GSU Library Research Guides: Hot Topics: Housing Crisis: Archives & Special Collections

Using Archives to Contextualize Research

What are Archives?

The word "archives" is used in many different ways in everyday conversation, but on this guide archives refers to the the meanings defined by the Society of American Archivists and other professional archives organizations. In short, there are three main meanings of archives:

Archives are records that are deemed to be "permanently valuable" and can include letters, manuscripts, photographs, diaries, technical reports and other kinds of documentary material. These records are created by people or organizations, such as businesses or government agencies.
Archives can also mean an institution dedicated to collecting and preserving these permanently valuable records. Special Collections & Archives at Georgia State University is an example of this kind of meaning of the word.
Archives can also be used to refer to the physical building or location where the archival material is stored.

Why are Archives important for your research?

Like libraries, archives exist to make their collections available and accessible to researchers. Archives, however, differ in their collecting scope. In other words, archives collect materials, either published or unpublished, that are special, unique, or rare. These materials are the primary sources that document historical and social events, movements, and processes. Visiting and using the collections in an archival repository gives you access to unique, primary evidence, providing depth and a solid foundation for your original research. Archival records are also particularly important for understanding long-term trends and the history of issues such as homelessness or housing.

Activist Ed Loring in front of Open Door Community's Ponce de Leon location, 1990. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Photographs, held at GSU Special Collections & Archives. (AJCP455-148c)

Using Special Collections & Archives @ GSU Library
A series of short videos to orient users to Special Collections & Archives at GSU.

University Collections

The following is a list of selected collections available at Special Collections & Archives at Georgia State University Library. This list is not meant to be exhaustive.

Georgia Advocates for Battered Women and Children records
The Georgia Advocates for Battered Women and Children records are organized into three series: (I) Organizational files; (II) Printed materials; and (III) Audiovisual materials. Series I, Organizational files, documents the legal advocacy and training aspects of the group during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as the activities of the staff members in national and regional committees and task forces designed to combat domestic violence. Also included in this series are statistical reports on incidences of domestic violence from the Georgia shelters, as well as files on grant writing and funding sources. Series II, printed materials, includes training and resource manuals, manuals on legal aspects of domestic violence, curriculum guides, conference proceedings, and papers and reports on issues relating to domestic violence. Although some of the printed materials were written by the staff of GABWC, many of the items in printed materials were generated by other national and regional organizations. Series III, audiovisual materials, includes audiocassette tapes, videotapes, and reel-to-reel audiotapes. These materials include public service announcements, interviews as well as audio and video resources on various aspects of domestic violence, including law enforcement and justice, children and child advocacy, and caring for women affected by domestic violence.
Mary N. Long papers
Nurse, activist, lobbyist, administrator, and pioneer, Mary Nathaniel Long was born in Guthrie, Kentucky, in 1941. She moved to Atlanta in 1960 to be trained at Grady Memorial Hospital's School of Nursing, from which she graduated in 1963. Series II includes records from Long's involvement as an activist and volunteer with advocacy groups working on addressing homelessness.
Matthew Cardinale papers
The Matthew Cardinale papers, 2002-2012 (bulk 2007-2008), reflect Cardinale's activities as a journalist and activist in the Atlanta area. Along with print copies of the Atlanta Progressive News, the papers include photocopies of personal scrapbooks documenting Cardinale’s work and stories about him, 2006-2012. The bulk of the papers consist of materials documenting events surrounding the demolition of public housing communities in Atlanta, particularly the Palmer House, Bankhead Courts, Hollywood Courts, and Bowen Homes communities. These papers include demolition applications with handwritten notes; petitions, resolutions, and letters prepared by resident association leaders and sent to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development; and other records and correspondence from 2007-2009.
Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless records
Records of the the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, circa 1987-2017, document the organization's operations and programs, such as Peachtree-Pine shelter, advocacy work, and outreach programs. The records include manuals and policy documents, audit reports and other financial records, publications, photos, client forms and files, real estate records and floor plans, city contracts, and subject files.
Michael H. Trotter papers
Michael H. Trotter was born in Atlanta in 1936 and attended the Clark Howell School and later the Henry Grady High School. He trained at Harvard University's School of Law and was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1961. The papers document Trotter's service in leadership role for Atlanta Action Forum, Atlanta Committee for Public Education, Good Government Atlanta, and Research Atlanta, and his commitment to addressing the city's educational and social problems.
Susan May papers
Printed material and correspondence relating to Susan May's work at Atlanta's Council on Battered Women, 1979-circa 1985, make up the Susan May papers. Included is an original typescript, "In My Husband's Shadow: Autobiography of a Battered Woman," circa 1985, by Council on Battered Women staff member Mary Kilgore.

Atlanta-Based Collections

The following are selected resources available at other archives in the Atlanta area. This list is not intended to be exhaustive.

Atlanta Housing Authority Archives
The mission of the Archives is to preserve and provide permanent and historical materials that will assist in the operations of AH; to promote knowledge, research and understanding of the origins, functions, programs and goals of AH; and to collect archival materials that tell the story of AH.
Atlanta Union Mission minutes (Atlanta History Center)
The Atlanta Union Mission was established in 1938 at 320 Crew Street SW as a soup kitchen and Christian ministry for homeless men in Atlanta, Georgia. It moved to a larger space at 54 Ellis Street in 1956. A year later, the organization became a member of the Southeastern District of the International Union of Gospel Missions. During subsequent decades the Atlanta Union Mission provided additional services for the growing needs of the homeless in Atlanta.
Atlanta Urban League papers (AUC Woodruff Library)
The Atlanta Urban League was established in 1920. The reasoning behind its founding revolved around the belief that Atlanta needed a formal, organized vehicle for addressing the social and economic problems that beset black Atlantans.The Atlanta Urban League has played an important role in the city's development and adaptation to a more equal role for African Americans in the important areas of housing, employment, health facilities, and community development. The Atlanta Urban League papers offer insight into the operations of one of Atlanta's most important institutions.
Central Atlanta Progress records (Atlanta History Center)
Central Atlanta Progress, Inc. (CAP) is a private nonprofit community development organization providing leadership, programs and services to preserve and strengthen the economic vitality of Downtown Atlanta. The bulk of the collection in Series II through IV consists of the records of Central Atlanta Progress from the early 1960s to 1994. Included in this core of material are records documenting the administration of Dan E. Sweat, Jr. was president of CAP from 1973 to 1988. The records consist of administrative files, financial records, and project files, which include correspondence, publications, clippings, reports and architectural material regarding the activities and projects in which CAP was involved. The collection provides information on Atlanta municipal government, urban development, transportation, housing, and human services.
Decatur-Area Emergency Assistance Ministry records (Emory University)
Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry (DEAM) is a nonprofit organization that is devoted to the purposes of preventing homelessness and hunger and the provision of help and relief for various emergency needs of area residents and homeless.
Florence Crittenton Home records (Atlanta History Center)
This collection documents the governance of the Atlanta Florence Crittenton Home. Papers include material about finances, site management, programs, and the care of women living at the home. The bulk of the papers are Board of Trustee meeting minutes, budgets, and information about the history of the organization. The Florence Crittenton Home is a national organization that shelters "unwed mothers" and women “who need help in order to give up lives of prostitution, drug addiction, or alcoholism.”
Open Door Community records (Emory University)
The Open Door Community was a residential community in the Catholic Worker tradition that sought to dismantle racism, sexism, and heterosexism; abolish the death penalty; and support marginalized communities, including the homeless and those in prison. The collection consists of the records of Open Door Community residential community, including negatives, subject files, photographs, contact sheets, slides, artwork, newsletters, and worship programs from 1982-2013.
Research Atlanta records (Atlanta History Center)
This collection consists of the records of Research Atlanta, Inc. The records document the administrative history and research activities of the organization from its inception in 1971 to 1992. The records include correspondence, publications, clippings, research notes, and reports regarding the activities and projects in which Research Atlanta was involved. The bulk of the collection consists of the research files in Series II, which document the various topics analyzed by the organization. The collection provides information on metro Atlanta municipal government, economic and urban development, transportation, housing, and human services.