaction with these types of primary sources is a significant part of the educational experience in Methodist Studies at Candler.  About the Pitts Theology Library  Pitts Theology Library, one of Emory University’s six instructional libraries, holds a distinguished collection of theological materials and is one of the premier theological libraries in North America. Supporting the students and faculty of Candler School of Theology at Emory University and researchers from around the world, Pitts is home to superb collections in theology and cognate disciplines, housed in a new state-of-the-art facility and served by a highly trained professional staff. For more information, visit pitts.emory.edu.R	Image courtesy of Pitts Theology Library  2Georgia Library Quarterly, Vol. 60, Iss. 3 [2023], Art. 14https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol60/iss3/14  47 id–20th-century history about Smyrna, GA, comes alive with its 1953 scrapbook, now available online in the Digital Library of Georgia  Selected by statewide cultural heritage stakeholders and funded by the DLG’s competitive digitization grant program, this collection is the Smyrna Public Library’s latest collaboration with the DLG and is available here: 1953 Smyrna scrapbook.  The collection is a 1953 scrapbook created by the Better Home Town Committee of Smyrna, GA, for entry into the Georgia Power Better Home Town Contest.  Mary Moore, librarian at the Smyrna Public Library, describes the importance of this content and why digital access to it is so important: This scrapbook is a unique snapshot of Smyrna in 1953. It captures an overview of the city with regard to government, economic, religion, housing, recreation, and youth at a time when Smyrna was still segregated but growing. The book contains rare documentation on Davenport Town and Rose Garden Hills, the two neighborhoods that were predominantly inhabited by African Americans. 1953 was a pivotal time in Smyrna; the city was in the midst of the largest period of rapid growth since the Lockheed Corporation had taken over the old Bell Bomber plant and brought unprecedented economic growth to the area that would spur population growth. Because the scrapbook has not aged well (it was made in 1953 and not with long-term materials in mind), it cannot survive frequent handling. Digitization of the materials now offers the only chance for the public to view all the articles and photos within.  View the entire collection online at https://dlg.usg.edu/collection/satp_ss1953   About the Smyrna Public Library  Smyrna Public Library is the oldest city-operated library in the state of Georgia. It is fully funded by and serves the city’s residents. The library celebrated the 150th anniversary of its incorporation in 2022. For more information, visit the Smyrna Public Library here.  Mandy L. Mastrovita is a digital projects librarian and archivist with the University  of Georgia Libraries M	Image courtesy of Smyrna Public Library 3Mastrovita: Digital Library of Georgia (June 2023)Published by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2023

Digital Library of Georgia (June 2023)

https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2629&context=glq

Digital Library of Georgia (June 2023)

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