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The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library

  • Mobile County Training School Drum Majorettes circa 1950
  • Bathing Beauties posing on Dauphin Island, Circa 1960
  • Sailing on Mobile Bay, circa 1900
  • The riverboat Mary S. Blees circa 1880
  • Medical Students at Old Mobile Medical College circa 1900
  • Alabama governor Frank M. Dixon addresses Alabama Dry Dock circa 1942
  • Members of the Spinsters Mardi Gras circa 1941
  • Birdie Mae Davis with unidentified child, 1974
  • An unidentified child eating a slice of Malbis Bakery bread, circa 1925
  • Laying the cornerstone at the Scottish Rite Temple, 1921
  • Rural free delivery in Fairhope, AL at the turn of the twentieth century
  • Fish River, 1954
  • B.B. King visits Mobile, circa 1980
  • Aerial of Murphy High School, 1949.
  • USA's baseball Jags, 1972

 

***Please note that USA Campus (including the McCall Library) closes for winter break on December 20 and reopens January 6, 2025.***

Welcome

The McCall Library is located on the 3rd floor of the Marx Library on USA's main campus. Call (251) 341-3900 or email mccalllib@southalabama.edu to schedule your visit.  An appointment is required to ensure that a staff member is available to assist you.  Parking passes may be requested from Library Administration in advance or at the time of your visit.

Mission Statement

Since its founding in 1978, as the University of South Alabama Photographic Archives, the mission of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library has been to collect and preserve recorded evidence of the history of the people of south Alabama and to promote its use for original research. Our collection scope includes material related to the Alabama Black Belt, the city of Mobile and environs, and the institutional history of the University of South Alabama. Extensive photograph, manuscript, and oral history collections broadly document life in the region from the early nineteenth century to the present. The McCall Library strives for inclusive representation of all segments of the population and actively pursues community partnerships to this end.

Our collections currently encompass approximately 750 individual accessions of varying sizes including paper-based collections spanning approximately 6,500 linear feet, and more than 3.4 million photographic images. In addition, we have growing digital collections which allow us to reach beyond the walls of the institution. The McCall Library serves University of South Alabama students and faculty, the city of Mobile and environs, and researchers from around the world.

We invite you to explore our collections, policies, and fees using the navigation bar on the left. Check  our News page for events and additions to the collections.  Follow us on Facebook @mccalllib and Instagram @mccall_usa

IMPORTANT: While the majority of our collections are described for ease of use (see "Guide to Collections"), not all of our finding aids are accessible online. We encourage patrons to call, email, or drop by for assistance with their research needs. New material arrives almost daily.