Georgia Southern’s student newspaper now available on Digital Commons

October 16, 2017

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern’s student-run newspaper, is now digitally preserved and available on Digital Commons@Georgia Southern, the University’s open access digital collection that collects and disseminates intellectual and creative output of the University’s faculty, staff and students. Digital Commons is an initiative of the Zach S. Henderson Library.

During the spring and summer, staff members at the Library worked together to upload the entirety of the Library’s collection of The George-Anne from 1927 to present day. Staff members were able to digitally preserve decades of issues, showing the changes in the Bulloch County and Georgia Southern communities over the last 90 years. The project, which took nearly a year to complete, was made possible by a LYRASIS Grant, secured through the University Provost’s Office. Greg Vaughan, Library technical assistant, contributed several missing issues from his personal collection.

“Not only do we have the entire collection archived, but we also upload The George-Anne live as it releases every Tuesday and Thursday,” said Selby Cody-Voss, Institutional Repository assistant. “Each press day during the week, the staff of The George-Anne uploads the latest edition to Digital Commons for everyone to be able to view each new issue digitally.”

Dean of the Library, Bede Mitchell, has received enthusiastic feedback from several researchers since the completion of the project.

“In particular, within hours of our sharing the news, a member of the Bulloch County Historical Society Board of Directors called me to say ‘You made my day,'” Mitchell said.

This collection features more than 3,100 issues and is available at GeorgiaSouthern.edu/digitalcommons/george-anne. Each issue includes a reduced-sized, web-optimized copy for quick download and easy sharing as well as a full-sized archival-quality copy.

Typed on an old-fashioned typewriter with a hand drawn logo, The George-Anne released its inaugural issue on April 12, 1927, and the newspaper is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.

Today, it is the longest-running newspaper in Bulloch County, and has published more issues than any other student newspaper in Georgia. The George-Anne began as a project of the 1927 freshman class before quickly becoming an esteemed, school-wide treasure. The name was derived from a combination of the popular names “George” and “Anne” because women and men were not allowed to share classrooms at the time. The staff of The George-Anne selected this name to create a gender neutral publication for all students.

The newspaper has brought variations of weekly and daily news to students, faculty and staff, decade after decade. It has seen many faces over the years, and with each new wave of students, it has adapted and evolved to keep pace with the changing times.

“We at Digital Commons hope this project boosts readership and traffic to Digital Commons so that as many people are aware of the easy access to the rich history of our University and can explore the services that we offer here on campus,” said Cody-Voss.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 118 degree programs serving 20,673 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.