Secretary Byrd announces America250FL photo donation drive to preserve community celebrations across Florida
Tallahassee, Florida – Floridians taking part in America250FL celebrations have an opportunity to make their photographs part of the state’s permanent historical record.
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd announced that the State Archives of Florida is seeking photographs documenting community events and celebrations connected with America’s 250th anniversary.
The America250FL photo donation drive is intended to preserve images showing how communities across Florida mark the milestone. Residents who photograph local celebrations can submit their original images for possible inclusion in the State Archives’ Florida Photographic Collection.
“By donating your photos, you can preserve your community’s place in this once-in-a-lifetime celebration,” said Secretary of State Cord Byrd. “Consider contributing to our state’s history by donating your photographs and leave your mark on America’s and Florida’s shared legacy.”
The effort coincides with National American Archives Month, which began Oct. 1.
Photos will become part of Florida’s historical collection
The State Archives already maintains a large collection documenting Florida’s history.
Its holdings include more than 48,000 cubic feet of records. The archives also has one of the largest photographic collections in the country, with more than 1.5 million still images and over 7,000 videos.
The new donation effort will add photographs connected specifically to America250FL community activities and celebrations.
People interested in contributing are being asked to contact the State Archives first by emailing [email protected]. Archives staff will then discuss the process for donating original photographs.
The program is not limited to images taken with professional cameras.
Photos captured with smartphones may qualify as long as they meet the archives’ technical requirements and were taken by the person making the donation.
According to the State Archives, most modern smartphones can produce photographs with sufficient image quality. That includes iPhones 4 and newer, iPads 3 and newer and many Android devices produced by companies including Samsung, Motorola and Sony.
Potential donors should still check the specifications of their particular device to make sure their images meet the minimum requirement.
Digital photographs must have a resolution of at least 5 megapixels.
TIFF and RAW files are the preferred formats, although JPEG images are also accepted.
Donors must transfer ownership and usage rights
Sending a photograph is only part of the donation process.
After photos are submitted, donors will receive a Deed of Gift form that must be completed and returned.
Everyone donating an image must sign the document. The form transfers ownership and usage rights for the photograph to the State Archives of Florida.
The process is designed to make sure the photographs can remain available for people to access and use both now and in the future.
Photographers will still be recognized for their work. The State Archives will credit the photographer in its collection records and when researchers access the donated image.
Accepted photographs will become part of the Florida Photographic Collection at the State Archives and will be available to researchers.
That does not necessarily mean every donated image will appear online.
Some photographs could eventually be made available through Florida Memory, the state’s digital history resource, but inclusion on the website is not guaranteed.
Even when a photograph does not appear on Florida Memory, it will still be included in the photographic collection maintained by the State Archives and remain accessible for research.
The initiative gives residents a chance to document America250FL from the perspective of their own communities while contributing material that could be used by future researchers.
Rather than relying only on official photographs, the donation drive allows images captured by people attending community events to become part of Florida’s historical record.
Those images could preserve everything from local gatherings to other America250FL celebrations taking place across the state.
For the State Archives, the project adds another chapter to an already extensive photographic record containing more than 1.5 million images.
For residents, it provides a way for a photograph taken during the anniversary celebrations — including one captured on an everyday smartphone — to become part of a collection documenting Florida’s history for future generations.
