New Georgia Encyclopedia
As a humanities initiative, the NGE will provide a comprehensive survey of history, literature, and the arts and will also reach beyond those disciplines to provide in-depth information on agriculture, cities and counties, commerce, education, the environment, folklife, geography, government, industry, media, philanthropy, politics, religion, science, sports, and transportation. NGE content will be accessible to students and general readers as well as to those with more specialized knowledge.
As an online enterprise, the NGE will be continuously updated and expanded and will escape the linear boundaries of traditional print encyclopedias by incorporating graphics, video, and audio — and by being linked with other interactive sites.
The NGE staff is based in Athens, on the campus of the University of Georgia, and welcomes those who are interested in contributing to the encyclopedia to contact us.
Historical Information
The NGE initiative grew out of a partnership forged in the mid-1990s when the Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press jointly published The New Georgia Guide. Five years in the making, the Guide was a monumental effort that involved hundreds of individuals throughout the state in the planning, fundraising, researching, and writing. The result was an accurate and thoughtful portrayal of the state and an outstanding example of what can be accomplished through bringing together people and resources from state government, the university system, and the Georgia Humanities Council, with support from the private and public sectors.
Seeking to build on the success of that collaboration, in April 1998 the Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press convened a group of the state's leading scholars, archivists, educators, and policymakers to explore the feasibility of developing an encyclopedia for Georgia — a comprehensive reference work that would document the state's history, culture, and resources. The representatives of the state's institutions of higher learning and cultural and governmental organizations who attended that meeting enthusiastically supported the new initiative. There was a ready consensus regarding the need for an encyclopedia. The discussion moved rapidly to an exciting vision for a reference work that would be of interest and utility to the citizens of the state, policy and decision makers, institutions of learning at all levels, libraries, and others interested in Georgia. The project was seen as an opportunity to produce much more than a traditional reference work and to break ground with new technology.
Following the April 1998 meeting, the Council and the Press presented a preliminary proposal for the project to then Governor Zell Miller, who had commissioned The New Georgia Guide, supported its development, and convened its editorial board. Governor Miller wholeheartedly endorsed the encyclopedia project.
With the governor's support secured, a planning committee composed of Jamil Zainaldin (Georgia Humanities Council), Thomas Dyer (University of Georgia), Steven Wrigley (Office of the Governor), Karen Orchard (University of Georgia Press), and Susan Frost (Emory University) met regularly over the next several months to outline a blueprint for the project and fundraising strategies.
Several months later, GALILEO joined the Press and the Council as a project partner. The University System of Georgia/GALILEO promised to host the NGE website perpetually and to provide ongoing technical support.
In 1999, the Office of the Governor joined the initiative as a fourth partner, with former Governor Barnes agreeing to serve as honorary chair of the project and former Governor Miller agreeing to serve as honorary co-chair. An Advisory Board was subsequently appointed. It was composed of institutional as well as individual (at large) members who serve three-year terms. Their role is to offer advice, guidance, and recommendations to the project's Executive Committee, made up of representatives of the project partnership. As a means of keeping our funding sponsors involved and drawing others into the project, the Advisory Board assists the NGE staff in building greater public appreciation, awareness, and use of, as well as support for, the New Georgia Encyclopedia. The NGE staff expects that the presence on our Advisory Board of influential legislators, corporate and foundation directors, and educational leaders will help secure the long-term future of this electronic work.
The NGE project has formed "institutional partnerships" with many organizations; such partners are rich resources of information in a variety of areas. Among our institutional partners are the Atlanta History Center, the Auburn Avenue Research Library, the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade, and Tourism, the Georgia Department of Archives and History, the Georgia Historical Society, the Department of Community Affairs, and the Office of Public Library Services.
Drawing on the expertise of distinguished scholars, writers, and experts in many fields, the NGE will manifest the same editorial standards and integrity as traditional print publications from the University of Georgia Press, the scholarly publisher whose imprint this electronic encyclopedia will bear. The NGE staff continues to work fervently, developing and adding content to the website in preparation for the encyclopedia's unveiling in October 2003.
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