Civil War letters preserved online in Michigan

Many entities chose to host their files and other records online using electronic document management strategies. This can allow a business or other organizations to save room, access files quickly and require lower costs that would be spent of paper, ink and filing hardware. Another large benefit, which is being used to justify the move by many government departments and schools, is that doing so lets individuals access files remotely.

This can help researchers who want to learn more about a subject – a main motivation for digitization of Civil War letters for leaders at Michigan State University. So far, members of the University Archives and Historical Collections (UAHC) have transcribed 3,000 pages of personal correspondence, propaganda and sheet music written by soldiers who fought in the war 150 years ago.

"It will be really good for classrooms – getting the primary sources online – whether they're college students or K-12," explained UAHC assistant director Portia Vescio.

This move comes around three years after Dr. Wallace K. Ewing donated the largest Civil War letters collection to the Michigan State Archives. These documents were also digitized and made available to those interested in the subject.