From left to right: LaPortia Mosley, GHS Community Engagement Officer; Dr. Otis Johnson; Paul Johnson; and Dr. Stan Deaton, GHS Senior Historian. 

Savannah, GA, August 26, 2025  — The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is pleased to announce the expansion of its Community Archives Initiative with the launch of digital crowdsourcing capabilities. Designed to reach and engage a broader statewide audience, this digital extension empowers the public to contribute directly to preservation and accessibility of Georgia’s history. Through features such as photo tagging and transcription of historical documents, participants will help make GHS collections more searchable and useful to researchers, educators, and the general public.
 
This initiative is supported in part by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and Georgia-Pacific. It builds on the foundation of the Community Archives Initiative, a statewide program launched by GHS in 2024 to expand and enhance its archival collection by working directly with communities across Georgia. Through partnerships, public workshops, and teacher professional learning opportunities, the initiative seeks to ensure that the GHS archives reflect the full breadth and variety of Georgia’s people and stories.
 
This remote volunteer opportunity offers an easy way for individuals to contribute to preserving Georgia’s history from the comfort of their own homes or anywhere with internet access. Participants simply choose from a variety of GHS archival materials available online, and help by tagging photos, identifying people, buildings, and locations, or transcribing handwritten documents. No special access or login is required to get started. To guide new volunteers, GHS provides a simple, online, step-by-step guide on how to participate effectively.
 
“This is a great way for people to engage with history on their own schedule, from wherever they are,” said LaPortia Mosley, GHS Community Engagement Officer. “Whether you’re a student, retiree, teacher, or lifelong learner, your voice and your experiences can help unlock stories hidden in the archives.”
 
One of the first featured collections available for digital crowdsourcing is the newly digitized Academy of Black Culture, Inc. and Savannah Model Cities Program records, which documents a pivotal era of African-American community activism and education in Savannah during the 1970s. Participants are invited to assist in tagging photographs from the collection by identifying individuals, locations, and events.
 
Former Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson and his brother, Paul, recently volunteered to assist GHS tag photos from the Academy of Black Culture Inc., collection. Describing his experience, he said, “In local history, by doing what we’re doing today, we’re filling in some of that gap. We filled in a small part of a big part that needs to be filled.”
 
Through the Community Archives Initiative’s digital crowdsourcing capabilities, GHS seeks volunteers from across Georgia to fill in more gaps in the historical record.
 
“The community's effort is invaluable to ensuring GHS’s collection fully reflects the people and experiences that make up the rich tapestry of Georgia’s history,” says Mosley. “This will also help make GHS’s vast resources more accessible to all those who seek a greater understanding of the past.”

GHS Collects

• Paper archival records (including letters, diaries, maps, architectural drawings, meeting minutes, genealogies, business records, etc.)
• Photographic material and portraits
• Books and pamphlets (including rare, first editions, contemporary publications, current historical studies, published county history/genealogical materials, books about Georgia and by Georgia authors, both non-fiction and fiction, etc.)
• Artifacts (unique and complementary to archival collections)
• Audio-visual materials (including magnetic and digital media)
• Born digital records (materials created in a digital format)

For more details on how to get involved with the Community Archives Initiative, visit georgiahistory.com/CAI or contact LaPortia Mosley at lmosley@georgiahistory.com.

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ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia and American history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
To learn more visit georgiahistory.com.