Created by presidential decree number 84-166 of July 14, 1984 and reorganized by Executive Decree n°15-95 of April 1, 2015, the National Center for Documentation, Press, Image and Information has the mission of collecting, to process, preserve and communicate all written, photographic and audiovisual heritage relating to the communication sector as well as edit and distribute documentary products, texts and images. The Center is involved in various projects of public institutions and contributes to the achievement of major objectives relating to communication and information. Documentation is fully part of this culture of access, since it is sometimes a question of revealing knowledge reserved for insiders or corporations.

The Center holds a rich heritage, both from a digital and historiographical point of view, which represents more than a century of Algerian history in texts and photos. The Center’s photo library contains 2 million negatives, 3.5 million positive photos and 15,000 slides covering a very diverse range of themes, notably on Algerian prehistoric and historical remains; on monuments and historic sites; the social conditions of Algerians between 1945 and 1954, on portraits of personalities from the world of arts, letters, science and politics; on the most important stages of the war of national liberation; and also all the cultural, socio-economic and political activity of Algeria.