The willow hill heritage and renaissance center (whhrc) in collaboration with georgia southern university (GSU) libraries and the GSU department of history will undertake phase two of a collection…

The Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center, Inc. received a $100,000 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture program (CFDA 45.309) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. This award supports Phase Two of a collection digitization initiative focused on African American funeral programs in rural Bulloch County, Georgia, executed in collaboration with Georgia Southern University Libraries and the Department of History. The project will produce digitized archival records, collection-finding aids, and enhanced online accessibility through improvements to image quality and metadata standards.

The grant funds support project staffing, including two paid student intern positions and one full-time collection manager, to facilitate the digitization workflow. Key deliverables include increased production of digitized records, de-duplication of existing collections, standardized cataloging to reduce error, and recruitment and retention of community volunteers for ongoing digitization work. The project emphasizes outreach and training activities to build local capacity and institutional knowledge while ensuring that African American cultural and historical materials are preserved and made accessible to the public through digital systems.

The willow hill heritage and renaissance center (whhrc) in collaboration with georgia southern university (GSU) libraries and the GSU department of history will undertake phase two of a collection digitization project focused on african american funeral programs in rural bulloch county, GA. The project will support the salaries of two paid student interns and one full-time collection manager. Project activities include outreach, training, and retention of community volunteers, improving the quality of the images displayed online and the development of collection-finding aids. The project's intended results are to increase the production of digitized records, ensure accessibility, improve record standards by reducing error introduction, DE-duplicate the collection, improve image quality, and recruit and retain volunteers for the digitization work.