What do we collect?

The Photographic Archive (SJPA) actively develops its collections through purchases, organisational transfers, community outreach and donations from the public.

The SJPA accepts photographic materials in any format, specifically: 

• Records relating to Jersey; it’s geographical, political and economic environments, whether past or present.
• Records relating to the work and interests of the Société Jersiaise. 
• Records documenting Jersey’s natural habitats and biodiversity. 
• Records documenting the lives of islanders and the built environment. 
• Photography made in response to the SJPA collections and work of the Société Jersiaise. 
• Records reflecting the diverse identities that shape our Island community.  

We may also accept associated materials, notes, and documentation if they add context to photographic collections. 

Understandably there are limitations to what we can collect: 

• We cannot accept items without the full legal transfer of ownership. 
• We do not request the transfer of intellectual property rights on deposit. However, as a minimum, we do insist on the granting of certain copyright permissions to the SJPA. We actively encourage depositors to consider open licencing as a method for maximising the community benefit of their collections. 
• We cannot accept collections with significant access restrictions. 
• We cannot accept items if the content is unidentifiable. This also applies to severely damaged or deteriorated materials. 
• We may decline items or collections if we already hold similar or identical materials. 
• We may use sampling or weeding to reduce the number of records if duplication or excessive repetition occurs within a collection. 
• We cannot accept collections on loan for long-term, permanent or indefinite periods. 
• The SJPA cannot accept items that present a physical risk to other collections. 
• The SJPA cannot accept items that compromise data protection and privacy. 
• The SJPA does not collect items that fall within the collecting policy of other archives; we will suggest suitable alternatives in such cases.  

For more information on how and what we collect have a look at our Development Policy