Guide to Folklore Collecting Assignments

Format Sheet Explained: A consistent format ensures that your item/collection will be clear and useful to people working in a field that is dependent on reliable observations of culturally important expressions and events.

Name of Informant
(If you yourself are the
informant, put "Myself.")
Place item was collected
Date item was collected

Title:

Make up a short title that best describes the item: "Coyote Makes Rain," "The Double Wedding Ring Quilt," "Star Light, Star Bright," "Randolph the Red-Nosed Cowboy," etc.

Genre:

Using information provided in class, and in this guide, identify the genre (category) the item represents: lullaby, prank, holiday custom, belief, etc. If you need assistance, ask your instructor for help.

Informant (who):

The "informant" is your source, your traditional colleague, who passes a folk expression to you for collecting and preserving. Tell us about this person, including information such as the following:

Name

Region where informant was reared and now lives

Age and gender of informant

Schooling background

Ethnic, family, or religious ties

Occupation

Hobbies

Relation (if any) to you (the collector)

Context (where):

In this section you describe where and under what circumstances you collected the item. If possible, tell where and under what circumstances the informant came by the folklore item (text).

Where is this item normally performed/told/sung/made?

Were other people present when the item was heard or observed, and if so, who were they?

In what way were those other people a part of the performance of the item or text?

How does this item function for the group in which it is normally encountered?

The questions listed are suggestions. The kind of questions you ask are dictated by the kind of item you collect. For example, if you are collecting a family song from your mother, you would want to ask her where it came from and why she sings it when she does. Who is normally there when this song is sung? Do other people join in? If it's a quilter you're interviewing, you will want to ask (or observe) where the quilting is done and who else is there. Is there also a larger group of people (like the extended family) who are the recipients of these quilts and whose tastes or family situations help to determine what design is used and who will get it? Note: If the word "context" is still unclear to you, look it up in a dictionary.

Text (item):

"Text" comes from Latin textus, "a woven object." We use it in folklore to refer to whatever the created expression is that we have collected. This might be a legend, a barn, a recipe, a song, a joke, a family celebration, a traditional holiday occurrence of some kind, a folk game, a folk toy, a riddle, a quilt design, a folk expression. Even if you have several brief items--like proverbs--each one goes on a separate page. If you have a long story, it can be carried over onto subsequent pages. Double-space this section so it can be more readily studied.

Texture (how):

In this section, you talk about the "feel" or the style of the item, the way the text was expressed or produced:

Was the delivery or performance a part of the meaning? In what way?

Is it funny? If so, why? What particular words, or puns, or thoughts produce the humor?

Is it believed or believable?

Were gestures, intonations, nuances utilized by the performer which are not evident in the text but had a lot to do with the meaning?

Was color important?

Was the time of day or year important?

Does this item have an "automatic meaning" for those who use it? If so, what does it suggest to the performer or group that the text or performance or photo itself does not make clear?

Are there taboos or sanctions associated with the item or production, performance or distribution of the "text"?

Collector Information:

At the bottom of each page put your full name. At the lower right corner of the last page, list the following:

Your name
University
Course
Instructor
Semester and year

Please review the following examples to get a better idea of the format structure for your collecting assignments. Remember: PART OF YOUR GRADE DEPENDS ON FOLLOWING FORMAT. The reason for the strict format is that these items will be added to the Fife Folklore Archives and will be used by scholars of American culture in their work. A consistent format ensures that your hard work will be clear and useful to people working in a field that is dependent on reliable observations of culturally important expressions and events.

RELEASE FORMS:
Release forms are required for items deposited in the Fife Folklore Archives.

The purpose of release forms (collector and informant) is to protect you, as the collector, the informant and the archives and to insure that collectors and informants are aware of what happens to the material they contribute. By signing the collector release form, you release your project to the Utah State University Fife Folklore Archives. By signing the informant release form, your informant releases his/her folklore item to you and the Fife Folklore Archives. However, although the physical item is released to the Fife Folklore Archives, the intellectual property rights reside with the informant and the collector. If deemed necessary, you may add restrictions regarding the use of the item/collection on the release form.

ITEM / COLLECTION DEPOSIT IN FIFE FOLKLORE ARCHIVES
The USU Student Folklore Genre and Fieldwork (focused) Collections are the fasting growing collections in the Fife Folklore Archives and represent an impressive and important wealth of folk expression. Deposit of student folklore items/collections is important to the ongoing growth and strength of the collection and is greatly appreciated. However, submission of folklore items/collections to the Fife Folklore Archives is not required. If you choose NOT to submit your item/collection for deposit in the Archives, write "DO NOT ARCHIVE" boldly on the item. Unless otherwise stated, submissions will be accessioned and housed in the Fife Folklore Archives, where they will become the property of Utah State University’s Fife Folklore Archives, Special Collections and Archives, and will be available for research and other academic pursuits by patrons of the Special Collections.

QUESTIONS:
If you have any questions, please visit Special Collections & Archives, Tanner Reading Room to consult the archival staff or call (435) 797-3493.

Back

Guide home

For reference questions: randy.williams@usu.edu or phone (435) 797-3493.
Fife Folklore Archives, Utah State University Libraries, Logan Utah 84322-3000