From the Special Collections & Institutional Archives:
At both Reese Library’s Special Collections and Institutional Archives and at and Greenblatt Library’s Historical Collections and Archives, the records of the University are arranged by “record groups.” This allows us to group similar records together, and to highlight sub groups within our larger record groups. Each record group is assigned a prefix, and a set of numbers. For example, we use the prefix “IA” to stand for “Institutional Archives,” and then each record group is assigned a number. So, “University Libraries,” our 15th record group, is assigned IA.15.
Within that record group, we have a series of sub-groups and collections that fall into that category. Under Reese Library, we have a series of subgroups, including the “General Library records group,” which includes the collection IA.15.01.02.005, Reese Library photograph albums, 1976-2006.
These photo albums offer us a glimpse into what the Reese Library, and the University’s campus looked like in the past, and reveals how it has changed over the years. Because these photographs capture the library building, staff, and students specifically, it can also show us how vastly technology has changed in the library since 1977—for example, you can see the emergence and evolution of the way we sort and retrieve information, from old paper card catalogs to huge computers the size of a desk, to the more compact computers we are used to seeing today. You can view the finding aid for the photograph albums on campus here, or off campus here.
-Kara Flynn, Special Collections Librarian
From the Historical Collections & Archives:
“RG13” is the library’s record group in the Augusta University Health Sciences Campus Archives maintained in HCA. The Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library’s collection includes the library’s annual reports, strategic plans, newsletters, journal article reprints by library faculty, as well as photographs and historical accession books. The library was named in memory of Dr. Greenblatt in 1988. However, the library was formally organized in 1834 when the faculty of the Medical College of Georgia sent their fellow faculty member, Dr. Louis A. Dugas to Europe to purchase books for the library as well as anatomical items for the school’s anatomical museum and equipment for the chemistry laboratory. Here is a link to the finding aid for RG13: Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library.
Dr. Dugas appointed himself as the librarian and cataloged the books he had purchased which he recorded in a ledger book. With the approval of the rest of the faculty, he wrote a set of library rules. Two of the ledger books Dr. Dugas used to catalog and keep track of the library’s inventory are held in this record group. See “RG13.Box24” in the finding aid for more information. One of the ledger books has been digitized and is available in Scholarly Commons, Augusta University’s institutional repository. Page four of the PDF contains Dr. Dugas’ library rules.
The original library was housed in what is now called the Old MCG Building on Telfair Street. When the college moved to its present campus, the library was first housed in the Newton Building (torn down in 1959) and then in the Kelly Administration Building. The library moved into its own free-standing building in 1963. The photos below are an exterior night shot of the library and an interior photo showcasing the circulation desk and some of the journals. The library addition was completed in 1980 and just last year a major renovation of the library was completed.
– Renée A. Sharrock, Curator
About the Heritage Unit: The University Libraries has a department devoted to the preservation and archival keeping of the campus’ unique histories. The Historical Collections and Archives (HCA) is located on the 2nd floor of the Greenblatt Library on the Health Sciences campus. Special Collections & Institutional Archives is located on the 3rd floor of the Reese Library on the Summerville campus.
