Fife Folklore Collections Guide

Searching General Collections

Archives West

Search finding aids for materials housed in the Fife Folklore Collections.

Enter Archives West

Use Archives West to search for item-level finding aids for fieldwork, oral history, student collections and image collections.

You can also browse by collection for links to finding aids and digital collections when available using the index of all collections below.

Searching for Books & Music Recordings

Online Catalog (Books)

Find books and music included in the Fife Folklore Collections.

Search for Books

Book and commercial music recordings do not have item-level finding aids. Instead, find specific items by searching the online catalog by subject, title, or author using a keyword search. To search by collection number follow these steps:

  1. Go to the online catalog’s Call Number Browse
  2. In the Search for box, type the collection number abbreviation, such as "Folk Coll 19" (without the quotes) and click Submit. (Note that when browsing, item numbers smaller than 10 appear out of order. For example, “6” appears next to “60.”)

Contact the Curator

Library Fife
Library Special Collections and Archives
Affiliated faculty
Library Curator
Directory
Library Facilities
Library
Folklore Affiliate
Joe Kinzer

Joe Kinzer

Assistant Librarian, Community & Oral History Archivist

(435) 797-2683

joe.kinzer@usu.edu

Index of All Collections

A list of all collections, including links to finding aids and digital collections when available. Many collections continue to have materials added and are so noted. All collections are cataloged in Utah State University Libraries' online catalog and item-level finding aids are available for most collections in Archives West. 

Folk Collections 1 - 9

Folk Collection 1 – Fife Donated Book Collection. Books from the original gift of Austin and Alta Fife, which were used in establishing the Folklore Archives.

Folk Collection 2 – Collected Publications of Austin and Alta Fife. A compilation of the published works of Austin and Alta Fife

Folk Collection 3 – Folklore Reference Collection. The collection began as part of the Archives' early acquisitions and now contains general folklore books, folklore theses, and related volumes. This collection continues to have materials added.

Folk Collection 4 – The Austin and Alta Fife Fieldwork Collection, 1939-1981.

Collection Subsets:

Folk Collection 5 – Folklore Multimedia Collection. This collection includes records (FC 5), cassette tapes (FC 5a), compact discs (FC 5b), VHS tapes (FC 5c), and DVDs (FC 5d). This collection continues to have materials added.

Folk Collection 6 – Hector Lee Fieldwork Recording Collection, 1945–1947. The collection focuses on his research into the Mormon legend of the Three Nephites. It also showcases his contributions to the Utah humanities landscape through the establishment of the Utah Humanities Research Foundation and the Utah Humanities Review. Additionally, the collection features recordings of Lee's storytelling, including his work on Folklore of the Mormon Country (1964), along with his publications Tales of California (1974) and Heroes, Villains and Ghosts: Folklore of Old California (1984).

Folk Collection 7 – Brigham Young University Student Fieldwork Collection, 1968-1978. 324 student folklore projects from upper-division courses taught by William A. Wilson at BYU. Topics cover diverse genres and subjects like jokes, legends, beliefs, folksongs, regional and family folklore. Each project includes a title page, table of contents, cover essay, and item documentation (informant, context, text, collector data).

Folk Collection 8 – Utah State University Student Fieldwork Collections, 1977-2017. From 1977-2017, collecting projects were submitted regularly by USU students in upper-division and graduate folklore courses. New submissions are stored in the form of an electronic journal at Digital Commons.

Collection Subsets:

  • FIELDWORK – Graduate Student Oral History Collections, 1981 and 1983.
  • FFC – Fife Conference Student Collections, 1977-1995.
  • GRAD – Graduate Student Collections, 1984-2012.
  • USU: undergraduate student collections, 1979-2017.
  • Folk Collection 8a – Utah State University Folklore Genre Collection, 1960s-2017. The collection comprises individually collected items of folklore by students in folklore classes. The collection is arranged by genre, topic, and transmission type. The collection includes ten groups.
  • Folk Collection 8b – The Fife Folklore Archives Student Media Collection. This collection contains folklore collected by USU folklore students on cassette tapes, microcassettes, and VCR tapes. Media submissions from 2000-2017, generally accompanying genre collections (FOLK COLL 8a), though they are stored separately, as many connect to multiple genre items. The collection is organized by date.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 9 – The Olive Burt Collection. These books were purchased by USU Libraries for the Fife Folklore Archives.

Folk Collections 10 - 19

Folk Collection 10 – The Dr. Rachael D. Yocom and Gertrude Shurr Collection. These volumes were a gift to the Folklore Archives.

Folk Collection 11 – The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection. The main collection is a growing collection of books on cowboy poetry and related topics. Assembled originally through a grant from the L.J. and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation, this collection continues to have materials added through gifts and library purchases. Each winter this library travels to Elko, Nevada, for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

Collection Subsets:

  • Folk Collection 11a – Cowboy Poetry and Western Music Cassette Collection.
  • Folk Collection 11b – Cowboy and Western Song Folio and Sheet Music Collection.
  • Folk Collection 11c – Cowboy Poetry and Western Music Disc (Record) Collection.
  • Folk Collection 11d – Cowboy Poetry and Western Music VCR Collection.
  • Folk Collection 11e – Cowboy Poetry and Western Music Compact Disc and DVD Collection.
  • Folk Collection 11f – Western States Cowboy Poetry Collection. A fieldwork collection that grew out of a concerted effort by western state folklorists in the early 1980s to collect, document, and present cowboy poetry. This work led to the first Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV in 1985.
  • Folk Collection 11g – The National Cowboy Poetry Collection. This collection includes programs, schedules, posters, and other items from the NCPG. This collection continues to have materials added.
  • Folk Collection 11h – Cowboy Poetry Poster Collection. This collection continues to have materials added.
  • Folk Collection 11i – Cowboy / Ranch Ephemera Collection. This collection includes publications, calendars, periodicals that reflect ranching and cowboy culture and imagery.
  • Folk Collection 11j – Portraits and Poems: Portfolios I, II, III, IV, by Kevin Fuller-Martini. This collection consists of signatures (twenty per portfolio); each signature contains one cowboy or cowgirl portrait and poem. The portfolio is limited to an edition of twenty sets: fifteen numbered sets 1-15 and five artist sets lettered A through E followed by A/P. This is portfolio number 8.

Folk Collection 12 – The Don Yoder Collection. Made possible through special funding from the Friends of Utah State University Libraries, this collection was purchased for the Fife Archives and is a compilation of materials that were part of Professor Yoder's personal research library. Arranged topically, it contains many books on folklore and related topics.

Folk Collection 13 – The Wayland D. Hand Memorial Collection. This collection is continually growing through Library funding and occasional donations. Arranged by general categories (belief, custom, Native American, regional, etc.), this collection primarily contains current works in folklore and related topics. This collection continues to have materials added.

Folk Collection 14 – The Folklore Journals Collection. This collection continues to have materials added.

Folk Collection 15 – Newsletters on folklore and related topics. This collection continues to have materials added.

Folk Collection 16 – The John I. White Collection. The Main Collection contains over 200 books and pamphlets on cowboy and western folksongs and ballads, donated by the J.I. White family.

Collection Subsets:

  • Folk Collection 16a – The John I. White Song Folio and Sheet Music Collection, donated by the White family.
  • Folk Collection 16b – The John I. White Sound Disc (Record) Collection, donated by the White family.
  • Folk Collection 16c – The John I. White Sound Cassette Collection, donated by the White family.
  • Folk Collection 16d – The John I. White Sound Compact Disc Collection, donated by the White family.
Related Resources:

Folk Collection 17 – The Jay Anderson Foodways Collection donated by folklorist Jay Anderson. The collection includes historic cookbooks and research.

Collection Subsets:

  • Folk Collection 17a – The Jay Anderson Foodways Books Collection. This collection includes books on foodways purchased by USU Libraries. This collection continues to have materials added.
  • Folk Collection 17b – The Jay Anderson Foodways Research Collection.

Folk Collection 18 – The American Folklore Society Book Collection. Consisting of books published by the AFS Publications Series, these works represent the ongoing scholarly investments of the Society. This collection continues to have materials added.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 19 – The G. Malcolm Laws Ballad Collection. Formerly the private research library of ballad scholar G. Malcolm Laws, this collection was purchased by the USU Library.

Related Resources:

Folk Collections 20 - 29

Folk Collection 20 – The Barre Toelken Native American Collection. This is a collection of books and pamphlets used in Professor Toelken's research.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 21 – The Grouse Creek (Utah) Cultural Survey Collection is a joint fieldwork project of the Utah State Historical Society, the American Folklife Center, the National Park Service, the Folk Arts Program of the Utah Arts & Museums, and Utah State University, conducted in the Grouse Creek region (northwestern Utah). The materials, including audio tapes, slides, interviews, transcriptions, maps, etc., were collected by professional field researchers and are housed in the Fife Folklore Archives.

Folk Collection 22 – The Utah State University Scholarly Press Folklore Collection. This collection is a donation of all the folklore books published by USU Press. This collection continues to have materials added.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 23 – The Elliott Oring Book Collection. This collection contains books donated by folklorist Elliott Oring on a wide range of folklore topics.

Folk Collection 24 – Andy Gibbons Quilt Collection. This collection, created by an initial donation by Andy Gibbons, contains books and slides on quilting. This collection continues to have materials added.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 25 – The Wolfgang Mieder Proverb Collection. This collection contains books on proverbs donated by proverb scholar Wolfgang Mieder, as well as purchased books on proverbs and proverb scholarship. This collection continues to have materials added.

Folk Collection 26 – September 11, 2001: USU Student Documentary Collection. On September 12, 2001, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress invited folklorists nationwide to document, through oral interviews, the immediate responses to the tragic events of September 11. This initiative aimed to capture the reactions of the American public during a time of national devastation, sorrow, and uncertainty. At Utah State University, Professor Jeannie B. Thomas led a documentary project within her fall 2001 folklore classes. This collection includes oral interviews conducted by her students.

Folk Collection 27 – Teton Dam Disaster Collection. A collection of letters and interviews by individuals who experienced the Teton Dam disaster of June 5, 1976, in southeastern Idaho.

Folk Collection 28 – The Folklore Society of Utah records. The official papers of the Folklore Society of Utah, established in 1958. This collection continues to have materials added.

Folk Collection 29 – Living Traditions of the Bear River Heritage Area Collection. The collection documents traditional arts and cultural practices in the Bear River Heritage Area and includes fieldwork conducted in 2001 in Box Elder, Cache, and Rich (Utah) Counties.

Collection Subsets:

Folk Collection 29a – Bear River Heritage Barn Surveys, 2002-2016

Related Resources:

Folk Collections 30 - 39

Folk Collection 30 – Sam Agins Collection. Donated by the Agins family, the main collection comprises books on American cowboy music and lifestyle.

Collection Subsets:

  • Folk Collection 30a – Sam Agins Cassette Commercial Tape Collection donated by the Agins family. The collection consists of cowboy and western music.
  • Folk Collection 30b – Sam Agins Commercial Record Collection donated by the Agins family. The collection consists of cowboy and western music.
  • Folk Collection 30c– Sam Agins Commercial Video and Beta Collection donated by the Agins family. The collection consists of interviews and cowboy and western music.
  • Folk Collection 30d– Sam Agins Commercial Reel-to-Reel Collection donated by the Agins family. The collection consists of cowboy western music.
  • Folk Collection 30e – Sam Agins Commercial Compact Disc Collection donated by the Agins family. The collection consists of cowboy western music.
  • Folk Collection 30f– Sam Agins Fieldwork Cassette Tapes donated by the Agins family. The collection consists of interviews and jam sessions recorded by Sam Agins on cowboy and western music. It also contains an interview by USU manuscript curator John Powell with Fredrica Agins.
Related Resources:


Folk Collection 31 – Fife Folklore Conference Collection. The materials in the FFC Collection detail all facets of the Fife Folklore Conference, hosted by Utah State University's Folklore Program (1977 to present).

Collection Subsets:

  • Folk Collection 31a – USU Folklore Program Archive. Materials generated by and about Utah State University's Folklore Program.
Related Resources:

Folk Collection 32 – Folklore in the News Collection. This collection contains ephemeral items (many newspaper articles) that deal with Utah and surrounding area, including folk customs, beliefs, folk groups, material culture, legends, etc.

Folk Collection 33 – Italian–Americans in the West: Utah Section Collection. Fieldwork for the Carbon County, Utah, section of “The Italian–American in the West,” an American Folklife Center project took place during the summer and early fall of 1990. Scholars Tom Carter, Phil Notarianni, and Steve Siporin conducted the fieldwork. The collection includes the final report by Steve Siporin and Siporin's contact sheets, logs, and slides.

Folk Collection 34 – William A. Wilson Slide Collection. This collection comprises the slides that Professor Wilson took during his tenure at Utah State University (1978-1985). The collection also includes the work of other fieldworkers and students, who worked on the same projects of Wilson or turned in slides to Professor Wilson (or Professor Toelken), but were not part of a traditional student fieldwork project.

Folk Collection 35 – The Barre Toelken Collection. Donated by Barre Toelken, the main collection comprises an extensive book collection on American, German, and Native American folklore.

Collection Subsets:

  • Folk Collection 35a – The Barre Toelken Image Collection. This collection encompasses fieldwork images taken between 1954 and 2002, covering various folklore topics, including cemeteries and cultural traditions from Native American, German/Austrian, Japanese, and other U.S. communities.
  • Folk Collection 35b – The Barre Toelken Sound Recording Collection donated by Barre Toelken. This collection comprises Professor Toelken's fieldwork recordings.
Related Resources:


Folk Collection 36 – The Wayland D. Hand Collection of Superstition and Popular Belief. This is an extensive collection of categorized and cross-referenced beliefs, spanning 600 linear feet. Compiled by Wayland D. Hand, his colleagues, and students during his tenure at UCLA, the collection includes over 600,000 3x5 index cards, each documenting a belief with minimal informant or contextual data. Sources range from books and individuals to ephemeral materials. Organized alphabetically in ten card file cabinets, the collection was donated to Utah State University by UCLA. Due to its size, it is accessible only in the Fife Room, Tanner Reading Room, Special Collections and Archives, Merrill-Cazier Library.

Folk Collection 37 – The Fife Folklore Archives Oral History Collection: Community–driven Collections. This collection includes community–driven oral histories and oral history projects that are donated to the Fife Folklore Archive by community scholars and USU students. Collection products include oral history audio and/or transcripts, which may have release forms; some collections have associated correspondence and theses or project papers. The collection continues to grow and is organized by date.

Folk Collection 38 – The Latinx Voices Project. This project is part of Utah State University's Northern Utah Speaks; it includes 45 oral interviews with people from Cache Valley, Utah's Latino/a population. The collection includes cassette tapes, audio CDs, interview transcripts and, if included, images of the interviewee.

Collection Subsets:

  • Folk Collection 38a – Latino/a books.
  • Folk Collection 38b – OK Espanol,Utah's Spanish-language newspaper (formerly titled El Observador de Utah).

Folk Collection 39 – FolkBistro Podcasts, 2008. A short series of podcasts exploring folklore topics, such as interviews with visiting scholars, fresh student fieldwork, selections from the Fife Folklore Archives and folklore pedagogy. FolkBistro was a production of Utah State University's Merrill–Cazier Library in partnership with the USU Folklore Program in 2008.

Folk Collections 40 - 49

Folk Collection 40 – Peggy Seeger Folk Song Collection. The main collection consists of published books from prolific folk song collectors and singers Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl.

Collection Subsets:

  • Folk Collection 40a – Peggy Seeger Folk Song Collection: CDs. The collection consists of compact discs of singer Peggy Seeger.
  • Folk Collection 40b – Peggy Seeger Folk Song Collection: Cassette Tapes. The collection consists of compact cassette tapes of singer Peggy Seeger.

Folk Collection 41 – The John S. and Orpha S. Boyden Family Native American Book Collection. The books in this collection were donated to Utah State University by the John S. and Orpha S. Boyden family. The collection was housed first at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art and moved in the summer of 2009 to USU Special Collections & Archives.

Folk Collection 42 – Logan Canyon Land Use Management Oral History Collection. This collection consists of oral histories gathered in 2008 from people who have worked in or enjoyed Logan Canyon over the past century. The interviews include the stories of ranchers, recreationists, scientists, activists, scholars, foresters, and sheepherders, adding cultural depth to the work of scientists, engineers, and academics.

Folk Collection 43 – Westminster College Student Folklore Collection.

Folk Collection 44 – Cache Valley Presbyterian Church Oral History Collection. This oral history collection commemorates the 130th anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church in Cache County Utah.

Folk Collection 45 – Public Folklore Collection. This collection comprises pamphlets, brochures, booklets, program guides, and other materials related to public folklore programs in the U.S. It began with a donation from public folklorist Elaine Thatcher in 2009. In 2010, the Maryland State Arts Council contributed six linear feet of similar publications concerning public folklore programs in the U.S. These materials were collected by Charley Camp, who served as Maryland’s state folklorist for 20 years, spanning from the mid–1970s to the late 1980s. Maryland boasts the longest–running state folklife program in the nation.

Folk Collection 46 – Collecting Memories: Oral Histories of American Folklorists. “Collecting Memories” is a joint project of the American Folklore Society and Utah State University Special Collections and Archives, aimed at preserving and presenting the voices and images of American folklorists and the field of folklore studies. This initiative serves as an official record for AFS, whose papers are housed within the manuscript collection at USU.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 47 – The collection includes 39 oral histories from individuals representing 18 different religious communities (faith traditions) in Cache Valley, collected from August 2008 to March 2010. This project was produced by Cache Community Connections, an interfaith organization that emerged in response to the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

Folk Collection 48 – Smithfield Oral History Project. This project comprises 37 interviews with residents of Smithfield, Utah. Most of the interviews were conducted by Lawrence Cantwell. William “Robert” Thornley facilitated the digitization, transcription, and printing of the materials through the Clark and Gladys Thornley Foundation. The transcriptions were made possible by a generous grant from the Utah Humanities Council and Utah State History.

Folk Collection 49 – The Ranch Family Documentation Project. This collection contains 61 interviews with 78 ranchers from four counties in the Intermountain West: Elko County, Nevada; Box Elder County, Utah; Cache County, Utah; and Rich County, Utah. The interviews were conducted from summer 2009 to spring 2012.

Collection Subsets:

Folk Collections 50 - 59

Folk Collection 50 – Marie Fuhriman Olsen Oral History Collection. This collection includes oral histories, original interview cassette tapes, brief biographies of the interviewees, transcriptions, news clippings, essays, and photographs related to Marie Fuhriman Olsen's fieldwork and the residents and cities of Cache Valley (boxes 1–5). Additionally, it contains personal research and writings by Marie Fuhriman Olsen (boxes 6 and 7).

Folk Collection 51 – Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous Collection. In March 2011, the inaugural Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous: A Reunion of Cowboy Poets, Musicians, and Artisans was held at Mountain Crest High School in Hyrum, Utah. The event was organized by Dale and Dawna Major and featured cowboy poetry, music, and cowboy gear.

Folk Collection 52 – Deseret String Band Collection. This collection contains the working files of the Deseret String Band.

Folk Collection 53 – Providence City [Utah] Oral History Project. The collection consists of oral histories from citizens of Providence City, Utah, including transcripts, photographs, field notes, surveys, and a CD containing images and transcriptions. The interviews were conducted by Rachel Gianni from August 2005 to October 2006, and by Randy Williams and Lisa Duskin–Goede in 2008.

Folk Collection 54 – Polly Stewart Book Collection. The collection is a gift from the estate of folklorist Polly Stewart (1943–2013) and includes volumes from her folklore and ethnographic research library. An expert in medieval studies and folklore, Polly taught at Salisbury University (MD) for 30 years, specializing in oral history, urban legends, and comparative myth. Other volumes of Stewart's gift are housed in USU Libraries general books section.

Folk Collection 55 – High School Student Folklore Collection. Folklore projects collected by high school students in classes approved by USU Special Collections.

Folk Collection 56 – Central Utah Project: Capturing Utah's share of the Colorado River. This digital collection includes 71 interviews with 74 individuals, featuring stakeholders from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, the Central Utah Project Completion Act, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Ute Nation. These interviews, along with insights from Utah water users and environmental community members, tell the complex and often controversial story of the Central Utah Project. There is also a robust digital collection.

Folk Collection 57 – USU Interfaith Initiative Collection. This collection documents the origins and development of Utah State University’s Interfaith Initiative project. It includes emails, flyers, PowerPoint presentations, meeting notes, roundtable summaries and transcriptions, IRB forms, and grant applications.

Folk Collection 58 – Cache Valley Refugee Oral History Project, 2015. The project is part of the 2015 Library of Congress/Utah State University Field School for Cultural Documentation.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 59 – Northern Utah Mormon Food Storage Fieldwork Collection. This collection represents interviews and documentary photographs regarding Mormon food storage activities carried out by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Cache Valley, Utah, during 1992-2002, with research articles from 1975-2002.

Folk Collections 60 - 69

Folk Collection 60 – Swaner Family Oral History Project, 2015–2016. In 2010, the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter was donated to Utah State University, marking the largest gift in the university's history. This 1,200–acre preserve, known as the “Hole in the Sky,” includes a wildlife area and an environmental education facility. The initiative began in 1992 to honor Leland Swaner, and in 2015, USU Special Collections documented the family's legacy through five interviews with family members. For more information, visit the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter.

Folk Collection 61 – Election Reflections: Social Media Collecting Project, 2016. Two hundred thirty–three reflections to the 2016 U.S. Presidential election and twenty–two 2018 midterm reflections.

Folk Collection 62 – Cache Valley Drug Court Oral History Project. Drug courts are problem–solving courts, with the first established in Florida in 1989. Judge Thomas Willmore founded the Cache Valley Drug Court in 2000. The Cache Valley Drug Court Oral History Project was initiated by Andrew Dupree, a former drug court participant, with the vision of collecting the voices of drug court participants, graduates, family members, and professionals associated with the court. This born–digital collection was created from December 2016 to May 2017 and includes 26 interviews (audio, transcripts, and release forms) with 28 individuals, who are identified by first name only.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 63 – Great Salt Lake: Wetlands History Project: Oral Histories. The Great Salt Lake Wetlands History Project is a collaboration among Utah State University, Weber State University, Westminster College, and the University of Utah. Its goal is to gather oral histories, photographs, and records documenting the history of the Great Salt Lake wetlands and the people who engage with them. On May 6, 2017, USU Special Collections & Archives interviewed community scholars at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. The collection includes eight interviews, images, and release forms.

Folk Collection 64 – Jackson Hole Dude Ranching Tradition: Triangle X, 2017. The project is part of the 2017 Library of Congress / Utah State University / University of Wyoming Field School for Cultural Documentation.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 65 – The Climate Challenge: USU Voices, 2018. The Climate Challenge digital collection features 19 oral histories from Utah State University climate scientists (2018), climate activists from Northern Utah and Northern Idaho (2021), and individuals involved in land restoration in the Intermountain West. This project aims to document their experiences, contributing to the scholarship on the human aspects of climate change awareness and land restoration efforts.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 66 – The Hal Cannon Collection: A Life of Fieldwork and Creative Endeavors. This collection spans 55 years of ethnographic collecting and creative works by folklorist and musician Hal Cannon. The collection contains 26 boxes and three series: fieldwork, creative endeavors, and purchased materials.

Folk Collection 67 – Paul Willie Mendon Utah Collection. This collection captures the essence of Mendon through the memories of its residents. Drawing from the Merrill–Cazier Library Special Collections & Archives, it includes interviews with current and past Mendon residents and materials loaned by the community, recalling legends, childhood memories, and celebrations.

Folk Collection 68 – Giving Back: Oral Histories of Meal–Sharing Traditions in Cache Valley, Utah. In the spring of 2019, students from Utah State University’s English 6720 Oral History and Fieldwork class interviewed eight professionals about their connections to the food culture of Cache Valley. The interviewees shared stories about their families, traditions, and professional lives. Together, their narratives beautifully illustrate the nuanced and complex ways in which food sharing nourishes us all. Includes a companion digital collection.

Folk Collection 69 – Adams Elementary Valentine's Tea Fieldwork Collection. This collection represents documentation of the Valentine's Tea held at Adams Elementary School in Logan, Utah. The collection includes interviews of teachers, parents, and the principal regarding this celebration day event that includes a manners tea hosted on Valentine's Day (14 February) by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).

Folk Collections 70 - 79

Folk Collection 70 – Association of Western States Folklorists' Annual Meetings Collection, 1985-2019.

Folk Collection 71 – National Old–time Fiddle Contest and Festival Oral History Project. This project, directed by Gary Eller and conducted by the Idaho Songs Project with Utah State University folklife interns, collects oral histories from contestants, musicians, staff, and locals connected to the festival during the 1950s to 1970s. Established in 1963 and rooted in the 1910s, the festival has grown to become a major event in Weiser, Idaho, attracting 5,000 to 10,000 attendees and featuring a vibrant campground jam scene. The project aims to preserve diverse perspectives for current and future fiddle contest personnel and folklife researchers.

Folk Collection 72 – Informing the National Narrative: Stories of Utah's Opioid Crisis Oral History Collection, a partnership between USU Special Collections, Utah State Extension, and the Department of Kinesiology & Health Science.

Folk Collection 73 – Iiwalaawiiloxhbakaa (How We Lived): The Grant Bulltail Apsá (Crow people) Stories Collection. This culturally significant collection was created in a partnership with Mr. Grant Bulltail; the Native Memory Project: Oral History and Storytelling Project; Utah State University's English Department (Folklore Program) and USU Libraries' Special Collections and Archives; Little Big Horn College; Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum; and Everyman Productions. The collection has approval and support from the Crow Nation.

Folk Collection 74 – Utah Folklorist Image Collection. This collection comprises images of Utah's folklorists.

Folk Collection 75 – Beaver Mountain Oral History Project. This collection houses materials from the Beaver Mountain Oral History Project, which includes oral history interviews and photographs from Beaver Mountain volunteer ski patrol members, employees, owners, and guests. Also included are photographs of buildings such as the lodge, lifts, the ski patrol building, various outbuildings, and other locations related to Beaver Mountain. We are grateful to the Seeholzer family, particularly Travis Seeholzer, for granting permission to conduct this research.

Folk Collection 76 – Intermountain West LGBTQ+ Oral History Project. This project documents the experiences and histories of LGBTQ+ individuals in the Intermountain West region, preserving their stories for future generations. Through interviews with community elders, the project captures the evolving narratives of survival, trauma, and pride within marginalized communities, contributing to a broader understanding of the cultural landscape in the Intermountain West. By providing a platform for these voices, the project aims to foster a sense of belonging and heritage among LGBTQ+ individuals while addressing historical gaps in representation.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 77 – Jan Brunvand Book Collection. This collection consists of approximately 300 books collected by noted folklorist Jan Brunvand, focusing on American urban legends and folklore from 1910 to 2023.

Folk Collection 78 – The Adventures of the Heavenly Mother in the Landscape of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: 2010-2024. This ongoing oral history project, initiated by Bethany Brady Spalding and McArthur Krishna, explores the theological and cultural significance of the Doctrine of the Heavenly Mother within the LDS Church. Through mutual interviews and discussions, the project amplifies voices and narratives that celebrate women's spiritual agency and contributions within the faith community. The project began with interviews conducted at Utah State University and continues to gather insights and experiences related to this vital aspect of Latter-day Saint theology.

Folk Collection 79 – The Norine Dresser Collection. This collection highlights the work of folklorist Norine Dresser, who studies cultural diversity, customs, and rituals, with a particular emphasis on immigration, illness, and death. The materials cover her major areas of research, including cross-cultural practices, urban legends, and vampire folklore. The collection comprises approximately 3,000 slides, DVDs, films, posters, a scrapbook, Roman nails, folders of papers, and a book authored by Dresser.

Folk Collection 80-87

Folk Collection 80 – Derek Agard Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series. This collection documents the annual lecture series at Utah State University, featuring distinguished scholars in the humanities, including folklore, literature, world languages, and broader cultural studies. The lecture series, which began in 2024, was funded by Rosanne Hogan in memory of her son Derek Agard, a devoted fan of folklore and contemporary urban legends. Fittingly, the inaugural lecture was given by Tom Mould, a folklore scholar from Butler University, who specializes in contemporary legends and their intersections with culture and community.

Folk Collection 81 – Elaine Thatcher Collection. This collection documents the public folklore career of Elaine Thatcher, the first student to earn a master’s degree in folklore at Utah State University. Her work includes collaborations with the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, and Western Folklife Center, as well as leadership roles with WESTAF and the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies. The collection highlights Thatcher’s contributions to regional folklore documentation, folk arts programming, and cultural advocacy across the American West. In 2006, she received the Benjamin A. Botkin Prize for significant achievement in public folklore.

Folk Collection 82 – Living Traditions in Utah: Voices and Oral Histories. This collection documents an annual oral history and fieldwork project initiated in May 2025 at the Living Traditions Festival in Salt Lake City. Coordinated by the Fife Folklore Archives at Utah State University, the project captures the voices of artists, performers, and cultural practitioners whose work represents the diverse heritage of Northern Utah and the broader Intermountain West. Through student-led interviews, photographs, and supporting materials, the collection highlights community-centered traditions, intergenerational transmission, and the evolving role of public festivals in sustaining cultural identity across the region.

Folk Collection 83 – Western Folklife Collection. This collection contains materials documenting cowboy poetry, ranching life histories, and vernacular traditions of the American West, centered on a transfer received in 2025 from the Western Folklife Center. It includes oral histories, poet files, photographs, and regional fieldwork.

Related Resources:

Folk Collection 84 – Michael Owen Jones Folklorist Image Collection. This collection contains photographs of American folklorists, many taken at the 1970 AFS Conference. Other photographs were taken at miscellaneous locations and across several decades. The photographs from the AFS conference were primarily taken by Michael Owen Jones. Some photos may have been taken by students. The collection contains approximately 1138 photographs.

Folk Collection 85 – Resonant Care: Oral Histories of Music Therapy. This project explores how music therapy fosters healing, memory, and community in everyday life. Centered in Cache Valley and nearby regions, the collection features interviews with board-certified music therapists, clients, caregivers, and family members. These personal narratives illuminate the emotional, relational, and cultural dimensions of therapeutic sound and care work. Interviews are audio-recorded, transcribed, and archived with participant input.

Folk Collection 86 – Intermountain Song Trails: Collecting memories of songs, heritage, and migration across the Intermountain West. This initiative documents the folk songs, stories, and cultural memories that have traveled through the Intermountain West. Grounded in community fieldwork, the collection includes interviews, performances, and personal narratives gathered along historic routes such as the Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, and the Transcontinental Railroad.

Folk Collection 87 (formerly MSS 507) – The Bridger Folk Music Society papers document the history, activities, and community impact of the Bridger Folk Music Society, founded in 1979 in Cache Valley, Utah. The collection includes organizational records, concert ephemera, posters, photographs, and news coverage that trace the Society’s role in cultivating live acoustic music, contra dance, and grassroots performance networks in northern Utah. This collection continues to have materials added.

Browse Collections