Iron Mountain Supports Digitization Project with Ohio University to Preserve Cornelius Ryan's Longest Day Collection

ATHENS, Ohio, June 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Iron Mountain Incorporated® (NYSE: IRM), the global leader for storage and information services, today announced the start of a three-part digitization project of documents from world-renowned war correspondent Cornelius Ryan. The project, provided as a gift-in-kind service in support of Ohio University's Vernon R. Alden Library, will begin with the D-Day Collection of Ryan's records containing first-hand accounts and recollections of both military and civilian participants of the battle from across the world.

June 6, 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the 1944 invasion of Normandy. Cornelius Ryan, a World War II war correspondent and best-selling author, solicited first-hand accounts of civilians and military personnel from the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany, for use in his best-selling books, like "The Longest Day." In 1981, Ryan's collection of primary source materials, a sought-after resource worldwide, was donated to Ohio University Libraries.

Now, through this gift from Iron Mountain's Living Legacy Initiative - the company's commitment to preserve and make accessible cultural and historical information – over 1,100 items that make up 4,900 pages of Ryan's collection related to D-Day will be digitized, including many of those first-hand eyewitness accounts like this one from Private First Class Richard Cator of the 101st Airborne Division:

"We had stopped and were digging in. A shell from an artillery barrage landed in a foxhole approximately 50 feet from me and blew a man out of the hole into some bushes. I was surprised, and later amused, when he came running around the bushes, hopping mad at the Germans for ruining his foxhole. He didn't have a scratch on him. It wasn't until later that he realized how close he had come to being blown to bits."

Through the digitization services from Iron Mountain, Cornelius Ryan's unique collection of extensive interviews (like Cator's) is now available , as along with letters, diaries, and observations, sharing various accounts of D-Day as told through the eyes of soldiers, civilians, and political figures. Ohio University's Alden Library currently holds the entire Cornelius Ryan Collection, providing a lens into the life of the renowned journalist who documented various events throughout World War II. Ryan is best-known for three books on specific battles from the war; "A Bridge Too Far," "The Last Battle," and "The Longest Day," which provide some of the most accurate accounts of that period of history, all of which were later made into movies. 

"This is a tremendous gift from Iron Mountain that not only supports the Ohio University Libraries, but also honors American history, journalism, and the sacrifices of the men and women who fought in World War II," said Nico Karaogosian, vice president of University Advancement and president and CEO of The Ohio University Foundation. "We're grateful for this partnership and for the opportunity to make this complete collection available digitally."

Digitization of Cornelius Ryan's D-Day collection will allow Ohio University to make the documents available to other higher education institutions, scholarly researchers from around the world, historians interested in a battle or military unit, students and professors using them in the classroom, family members of those represented in the materials, and the general public seeking to learn more about the famous battle and those involved.

"We're honored to partner with Ohio University and offer our expertise to help share accounts of those involved with D-Day, which is one of the most transformative moments in world history," said Dale Lawing, senior vice president and general manager, Records Management, Iron Mountain. "We feel it's our duty to ensure their experiences will never be forgotten and help chronicle important events and stories of our past for current and future generations to come."

"Patrons are really excited that they can request more material and that they will be publicly available—it has just been really great to see," said Stacey Lavender, special collections librarian and curator of the Ryan Collection. "The Iron Mountain Living Legacy Initiative, and the commitment to digitize 4,900 pages of Ohio University Libraries' Ryan Collection, is a much-welcomed gift-in-kind for all scholars of World War II history."

About Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), founded in 1951, is the global leader for storage and information management services. Trusted by more than 225,000 organizations around the world, and with a real estate network of more than 90 million square feet across more than 1,400 facilities in approximately 50 countries, Iron Mountain stores and protects billions of valued assets, including critical business information, highly sensitive data, and cultural and historical artifacts. Providing solutions that include information management, digital transformation, secure storage, secure destruction, as well as data centers, cloud services and art storage and logistics, Iron Mountain helps customers lower cost and risk, comply with regulations, recover from disaster, and enable a digital way of working. Visit http://www.ironmountain.com for more information.

About Ohio University
Ohio University strives to be the best student-centered, transformative learning community in America, where approximately 40,000 students realize their promise, faculty advance knowledge, staff achieve excellence, and alumni become global leaders. OHIO is committed to fostering, embracing, and celebrating diversity in all its forms. Our Athens Campus offers students a residential learning experience in one of the nation's most picturesque academic settings. Additional campuses and centers serve students across the state, and online programs further advance the University's commitment to providing educational access and opportunity. Visit www.ohio.edu for more information.

About Vernon R. Alden Library
Ohio University Libraries, one of the top 100+ research libraries in the nation, connects learners to information for discovery, intellectual growth and the advancement of knowledge. A member of the prestigious Association of Research Libraries, The Center for Research Libraries, and a founding member of OhioLINK, University Libraries facilities include the Vernon R. Alden Library—one of the most heavily used buildings on the Athens Campus; the Music and Dance Library; and the Southeast Ohio Regional Library Depository. The Libraries boasts world-class collections which enrich every aspect that supports academic excellence, innovative programs, and effective teaching, learning and research.

Media Contact:
Christian T. Potts
Iron Mountain Incorporated
617-535-8721
[email protected]

Carly Leatherwood
Ohio University Communications and Marketing
740-597-1940
[email protected]

SOURCE Iron Mountain Incorporated

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