Records of the Department of Public Information

Collection

Identifier: G12-public

Staff Only
Not requestable

Scope and Content of the Records

The office files in this collection document the publicity and media communications activities of the Office of Public Relations/Department of Public Information during the period from the 1960s through the early 1990s. The office files consist largely of correspondence and news articles about Georgia State that were released by the department and/or published by newspapers in Georgia and elsewhere. The scrapbooks include newspaper and magazine articles about the institution, as well as some programs, photographs, and other paper-based materials. These scrapbooks contain valuable information on life at the school from the period of the 1930s and 1940s through the 1980s. Photographs, audiotapes, videotapes and films provide additional information about buildings, students, faculty, campus events, and campus organizations during the 1970s through the early 1990s.

Dates

Creation: circa 1930-1992

Creator

Georgia State University. Department of Public Information (Organization)

Restrictions on Access

Records may be subject to restrictions. Consult archivist before requesting this material.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

Portions of the materials described are housed in off-site storage. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

History of the Department of Public Information

Georgia State University's Department of Public Information functioned as the media communications and publicity arm of the university. The Department originated as the Office of Public Relations (1957-1974). The Department of Public Information was created in January 1974 and reported, with three other units, to the Office of University Relations under the Vice President for Urban Affairs until the 1979-1980 academic year. The Department of Public Information changed its name to the Department of University Relations in 1996.

The Department of Public Information’s reporting lines changed over time. Known as the Public Relation Office from 1970-1974, it reported first to the Associate Vice President of the university and then to the Vice President for Urban Affairs. The new Department of Public Information came under the jurisdiction of the Director of the Office of University Relations, who reported to the Vice President for Urban Affairs (1974-1977); in 1977 the Department became separate from University Relations, with the Director of Public Information reporting directly to the Vice President for Urban Affairs (1977-1981). Public Information then came under the Vice President for Academic Services (1981-1985), the Assistant Vice President for Academic Services (1985-1989), the Vice President for University Advancement (1989-1995), and the Vice President for External Affairs (1995-present [2004]).

Departmental directors have included:

Missing Title

1957-1965
: Dozier Copeland Cade (Director, Public Relations Office)
1965-1970
: Harold E. Davis (Director, Public Relations Office)
1970-1974
: Jarrot A. Lindsey, Jr. (Director, Public Relations Office)

Missing Title

[1974-1980]
: [Donald C. Grefe (Director, Office of University Relations: consisting of Dept. of Public Information, Dept. of Community Services, Business Information Center, and Atlanta Urban Corps)]

Missing Title

1974-1980
: Deanna Stille Strickland (Director, Dept. of Public Information)
1980-1984
: David K. Snell (Director, Dept. of Public Information)
1984-1996
: Sandra C. Carnet (Director, Dept. of Public Information)
1996-1999
: Sandra C. Carnet (Director, Dept. of University Relations; later the Dept. of University Relations and Creative Services)
2000-present (2004)
: DeAnna J. Hines (Director, Assistant Vice-President for University Relations)

Extent

69.1 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Organization Note

Organized into 3 series: 01. Office files, 02. Scrapbooks, and 03. Audio-visual materials.

The collection is made up of the following accessions:

G1972-01: Scrapbooks, 1949-1968
G1975-17: Scrapbooks, 1969-1973
G1976-19: Office files--Office of Public Relations, scrapbook, audiotape, 1965-1976; undated
G1976-20: Audiotape interview--Dr. George Manners, 1976
G1977-05: Scrapbooks, circa 1930-1950; 1962-1963
G1977-09: Photo posters, circa 1969
G1977-11: Negatives and contact sheets, audiotapes, circa 1970-1974
G1981-06: Scrapbooks, 1977-1979
G1983-13: Photographs, circa 1960-circa 1978
G1984-18: Negatives and contact sheets, 1974-1977
G1984-30: Photographs, circa 1950-circa 1980
G1986-07: Negatives and contact sheets, 1978
G1987-12: Negatives and contact sheets, 1979
G1987-26: Scrapbooks, 1980-1987
G1988-01: Negatives and contact sheets, 1980-1982
G1989-26: Negatives and contact sheets, 1983-1984
G1989-44: Office files--Department of Public Information, 1966-1987; undated
G1990-43: Office files--Department of Public Information, videotapes, audiotapes, films, 1983-1990; undated
G1991-18: Office files--Department of Public Information, videotapes, circa 1955-1990 (bulk 1988-1990)
G1991-22: Negatives and contact sheets, 1984-1985
G1993-07: Videotapes, 1983-1991; undated
G1993-20: Office files--Department of Public Information, 1987-1992
G1994-01: Negatives and contact sheets, 1989-1991
G1994-02: Negatives and contact sheets, 1986-1988

Most of the news articles in Series 1 have been refoldered and photocopied for preservation purposes, and the materials in Series 1, Subseries 1.1, have been refoldered and rehoused in document cases. The other materials in Series 1 remain in record center cartons, mainly in the original folders. The scrapbooks in Series 2 have been rehoused in oversize acid-free boxes.

The photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, and films in Series 3 have been transferred to audio-visual collections. A general description of these materials is found in the series description for Series 3.

Off-Site Storage

Portions of the materials described are housed in off-site storage. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

Acquisition Information

Donated by the Department of Public Information, Georgia State University.

Related Archival Materials note

Related material in this repository: Materials relating to the Department of University Relations (1995-present) are also housed in the Georgia State University Archives. These include G1996-11: Olympics news coverage (in University Archives Small Collections); G1997-26: Photographs; G1998-23: Videotapes; and G1998-26: Photographs. For further information on these collections, consult the University Archivist. Further materials on Johnny Mercer (see Series 3, Subseries 3.3) are available in the Popular Music Collection, Special Collections Department (see especially MSS #001 and #002).

Further information about the University, its offices, and officials can be found in the University biographical information and history boxes, located in the Special Collections Reading Room.