First Digitization Project

Pages from scrapbook 5

A page from the 5th scrapbook in the Planned Parenthood collection, which includes materials from 1960-1967.

When Planned Parenthood Southeast donated its records in 2010 and 2011, the collection included 11 scrapbooks that document the history of the organization from the mid-1960s. Comprised of newspaper clippings, photographs, and event materials, some of the scrapbooks presented a serious preservation issue: the paper that the clippings were attached to was practically crumbling at the touch.

After a trip to meet with the Preservation Officers at the Georgia Archives in Morrow, we followed their advice to digitize the scrapbooks as quickly as possible, then to wrap them and place them in boxes. The scanned images are all available in our Digital Collections web site, and in their digital form, are infinitely more accessible to users. Not only is all of the text word-searchable, researchers can zoom in and out of pages, and they can download images free of charge.

Also documenting Planned Parenthood Southeast are a number of fascinating oral histories that were conducted with staff and board members of the organization. In this video, retired CEO Kay Scott talks about the ways that Planned Parenthood helps women beyond providing them with health care.

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