Donations of Photographs, Papers, and Records

The Riverboat Nettie Quill, early twentieth century. S. Blake McNeely Collection. Negative: C-3262.

The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library appreciates the donation of unique and historically valuable materials. We would love to be able to save everything about Mobile and south Alabama. Storage limitations, however, prevent us from doing that. To determine the eligibility of your prospective gift, you are urged to contact staff at The McCall Library at mccalllib@southalabama.edu or dgurt@southalabama.edu. Gifts that do not meet our collection criteria will, unfortunately, be refused. If desired and appropriate, however, The McCall Library will work with you to find a more suitable location for your materials. For more about the kinds of documentation we seek, please see below.

 
The McCall Library prefers that donations be made outright. Once done so, it is understood that they become part of the permanent collections of The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library and may be freely used by us and by researchers according to the rules of The McCall Library.

Acceptable Gifts

Listed below are guidelines for the type of material sought by The McCall Library. Individuals should contact The McCall Library if they are uncertain whether or not his or her donation fits these guidelines. We can, if necessary and warranted, copy photographs and manuscripts for historical research and return the originals to their owners.

Archival items that enhance our Special Collections:

• Manuscripts by and about the Alabama Black Belt and the people of the Alabama Black Belt
• Records of local businesses
• Records of local civic organizations, particularly those of women
• Records of local labor organizations
• Records of local civil rights organizations
• Manuscript materials by and about local women, families, and gender issues
• Manuscript materials related to African Americans and their lives
• Manuscript materials related to the literary heritage of Mobile
• Diaries and journals
• Photographs, slides, and negatives that focus on the University, Mobile, and the region
• 19th Century and earlier publications related to Mobile or the region
• Incunabula

Archival items that have relevance to the University of South Alabama such as:

• Student and Alumnae/i publications
• Faculty/Staff publications written, researched, or published while in the employ of the University of South Alabama
• Manuscript materials and ephemera related to the University of South Alabama, such as diaries, journals, and correspondence
• Manuscript materials created by faculty members
• Audio and Video Recordings
• Pictorial Materials
• Scrapbooks