One of the purposes of the Department of Archives and History is to provide care and maintain custody of official archives and materials bearing upon the history of the state and of the territory (Ala. Code, 41-6-2 [1975]). The Registration Section of the department is responsible for the creation and maintainance of records documenting the transfer of legal and physical custody of collections to the department. In order to disseminate knowledge of Alabama's history within the state and region, the department loans collections to institutions conducting exhibits or other educational programs. The department also receives loans for its own exhibits and educational programs. This series consists of loan files which document the loan of a collection or an item to an institution or to the Department of Archives and History. The loans may be short term, long term or permanent. Typical records in this series include incoming and outgoing loan forms, facilities reports, and related correspondence. Information in these files includes an item description, date of loan, the borrower/institution's name and address, scheduled date of return, shipping instructions, insurance coverage, professional staff of borrowing institution, security, environmental controls, fire protection, and storage conditions.
