George V. Voinovich Collection

Ohio University’s Vernon R. Alden Library is fortunate to be the permanent home of the George V. Voinovich Collection (1991-1998), an exceptional and distinctive resource. These archives invite students, faculty and the public to learn about the career of one of Ohio’s outstanding governors – as well as about an important period in the state’s history. The collection boasts correspondence, reports, legal opinions, subject files, renditions, requisitions, speeches, audio tapes, video tapes, photographs, briefing files, public inquiries, legislative bills, executive orders, schedules, interoffice and agency communications and memorabilia. Additional materials include records of the two Lieutenant Governors and the First Lady.

The George V. Voinovich Collection, like other great collections, is a legacy, a public treasure that will be used by scholars and citizens far into the future when they want to understand the workings of government in the 20th century.

In November 2012, the Ohio University Libraries and the George Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service at Ohio University partnered with the Center for Public History and Digital Humanities and the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University to provide an interactive digital home of the Voinovich Collections. This web platform provides users the opportunity to explore exhibits comprised of material from the collections, view multimedia pieces, and learn about George Voinovich's impressive 45-year career in public service.

The Voinovich Collections are comprised of three sets of archival collections created by three of the offices held by George Voinovich: Mayor of Cleveland, Governor of Ohio, and United States Senator. In addition to this virtual location, the Voinovich Collections are physically housed at two institutions:

• The Mayoral Papers(1979-1989): The Western Reserve Historical Society - Cleveland, Ohio

• The Gubernatorial (1990-1998) and Senatorial Papers (1998-2010):  Ohio University- Athens, Ohio

The goal of this project is to bring together the three archival collections into an integrated and searchable digital collection. In addition, disseminating the archival materials far more widely then is otherwise typically possible for such archives is of great educational importance. It is the project team's hope that students will benefit from this innovative tool by advancing solid research skills and developing an interest in public service. Ultimately, it is the unique collaboration between two great Ohio institutions that aims to bring transformative education into the classroom across the nation.

This project does not seek to digitize the Voinovich Collections in their entirety. Documents drawn from the collections will be digitized in an incremental fashion according to themes, selected based on faculty, classroom and student demand.

Please explore the Voinovich Collections online.