Jody Thompson, Head of Archives and Records Management, reflects that the “collaboration with the College is a great fit for the Library Archives. We can offer our knowledge of preserving and displaying collections, paper or virtual. We look forward to working with them.”

Danielle Sharpe, a History, Technology, and Society (HTS) major in the Ivan Allen College (IAC) with a personal interest in urban planning and the development of Atlanta, is working with the project team to digitize, preserve, and provide online access to archival materials related to Allen’s legacy. Among the resources that will be made available are oral histories with major figures in modern Atlanta history conducted by Ronald Bayor, professor in the school of HTS, during the writing of his book Race and the Shaping of Twentieth Century Atlanta (UNC Press). The digital collection will reflect the distinct mission of IAC, while showcasing the Archives’ strength in curating unique collections.

IAC Dean Jacqueline Jones Royster hopes the digital collection “will be of benefit in two specific ways: 1) to researchers who need a starting point to explore Ivan Allen Jr.’s contributions as a business leader and as Mayor of Atlanta during a critical period in the city’s urban development, and 2) to students and the public in general in raising knowledge and awareness of Mayor Allen’s leadership in the rise of Atlanta as an international city. We are happy to be working with the Library to strengthen Georgia Tech’s digital collections, as well as with partners in the Atlanta community who have an interest in Atlanta history and general questions of urban governance.”

Faculty members who know of any uncollected materials documenting Allen’s leadership or his relationship with Tech are encouraged to contact the Archives at archives@library.gatech.edu.

This article was reprinted from the Georgia Tech Library's Spring 2013 newsletter.