New Digitized Newspapers

A new resource that is very cool has come on-line. I haven't had much opportunity to work with it, but the Digital Library of Georgia has posted a collection of Atlanta newspapers on their webpage. The newspapers seem to be every word searchable which is a great resource for genealogy and family history. You may want to explore the page for yourself at:


http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu

This is interesting stuff.

Alternative Newspapers May Be A Valuable Resource

With the beginning of Black History Month it has occurred to me that some underutilized resources for research maybe the many African American newspapers published in the past century. There are a multitude of newspapers that have devoted their attention to the African-American community. In Atlanta, Georgia, the resources published by the African-American press in the past century provide a tremendous opportunity to obtain new perspective and new ideas about the local history. The best known of the African American newspapers published in Atlanta in the 1900s were The Atlanta Daily World and The Atlanta Tribune and The Atlanta Voice. Yet, as early as 1904, The Atlanta Independent and The Voice of the Negro were both publishing information exclusive to the African-American communities throughout Georgia and the South.

These newspapers have the potential of adding new perspective on major events. We could ask and answer a number of interesting questions that might put a new interpretation on local and national history. How did these journals report on World War One of World War Two? What were the opinions of these newspapers and their editors? What impact did the Great Depression have on the African-American communities of Georgia? What was their position on Viet Nam?

African-American newspapers may provide a unique perspective on family and local history. We need to think about this and remember these papers as we explore our family history.

Collage and Scrap Booking: Are They The Same?

Here is a recent article published in the New York Times. After reading it, I am wondering if scrap booking is the same as creating a collage? Scrap booking is simply a more personalized art form.

Read more if you like:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/arts/design/05victorian.html

I am just wondering.

In Praise of Newspapers

These days, it seems appropriate to remind readers the importance of newspapers to American society. For genealogists and family historians, newspapers are particularly valuable as sources of local information. Only in the pages of the newspapers in small town America can we learn of the local gossip, the travels and travails of our ancestors. Today, I want to acknowledge the value and importance of newspapers in greater society.

I have been informed that National Newspaper Week is coming up. Unfortunately, I feel as though I am writing the eulogy when I say that newspapers in the United States have played a vital role in the development of the country. It is not an exaggeration to describe the newspaper industry as the fourth column of defense in the promotion and advocacy of democracy in the world.

If you look back over time, newspapers in the United States have played a role in almost every major event in history. Beginning with the publication of the Declaration of Independence, when there were only 13 newspapers publishing in the country, and continuing up to the most recent coverage of the war in Iraq, or the recent Presidential election; news coverage has had an impact on the United States and world events.

At times, this influence has not always been positive; thinking back to the period of Yellow Journalism and the beginning of the Spanish American War. But, newspapers and editors have learned from their mistakes and more often than not, journalists have had a positive effect on United States events and history.

The bad news is that newspapers are slowly dying. The internet as the latest source of information, coupled with the sparseness of advertising, is slowly spelling the demise of paper copies of information. This is truly unfortunate. But the many causes of this death and the ramifications to American society are appropriate for another time. Today is simply a day to acknowledge the value of newspapers, the hard work of journalists and editors, and their influence on society. To everyone in the profession: Thank you.