Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library

The UGA charter is on display during Founders Week, now through January 27 in the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library gallery of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.

The Charter of the University of Georgia is one of the most significant documents in the history of America . Dated January 27, 1785, nine years after the Declaration of Independence and two and a half before the Constitution of the United States, it marks the earliest American example of the putting into practice of the principle that education is the responsibility of the state and should be state controlled.

To protect the ink of the parchment manuscript from further fading it is displayed to the public only once a year, during Founders Day activities.

Happy 232nd birthday UGA!

The Georgia Review, the University of Georgia’s acclaimed literary magazine, is being feted on its 70th anniversary with an exhibit at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries through May 12.

“Necessary Words & Images” illustrates the history of The Georgia Review from its 1947 inception as a small regional magazine to its maturation as one of the country’s leading literary journals. The story is told through correspondence and other archival material from the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library and from the Review’s archives.

In 1986 and again in 2007, the Review bested other finalists such as the New Yorker, Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, and the Atlantic to win a National Magazine Award. 

An exhibit on the history of the Equal Rights Amendment will be on display at the Russell Special Collections Libraries Jan. 19-May 12. 

The exhibit documents the rights of women under the law from the 17th century to present with a focus on the state of Georgia. Highlights include original suffrage pennants and letters from Susan B. Anthony; the origins of the National Women's Party; ephemera from the ERA campaign at the local, state, and national level; and materials from the anti-ERA movement and Phyllis Schlafly.

A scholar of southern culture, two poets, and an historical novelist will be inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame at its 2017 ceremony in November.

Established by the University of Georgia Libraries in 2000, the hall seeks to honor Georgia writers past and present.

“It is always exciting to share the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame judges’ selections each year,” said P. Toby Graham, university librarian and associate provost. “And each year it is our privilege to remind Georgia readers of the wealth our state’s literary heritage.”

The University of Georgia community will honor the life of Judith Ortiz Cofer, extraordinary writer, poet, teacher, colleague, and friend, Friday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m.

The memorial service will be held at  the UGA Chapel, with a  reception to follow at Demosthenian Hall.

For more information, contact Lisa Bayer, University of Georgia Press, 217-369-3166 or lbayer@uga.edu.