Among the materials are the personal papers of Alvin Ailey, the company's founder, including sketches of dances, costumes designs, correspondence, contract, and rehearsal notes.

Also included are musical scores by Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, and others; press clips dating from 1960 through 1998; some 8,500 photographs of Ailey's dances (taken by Lois Greenfield, Martha Swope, and other prominent photographers); 24 reels of film footage; audiotapes that accompanied performances between 1958 and 2004; and 4,000 programs for performances between 1958 and 2004.

The library and the AAADT have received a grant allowing them to digitize the collection through the Save America's Treasures program. Some materials will be presented on a web site, and the entire collection will be available via an intranet to researchers at the Library of Congress and staff at AAADT.