Newspaper Digitization Update

Submitted by Jeff Fisher

Since 2018, the Library has conducted a project to digitize past issues of the local paper the Forsyth County News.  A recent round of digitization was completed, covering the issues from May 2004 through December 2012.  This phase of the project included just over 50,000 pages that were digitized and added to existing digital archives.  This archive of digital content provides a snapshot into the life of Forsyth County over the last century.

The digitization work was conducted by archivists at the Digital Library of Georgia.  The source for the digitized files were microfilm rolls of the past issues held by Forsyth County Public Library.  The digitized issues are available on the electronic database Georgia Historic Newspapers.  The online archive contains digitized issues going back to 1916.  The Georgia Historic Newspapers database is provided by the Digital Library of Georgia and GALILEO, an initiative of the University System of Georgia.

The most recent round of digitization was funded through an ARPA Digital Inclusion grant.  The Forsyth County News is the most digitized newspapers in the online database, with approximately 30,000 more pages of content than the second most digitized newspaper, the Houston Home Journal.  

This archive of digital content provides a snapshot into the life of Forsyth County over the last century.