West Virginia Folklife Collection Now Online Via WVU Libraries

I'm so thrilled that the West Virginia Folklife Program's digital archives collection, The West Virginia Folklife Collection, is now accessible online to the general public and available for research via WVU Libraries at https://wvfolklife.lib.wvu.edu/.

The original, ongoing collection consists of over 2,500 items and constitutes a significant part of our work in folklife fieldwork and programs since November 2015.

Those items include unique primary source material such as field-recorded interviews and other audio recordings, transcriptions, photo and video documentation, ephemera, and some material objects documenting the vernacular culture, beliefs, occupational skills, and expressive culture of contemporary tradition bearers, folk and traditional artists, and cultural communities across West Virginia.

Collection highlights include documentation of the 2018 WV Teachers' Strike, UFCW Local 400 Kroger workers during COVID, the Scotts Run Museum and Trail community, foodways and community celebrations in the Swiss community of Helvetia, Summers County collector Jim Costa’s collection of 18th and 19th century farm tools and objects of rural life, and participants in the West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program.

Learn more via the West Virginia Folklife Program

Brown University's Public Work Podcast- Episode 06: Emily Hilliard on Folklore, West Virginia, and Documenting Contemporary Labor Movements

"What role does folklore play in modern life? What is folklore, anyway? In this episode, Amelia Golcheski interviews West Virginia state folklorist Emily Hilliard to learn why folklore is more than just myths and legends. It can also be about labor movements, local histories, and even the “right” way to eat a hot dog. Amelia and Emily also discuss the recent teachers’ strike in West Virginia, misconceptions about life in so-called “Trump Country,” and approaches to public humanities that are invested in showing the importance of regional history."

Listen via Public Work

Emily Hilliard Collection on West Virginia Ballad Singer Phyllis Marks Available via Library of Congress →

Hilliard was awarded a 2016 Henry Reed Fund Award from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for “West Virginia Folklife Presents Ballad Singer Phyllis Marks,” a public programming and documentation project highlighting the career and contributions of the respected octogenarian West Virginia traditional ballad singer Phyllis Marks. The documentation of this September 2016 free public concert is now among the holdings of the Archive of Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The collection includes audio recording, video recording, digital photographs, concert program, and oversize poster and is available for research and public viewing via the Library of Congress.