Jackson Library constructs Online Civil Rights Database

The Civil Rights movement, which caught fire back in 1960 in Greensboro at the Woolworth's Restaurant, is now having its resources put online by UNCG's Jackson Library. The library recently recieved a grant of $10,000 by the Greensboro Community Foundation and has begun the process of making all the transcripts from interviews, information, pictures and documents available online for the public. In the future the project will hopefully expand to encompass audio recordings of these interviews. The interviews were done between the 1970's and 1990's by the public library regarding the Woolworth sit in and those involved. The goals of the project were to highlight the complex political and social tension of that era while providing access to a broader audience through the internet.

Betty Carter, the university archivist heading up both this project and the Women Veteran Historical Project, is excited about bringing the invaluable resources and stories of one of America's most important time periods to a broader audience. "A lot of untold stories are finally getting out," Carter said. The project intends to be completed and be set up online by February 1, 2006, to coincide with the 45th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins. For more information on the project or the contents visit the Jackson Library University Archives Office or call at (336) 334-5880.