What Services Does the Georgia Archives Offer for Educators and Government Agencies?

The Georgia Archives serves two distinct professional audiences through dedicated sections of its website: educators get classroom-ready teaching resources and professional development, while government agencies get records management guidance, retention schedules, and records law information. Both groups also have access to public programming like Lunch & Learn lectures and exhibits. If you teach Georgia history or manage public records for a state or local agency, these are the entry points to start with.

Services for Educators

The Educators section of georgiaarchives.org groups resources for K-12 teachers and students:

• Educational Resources — primary-source-based materials drawn from the Archives' collections for classroom use.
• America 250 — programming tied to the 250th anniversary of the United States, useful for teachers building units on the Revolutionary era.
• National History Day — support for students and teachers participating in the National History Day competition, a common fit for social studies and history classes.
• Professional Development and Workshops — training opportunities for educators, listed alongside the other educator resources.

These are the pages to check first if you need primary documents, project-based history activities, or continuing education tied to Georgia records.

Services for Government Agencies

The Government Agencies section addresses records management obligations for state and local government:

• Records Services — assistance with managing government records.
• Records Laws and Legislation — the legal framework governing public records in Georgia.
• Retention Schedules — the timetables that determine how long specific record types must be kept before disposition.

If your agency needs to know how long to hold a record series or what the law requires, start with Retention Schedules and Records Laws and Legislation, then use Records Services for direct help.

Records Care and Partnerships

Two related sections round out the professional services:

• Partners — organizations the Archives works with, relevant if your institution is exploring a collaborative project or deposit.
• Caring for Records — guidance on preserving and handling records, useful for agencies and institutions that hold historical materials outside the Archives.

Public Programs Open to Both Groups

The Archives also runs programming that educators, agency staff, and the general public can attend:

• Lunch & Learn Lectures — held at the Georgia Archives from noon to 1:00 p.m.; bring your lunch. Lectures are posted to the Archives' YouTube channel afterward, so you can watch later if you can't attend. Scheduled 2026 talks include "First in Our State: A Revolutionary Achievement" with Michael Henderson on October 9, "To Be Determined" on November 13, and "Finding Sarah and Mary: Unraveling African American Genealogy" on December 11.
• Exhibits — for example, First in Our State: A Revolutionary Achievement, on view September 12 through November 20, highlighting the life and genealogical research of Michael Nolden Henderson.
• Special Events — a full schedule of 2026 lectures, exhibits, and events from July through December is listed on the site.
• Archives & Genealogy Day 2026 — Saturday, October 3, 2026, with hands-on genealogy research and presentations.

Where to Start

The Archives is located in Morrow, GA, and has preserved Georgia's records since 1918. For research beyond these professional services, the site's Research section covers how to search collections, use finding aids, and access vital records.