Getty Images and Ancestry Partner to Digitally Preserve Historic Archives of HBCUs

From Getty Images:

Getty Images has announced a first‑of‑its‑kind genealogy‑focused partnership with Ancestry, the global leader in family history. As part of Getty Images’ HBCU Grants Program, this initiative will focus on the digital preservation and accessibility of historical documents, records and the photographic archives of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Once digitized, these invaluable archives will become searchable on the Ancestry website, helping millions of people discover and connect with the rich legacy of HBCUs.

Working alongside Getty Images, Ancestry will collaborate with participating HBCUs to identify and digitize documents, such as newsletters, newspapers, bulletins, student records, school catalogues, yearbooks, directories, and photographs that are critical for digital preservation. These efforts extend an essential resource to HBCUs beyond imagery, ensuring the protection of invaluable intellectual property and proper metadata application.

[Clip]This partnership was initiated with Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree‑granting HBCU, in Pennsylvania, USA. Lincoln joined Getty Images’ HBCU Grants Program last year with hundreds of contemporary and archival photos currently available for licensing in the HBCU Collection on gettyimages.com. Ancestry has already started digitizing Lincoln’s historical documents, including the Lincolnian and deteriorating records, as well as hundreds of photographs from Lincoln’s archival collection.

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Through the program, HBCUs retain full copyright ownership to their print and digitized assets and data. Ancestry will contract directly with each HBCU and work collaboratively to digitize selected materials on‑site. All digital files will be delivered to the HBCUs, and complimentary, campus‑wide access to Ancestry’s platform will be provided, allowing students and faculty to explore and share their family histories and search millions of primary sources available on Ancestry.

Learn More, Read the Complete Announcement

Direct to Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) Collection (via Getty Images)

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Data Files, Digital Preservation, Funding, News, Preservation