Photo by Office of Archives

The archdiocesan Office of Archives and Records recently completed a major milestone of a project years in the making. Beginning in 2019, we have worked toward digitizing all issues of The Georgia Bulletin and making them accessible online. The latest issues that needed digitizing were completed in 2025 and put online earlier this year. The digitized issues run from the first one published in 1963 until August 2003, when the changing nature of publishing meant subsequent issues were born digital and did not need a digitized copy of the printed paper. 

A third-party vendor was chosen to digitize The Georgia Bulletin’s back issues in batches. The full run of the paper’s issues in the archives was in the form of bound volumes, which would have been cumbersome to scan and would potentially obscure text where the pages met the binding. The newspapers were therefore carefully cut out of their binding so they could be imaged on a flat surface. Batch by batch, the papers were boxed up and shipped off to the vendor for digitization. Once the vendor completed the scanning, the physical papers were shipped back, and the digital copies were provided either on external hard drives or through file-sharing software.  

The next step in the process was providing access to the digitized copies. Two different free online resources were selected, each catering to a different audience. One is the Georgia Historic Newspapers project of the Digital Library of Georgia, and the other is the Catholic News Archive from Atla. Researchers with a local focus would likely find issues on Georgia Historic Newspapers, while those with a Catholic focus would be better served by the Catholic News Archive. Having issues accessible in both places benefits a deeper pool of researchers. 

The May 26, 1983 edition of The Georgia Bulletin, including features on the Legion of Mary and Birthright, is among the numerous issues available online for researchers and casual history buffs through a digitization project undertaken by the Office of Archives and Records.

But serious researchers are not the only ones who might find value in these issues. Casual users interested in the history of their parish or the career of a beloved priest are encouraged to check these issues out. Even just browsing through back issues at random can reveal interesting or entertaining articles. If you have ever wondered what the Catholic perspective of movies like “The Exorcist” (“It is another installment in our growing collection of expertise—not on the sacred—but on the wicked and profane,” Jan. 24, 1974) or “Crocodile Dundee” (“True love conquers and the legend of the Crocodile Man is preserved,” Oct. 2, 1986), this resource is for you. 

Currently, the Catholic News Archive has issues available from 1963 to 2003, while Georgia Historic Newspapers has 1963 to 1990 (with more to come). We invite anyone interested to explore at their leisure.