Folk Life File

Description

This subfonds constitutes the Folk Life File, an archival resource actively created throughout the lifetime of the Institute of Dialect and Folk Life Studies (IDFLS), probably in relation to its Folk Life Survey commitments. It contains newspaper and magazine cuttings, extracted articles, offprints and reprints, photocopies, typed and ms. papers and correspondence, on a wide variety of folklore and folk life subjects.


A large proportion of the Folk Life File comprises photocopies of original items. It is not always clear when these copies were made, and thus the date range for a number of files is based on an estimate of when these were taken, and not the date when the original item was created.

Provenance

The items appear to have been submitted to the Folk Life File from a variety of sources, including staff and students, and informants from outside the University. It is likely, however, that items were specifically selected for inclusion in the Folk Life File by individual members of IDFLS staff. There also appears to have been an active search for relevant items for inclusion in the Folk Life File by IDFLS archivists, evidenced by the presence of many hundreds of mounted cuttings and extracted articles from country and regional periodical publications, most notably 'Country Life'. The employment of an archivist was seen as essential to the functioning of the Folk Life Survey, again suggesting that this may have been the basis for the collection of items for deposit in the Folk Life File.


The Folk Life File was arranged according to a scheme developed by IDFLS archivists Jean Whitfield and Margaret Jackson, based on a Swedish folk life classification scheme used at Uppsala University (see LAVC/ARC/1/11, LAVC/ARC/2/7-9, LAVC/ARC/2/14 and LAVC/ARC/2/15). No provision is made in the scheme for the classification of linguistic and dialect-related items, although a Dialect File was physically appended to the Folk Life File proper. It has thus been assumed that the Dialect File items were collected together in a similar manner to the items in the Folk Life File and for the same purpose. For this reason, the Dialect File has been included in the Folk Life File subfonds.

System of arrangement

The subfonds has been arranged in series which reflect the classification scheme used to organise the Folk Life File. Within each series, the rehousing of items in archival-quality folders has been conducted on a file-for-file basis, so as to retain as far as possible the original arrangement of the Folk Life File. The series are:

- AA. General Works

- A. Settlement and Dwelling

- B. Livelihood and Household Support

- C. Communication and Trade

- D. Community Life

- E. Human Life - The Family

- F. Nature

- G. Folk Medicine

- H. Calendar Customs

- I. Popular Belief and Practice

- J. Mythical Tradition

- K. Historical Tradition (Legend)

- L. Popular Oral Tradition

- M. Folk Music, Dance, Drama

- N. Leisure, Pastimes

- P. Children's Traditions

- Q. Folk Art

- R. Gypsies (Cultural Minorities)

- Dialect File

Access and usage

Reproduction

Access

There are no access restrictions on items in the Folk Life File.

Material in this collection is in copyright. Photocopies or digital images can only be supplied by the Library for research or private study within the terms of copyright legislation. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain the copyright holder's permission to reproduce for any other purpose. Guidance is available on tracing copyright status and ownership.

Related subjects / tags

WARNING: many of our records have not been classified by subject. So if you search our catalogue by subject using the links below then you are unlikely to find all relevant records. But you will find some...