The following is a press release written by the Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS):

Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS), in partnership with public libraries statewide, has completed the digitization of over 46,000 pages of newspapers from 1907-1972, which can be accessed for free through the Georgia Historic Newspaper (GHN) archive.

These newspapers document history in Clayton, Wheeler, Baker, Wilkinson, and Bryan counties, which were previously unrepresented areas in the digital archive. The newspapers provide a rich resource for genealogical and local history research and ensure that more Georgians can access their communities’ history.

This digitization is part of a larger effort to improve access to a more comprehensive selection of Georgia’s historical and cultural newspapers, after Georgia Public Library Service discovered the Clayton County Library System and 19 counties in the state did not have any digitized newspapers. Since 2006, Georgia’s public libraries have funded over 1.1 million of the 2.4 million pages of digitized content in the Georgia Historic Newspapers portal.

“Each year at Georgia Public Library Service, we fill historical gaps in our state’s story,” said Josh Kitchens, director of Archival Services and Digital Initiatives at GPLS. “With the digitization of these materials, all library systems and five new counties are now represented in the Georgia Historic Newspaper project.”

Digitized pages from The Pembroke Journal from 1969, which covered Bryan County.

Below is a list of the newly digitized newspaper titles, the period they document, and a link to the collection:

• Clayton County News and Farmer, Forest Park Free Press, Forest Park News: 1936-1969
• Pembroke Journal, Bryan County Enterprise: 1913-1970
• Irwinton Bulletin: 1907-1954
• Baker County News: 1939-1947
• Wheeler County Eagle, Alamo News: 1912-1972

“Preserving our local history is a core mission of the Clayton County Library System. We are grateful for Georgia Public Library Service’s support in this project to make our local history accessible to all,” said Scott Parham, director of Clayton County Library System.

Through Georgia Historic Newspapers, anyone with an internet connection can freely access newspapers that are both full-text searchable and can be browsed by date, city, county, and type. Georgia Historic Newspapers is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia (DLG) and utilizes the Library of Congress’ open source tool, Chronicling America, for online delivery.

Digitization through Archival Services and Digital Initiatives at GPLS is supported with federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Project selection was conducted by GPLS in consultation with Clayton County Library System, Statesboro Regional Public Libraries, Middle Georgia Regional Library, De Soto Trail Regional Library, and Ocmulgee Regional Library System.

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About Georgia Public Library Service
Georgia Public Library Service empowers libraries to improve the lives of all Georgians by encouraging reading, literacy, and education through the continuing support and improvement of public libraries. Georgia Public Library Service is a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. GPLS’s digitization initiative, Archival Services and Digital Initiatives, encourages public libraries and related institutions across Georgia to participate in The Digital Library of Georgia, an initiative of GALILEO. www.georgialibraries.org

About the Digital Library of Georgia
Based at the University of Georgia Libraries, the Digital Library of Georgia is a GALILEO initiative that collaborates with Georgia’s libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions of education and culture to provide access to key information resources on Georgia history, culture, and life. This primary mission is accomplished through the ongoing development, maintenance, and preservation of digital collections and online digital library resources. DLG also serves as Georgia’s service hub for the Digital Public Library of America and as the home of the Georgia Newspaper Project, the state’s historic newspaper microfilming project. Visit the DLG at dlg.usg.edu.

A new “Picturing Lincoln” initiative by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum means more than 1,000 high-resolution photos – many of which have never been online before – are now available to people around the world. Thousands more pictures, posters and paintings related to President Lincoln will be added in coming months.

The first batch of images includes:

• 129 pictures of Lincoln
• 178 of Lincoln’s Tomb, including some of Lincoln’s coffin when it was unearthed during a construction project
• Rare pictures of Lincoln’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren
• Photos of Robert Lincoln, his hobbies and his homes
• Dozens of photos related to Lincoln’s assassination, funeral and the execution of the conspirators who plotted his death.

“Abraham Lincoln’s legacy belongs to the world, so the whole world should be able to see these images. They show the highs and lows of President Lincoln’s life, remind us of the nation’s deep mourning at his death, and give us a glimpse into the lives of descendants he would never see,” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “I am incredibly proud of the ALPLM team.”

The images, with a resolution of 600 dpi, can be found at www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov/PicturingLincoln. They are hosted by the Illinois Digital Archives, which is operated by the Illinois Secretary of State. “Picturing Lincoln” was made possible by a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, funded through the Illinois State Library.

“These photos represent a virtual treasure trove that tells a rich and vibrant story of one of our nation’s most influential leaders,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who also serves as State Librarian and State Archivist. “Digitizing records and making them available online through our Illinois Digital Archives gives the public, historians and future generations the ability to explore historical documents and photos that would otherwise be inaccessible.”

Jade Kastel, ALPLM’s director of library services, expressed gratitude for the many people who made this project a success. “This was truly an accomplishment by the entire library team. Their work deepens our understanding of President Lincoln and his legacy,” Kastel said.

The collection opens a new window on the family of Robert Lincoln, the only son of Abraham and Mary Lincoln who survived to adulthood. Robert became U.S. ambassador to England, the secretary of war and head of a major corporation. “Picturing Lincoln” includes photos of his homes and of his children and grandchildren growing up in luxury, far removed from Abraham Lincoln’s log cabin. Until now, most of these Lincoln family photos were only available to researchers visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

“Making these photos available to people around the world is one benefit of this project,” said Kelsey Wise, an ALPLM AV librarian. “Another is that we are creating high-quality ‘digital surrogates’ that can be examined without risking any damage to the delicate originals. It also will reduce library staff time devoted to providing images to visiting historians or emailing them to people elsewhere.”

Several thousand other Lincoln images have already been scanned for “Picturing Lincoln” and will be added to the website over the coming months.

“When it’s done, the collection will chronicle all aspects of Lincoln’s life and legacy: his early years, the campaign trail, holding office, leading the nation, his final days. Visitors to the site will see art inspired by Lincoln, as well as the many monuments, statues and memorials built in his honor,” said Matthew Deihl, another AV librarian.

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and share with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – roughly 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.

You can follow the ALPLM on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

The following announcement was written by the Emmett Till Memory Project (ETMP):

The Emmett Till Memory Project (ETMP), supported by the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Mississippi and The Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley Institute in Chicago, launched a newly reimagined website and forthcoming mobile application. This coincides with what would have been Till’s 83rd birthday. 

Officials said the website offers an immersive, media-rich educational experience for users seeking to learn more about the life and legacy of Till.

Emmett Till Interpretive Center named partner of National Park Service

The ETMP tells the story of Till one location at a time. The new website features never-before-heard interviews with Till’s family members, who share his story in their own words.

“The more America wrestles with issues of racial justice, the more it returns to the story of Emmett Till,” said Dr. Dave Tell. “It has been the defining honor of my career–if not my life–to work alongside members of the Till family, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, and included by FAVOR, to create a resource that tells the true story of the life and death of Emmett Till.”

FILE – This undated photo shows Emmett Louis Till, who was kidnapped, tortured and killed in the Mississippi Delta in August 1955 after witnesses claimed he whistled at a white woman working in a store. (AP Photo/File)

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

Communicating in the cemeteries??? No, I am not referring to communications with or amongst the “long-term residents” of a cemetery. Instead, I'm writing about communications for visitors to a cemetery. Namely, the genealogists who visit a cemetery looking for information about deceased relatives.

When searching for tombstones of ancestors and other relatives, I generally try to visit a cemetery with a friend or two. We mentally divide the cemetery into two or more sections, and then each person searches through his or her section alone. The other friends are doing the same in a different section. I have done this many times and suspect that you have, too. Having two or more people involved increases the enjoyment of the search as well as the safety of everyone involved.

There are disadvantages, however. Upon discovering a particular tombstone, you may have to shout to the other person to make them aware of your discovery. In a large cemetery, the other person(s) may be some distance away, making shouting impractical.

The need for communications may vary. Of course, you want to notify your friends if you find a tombstone for one of their relatives. However, there are many more serious needs for instant communications. If someone steps into a gopher hole and twists an ankle, he or she may not be able to walk for help. In some areas of the country, snakebite is a serious concern. Perhaps you want to ask everyone else a critical question, such as: “Does anyone else feel like taking a break and getting a burger?” Finally, a simple request for bug repellent could be serious in some situations. Whatever the need, you should have instant communications capabilities when you are in a cemetery and are separated from your friends.

There is no perfect communications solution that I know of. However, with a bit of advance planning, you can select the solution that works best for you. In fact, there are at least three solutions. Two of them are closely related. I will call them Solution #1, Solution #2a, and Solution #2b.

The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/13386993. (A Plus Edition password is required to access that article.)

If you are not yet a Plus Edition subscriber, you can learn more about such subscriptions and even upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription immediately at https://eogn.com/page-18077. 

What do the following headlines from past issues of this newsletter have in common?

In the wake of a major incident that affected millions of Windows PCs, Microsoft is calling for significant changes to enhance the resilience of its operating system. John Cable, Microsoft's vice president of program management for Windows servicing and delivery, said there was a need for "end-to-end resilience" in a blog post, signaling a potential shift in Microsoft's approach to third-party access to the Windows kernel. 

With the Olympics starting this week, there’s no better time to celebrate your heritage with MyHeritage. Our Gold Medal DNA Sale starts today, July 25th, and runs until July 31st, offering our DNA kits at a special discounted price.

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A project that was over two years in the making with the city of Jefferson has come to fruition about a data website.

City Administrator Scott Peterson says all gravesites at the city cemetery are now available online. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio people can search by name to see if someone is buried in the city cemetery, along with some information about that individual. Peterson explains why the city continued to pursue this endeavor.

“If you’re looking for a relative and you think that they may be buried in Jefferson, it’s pretty easy to just hop on the computer and do a search that way. Also, genealogy is of course a big pastime and folks could utilize this then for genealogy. But the biggest thing, I think, is you put the name in there and it’s going to quickly tell you where they’re buried. So you can physically go (and) walk right out to the tombstone.”       

Finance Officer Sarah Morlan says Cemetery Information Management Systems (CIMS) is the company that the city is working with for this service. She points out an added feature is the availability of additional burial sites for purchase in the cemetery because lots of people request to be buried near their family members. 

Morlan says they used a portion of their funding from Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation to initially purchase the service and pay an annual fee of $2,900. Click here to access the website.

Several European countries are betting on open-source software. In the United States, eh, not so much. In the latest news from across the Atlantic, Switzerland has taken a major step forward with its "Federal Law on the Use of Electronic Means for the Fulfillment of Government Tasks" (EMBAG). This groundbreaking legislation mandates using open-source software (OSS) in the public sector.

This new law requires all public bodies to disclose the source code of software developed by or for them unless third-party rights or security concerns prevent it. This "public money, public code" approach aims to enhance government operations' transparency, security, and efficiency.

Making this move wasn't easy. It began in 2011 when the Swiss Federal Supreme Court published its court application, Open Justitia, under an OSS license. The proprietary legal software company Weblaw wasn't happy about this. There were heated political and legal fights for more than a decade. Finally, the EMBAG was passed in 2023. Now, the law not only allows the release of OSS by the Swiss government or its contractors, but also requires the code to be released under an open-source license "unless the rights of third parties or security-related reasons would exclude or restrict this."

Professor Dr. Matthias Stürmer, head of the Institute for Public Sector Transformation at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, led the fight for this law. He hailed it as "a great opportunity for government, the IT industry, and society." Stürmer believes everyone will benefit from this regulation, as it reduces vendor lock-in for the public sector, allows companies to expand their digital business solutions, and potentially leads to reduced IT costs and improved services for taxpayers.

Several European countries are betting on open-source software. In the United States, eh, not so much. In the latest news from across the Atlantic, Switzerland has taken a major step forward with its "Federal Law on the Use of Electronic Means for the Fulfillment of Government Tasks" (EMBAG). This groundbreaking legislation mandates using open-source software (OSS) in the public sector.

This new law requires all public bodies to disclose the source code of software developed by or for them unless third-party rights or security concerns prevent it. This "public money, public code" approach aims to enhance government operations' transparency, security, and efficiency.

Making this move wasn't easy. It began in 2011 when the Swiss Federal Supreme Court published its court application, Open Justitia, under an OSS license. The proprietary legal software company Weblaw wasn't happy about this. There were heated political and legal fights for more than a decade. Finally, the EMBAG was passed in 2023. Now, the law not only allows the release of OSS by the Swiss government or its contractors, but also requires the code to be released under an open-source license "unless the rights of third parties or security-related reasons would exclude or restrict this."

Professor Dr. Matthias Stürmer, head of the Institute for Public Sector Transformation at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, led the fight for this law. He hailed it as "a great opportunity for government, the IT industry, and society." Stürmer believes everyone will benefit from this regulation, as it reduces vendor lock-in for the public sector, allows companies to expand their digital business solutions, and potentially leads to reduced IT costs and improved services for taxpayers.