What began as a search to provide University scholars and educators with access to landmark Civil Rights research has developed into an extension of the University’s Digital Library system.

In April 2008, the Civil Rights Digital Library surfaced as the premiere online resource for unedited news clips from the WSB (Atlanta) and WALB (Albany) television archives during the Civil Rights Movement.

The initiative began in 2005 with the inquiry of Barbara McCaskill, associate professor of English at the University, who wished to create an educational resource that highlighted the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

The project received aid from more than 80 contributing institutions nationwide, including the Library of Congress.

“From that initial kernel we built the project,” said Toby Graham, director of the Digital Library of Georgia. “[University] students were very involved. They brought back an infectious enthusiasm to the project.”

Students began working with the project in January 2006 alongside McCaskill and project co-directors Derrick Alridge, academic director in the office of lifelong administration and policy; Timothy Powell, associate professor of English; and William Weems, principal Web developer in the office of information technology.

“Each clip is its own writing and research project,” Graham said.

McCaskill and the students’ research is on the companion site, “Freedom on Film.” It features the integration of the University with Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton E. Holmes in 1961.