The Alabama collection has evolved through gift and purchase until it has become a distinguished collection of Alabamiana in the state. Containing numerous formats of materials it interacts and overlaps with other collecting interests of Special Collection. The policies governing the Alabama Baptist Collection support and complement the Alabama collection interests.

It is a historical collection with an emphasis on resources, documenting social and cultural history. The intent is to acquire and preserve materials that will be used by historians. To meet the needs of the discipline of history as it shifts and changes in its continuous evolution, the collection should be sensitive to state historical resources of both the traditional and vanguard type.