Alabama Media Group is donating its massive collection of historical photographic negatives that have chronicled people, places and events of the 20^th century for the state’s largest newspapers. The gift is being made to the Alabama Department of Archives and History for the people of Alabama as the state prepares to begin its bicentennial commemoration in 2017.

The collection contains more than 3 million photographic negatives produced by newspaper photographers working for The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times, Mobile’s Press-Register and affiliated publications between the 1920s and the early 2000s. The negatives are organized generally by photo assignment in chronological order and stored in paper sleeves typically used by photojournalists for film photography. In addition to the physical negatives, Alabama Media Group is transferring copyright to the ADAH.

Alabama Media Group produces AL.com, the state’s largest news and entertainment network, and three of Alabama’s most prominent newspapers: The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and Mobile’s Press-Register, as well as Birmingham magazine.

Founded in 1901, the Alabama Department of Archives and History was the first independently administered state archival and historical agency in the U.S. From its inception, the ADAH has acquired, preserved and provided access to public records created by state government, a wide range of manuscript and other private collections and three-dimensional objects.

As the negatives are identified, cataloged and digitized by the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Alabama Media Group will receive a copy of the digital images and descriptive information for use in its storytelling in print, online and on video. No monetary payment is being made in exchange for the collection.

The collection is the largest donation of historical imagery ever received by the Alabama Department of Archives and History. It documents almost every aspect of life in Alabama for a period spanning more than eight decades. It is an unparalleled visual record of our state in the 20th century.

Coleman Worldwide Moving of Dothan is donating its services to relocate the collection from Mobile to the State Archives building in Montgomery, where it will be preserved permanently.

In a process that will last several years, the Alabama Department of Archives and History will scan the negatives and display the images online at the Alabama Media Group Collection page within ADAH’s Digital Collections site.

The first images will not appear online until after the ADAH conducts a preliminary survey of the collection to assess its scope and to evaluate any conservation needs. The first phase of work is expected to last through mid-2017. Once scanning of the negatives begins, new content will be uploaded regularly.

Selected images from the collection were scanned previously by Alabama Media Group and will remain online at AL.com. Check out earlier discoveries at AL.com Vintage.

In instances where a photography assignment produced multiple shots of the same scene, typically only a selection of representative images will be posted online. The collection may also contain photographs not appropriate for younger visitors, such as images of auto accidents or crime scenes. This content will be preserved but not made available online.

It will take years to digitize and identify the millions of images that make up the collection.

First, the Alabama Department of Archives and History is developing a searchable index of the handwritten and typewritten labels on envelopes of film negatives to make images easier to find. The first images are expected to appear online in mid-2017, and more images will be added on a regular basis.

After the Alabama Department of Archives and History completes its initial survey of the collection, reference requests for specific images not appearing online will be accepted. Instructions for submitting reference requests will be available on the Alabama Media Group Collection page within ADAH’s Digital Collections site beginning in mid-2017. Research fees may apply.

Due to the special handling requirements of the collection and ongoing processing by ADAH staff, public access to the original film negatives will not be available.

Alabama Media Group is helping ADAH prioritize photos of greatest interest for digitization. To do that, we need your help. What topics would you like to explore? Send your suggestions to life@al.com

Two options for searching the collection will be available beginning in mid-2017.

1) A database of existing labels on the film-negative envelopes will be searchable based on the information recorded by photographers when the images were taken. The database will reside on the Alabama Department of Archives and History’s website, with a link provided on the Alabama Media Group Collection page within ADAH’s Digital Collections site.

2) As each image is scanned, it will be tagged with keywords used by the ADAH for all of its digital collections. These keywords can be searched from within its Digital Collections site.

With millions of images in the collection, it will take time for the Alabama Department of Archives and History to catalog, research and digitize photos. Even after that process is complete, there are other reasons photos may not be found:

• Envelopes containing film negatives may have incomplete, incorrect or indecipherable labels that make it difficult to identify locations, dates and names.
• After photos were published in newspapers, the film negatives may have deteriorated or been lost, discarded or given away over the years.
• The photos may have never existed. Not all events or subjects were photographed by newspaper staff.

Yes, but permission for use must be received in writing from the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Permission forms and instructions will be available at the Alabama Media Group Collection page within ADAH’s Digital Collections site when the collection is open for reference and use in mid-2017.

There is no charge for not‐for‐profit or educational uses, but permission for any use must be received in writing from the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Commercial use of an image is subject to a reproduction rights fee and permission granted in writing through the ADAH.

Permission forms and instructions will be available at the Alabama Media Group Collection page within ADAH’s Digital Collections site when the collection is open for reference and use in mid-2017.

For more information, contact Meredith McDonough (Meredith.Mcdonough@archives.alabama.gov, 334-353-5442).

Requests for copies from the Alabama Department of Archives and History may be submitted using a form that will be available on the Alabama Media Group Collection page within ADAH’s Digital Collections site starting in mid-2017.

A list of formats and prices will be available at the same location.

Commercial use of an image is subject to a reproduction rights fee and permission granted through the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Permission forms and instructions will be available at the Alabama Media Group Collection page within the ADAH’s Digital Collections site when the collection is open for reference and use in mid-2017.

For more information, contact Meredith McDonough (Meredith.Mcdonough@archives.alabama.gov, 334-353-5442).

Public libraries have local newspapers’ entire publication history available on microfilm and can guide you in your research.

• For The Birmingham News, contact the Birmingham Public Library at 205-226-3625 or bplonline.org/services/ask.
• For The Huntsville Times, contact the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library at 256-532-5975 or email askus@hmcpl.org.
• For the Press-Register, contact the Mobile Public Library at 251-208-7093 or email mainlhg@mplonline.org.

In Montgomery, the EBSCO Research Room at the Alabama Department of Archives and History also has the newspapers available on microfilm. Visit the ADAH’s newspaper microfilm page or call 334-242-4435 for more information.

Color reproductions of many newspaper pages produced since 2005 may be purchased from Alabama Media Group at its online store.

Additionally, public libraries have local newspapers’ entire publication history available on microfilm and can provide black-and-white photocopies for a fee.

• For The Birmingham News, contact the Birmingham Public Library at 205-226-3625 or bplonline.org/services/ask.
• For The Huntsville Times, contact the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library at 256-532-5975 or email askus@hmcpl.org.
• For the Press-Register, contact the Mobile Public Library at 251-208-7093 or email mainlhg@mplonline.org.

In Montgomery, the EBSCO Research Room at the Alabama Department of Archives and History also has the newspapers available on microfilm. Visit the ADAH’s newspaper microfilm page or call (334) 242-4435 for more information.