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Dr. John Fenn, Head of Research & Programs at the American Folklife Center, a division of the Library of Congress was our guest on Thursday, January 13, 2022. Due to Covid precautions, the AFC is not yet open to visitors so Dr. Fenn brought the AFC to our DC Campus at 901 4th Street, NW -- the DC Bar Building.
Some Recommended Resources to start with
Some Recommended Resources to start with
What is folklife?
What is folklife?
The American Folklife Center has about 7 million items to include material culture, sound recordings, photographs, field notes, oral histories, films -- in comparison to the 176 millions items in the Library of Congress. The AFC is an outgrowth of the Archive of American folk song and was established in 1976 with Public Law 94201.
Below are several aspects of Folklife and the goals and resources of the center. (Professor Anne K. Rasmussen)
Why is "folk" a loaded term? Who are the folk?
Why is "folk" a loaded term? Who are the folk?
"Folk" can be interpreted in many ways - inclusive, in that there are lots of categories of arts that can be grouped into "folk art", but it can also be a divisive term. The word is often class-based, and adds a value connotation to what it describes (for example, there is higher prestige associated with the label "fine art" than with the label "folk art"). "Folk" may imply a working-class community, or a community that relies heavily on traditions in their way of life. This way of categorizing culture and tradition stems from the desire of colonizers (white and European, mainly) to observe and analyze traditions of 'the masses' in a condescending way; from that perspective, folk art was "quaint" or "curious", but not esteemed and valued for the years of tradition, practice, skill and meaning associated with the arts. As Dr. John Fenn of the American Folklife Center explained it, folklore is an "everyday experience of shared possibility and expression". (Alice Baughman)
Some examples of shared traditions include
Some examples of shared traditions include
...traditional music, oral histories, mythology/"folktales", traditions, foodways, cultural norms, and more! (Justin Oei)
What is Metadata?
What is Metadata?
Metadata is crucial to the proper interpretation and collection of content. Metadata is information about the content of the data. It can provide the location of a photograph, the names of people in a video, or the digital file location information. John Fenn, from the American Folklife Center stressed the importance of metadata in making content "discoverable." The collections held in the American Folklife Center and the Library of Congress are vast. The main goal is to make the collections easy and readable for viewers; make it easily discoverable. Metadata helps with this. If a collection of photos comes in, where every single photograph is labeled with a description of who/what is pictured, and when and where it was taken, it makes organization incredibly easy. Then, the American Folklife Center can quickly sort the content into something to be explored by someone new. Metadata, most importantly, ensures integrity of the collections is not lost, and the correct information about the data is kept. (Grace Lyons)
What are digital collections?
What are digital collections?
The digital collections are collections that are digitized and available for viewing through the internet. To view examples of the LOC digital collections, click here. Not all collections in the LOC are digitized since it takes time and resources to do so, but many of the most sought-after collections, such as the Alexander Hamilton Papers, can be found online. Digital collections make resources more widely available and accessible to people all over the nation and the world. (Laura Brancati)
We know it can be a little overwhelming to have so many resources available to you and not know where to begin! Click the button below to explore some of the collections and projects of the American Folklife Center that our group members found the most interesting!
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