Columbus State University: CSU Archives

Digging in the Archives

By Pamela L. Baker & Reagan Grimsley

In conjunction with the Columbus State University Archives

Introduction	Class Schedule
Instructions for Completing the Assignments	Writing the Paper
About the CSU Archives	Approved List of Primary Sources

Introduction to Digging in the Archives

Do you have an inquiring mind? Are you curious about our nation's past? Have you ever considered reconstructing your family tree? If so, Digging in the Archives will allow you to hone your skills as a history detective. How do scholars reconstruct the past? Scholars rely on primary sources, or artifacts such as letters, old newspapers, official documents and journals, which contain firsthand information about an experience or event. Many of you may have discovered similar artifacts in your attic or grandparent’s home—diaries, old letters, photographs, or Bibles, which record your family’s history. In some cases, these rare artifacts find their way to archives—special libraries which hold and preserve these precious historical documents. Columbus State University is home to one such archive! At the CSU Archives, you can read a first hand account of a soldier’s experience during the Civil War or explore a business ledger that recorded the buying and selling of slaves in Columbus during the 1850s. You can also explore early Georgia maps, including two depicting Columbus dating from the 1820s and 1850s, to learn about the development of this Georgia community. You can also learn about the musical compositions of a blind slave who was regarded as one of the most important musical performers of his generation. Digging in the Archives will give students the opportunity to read first hand accounts so they can learn to make their own arguments about the past. This assignment will also help students to fine tune their research, analytical and writing skills by learning the investigative techniques used by historians and other scholars to reconstruct the past.

©2007 by Pamela L. Baker, Assistant Professor, Department of History and Geography, Columbus State University, and Reagan Grimsley, Archivist, Assistant Professor of Library Science, Simon Schwob Memorial Library, Columbus State University.