Fife Folklore Collections Guide

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 - Books from the original gift of Austin and Alta Fife, which were used in establishing the Folklore Archives.

Folk Collection 2 - A compilation of the published works of Austin and Alta Fife.

Folk Collection 3 - Started as part of the Archives' early acquisitions, this collection 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, 1939-1979. This includes the Fife Mormon Collection, the Fife American Collection, and the Fife Slide Collection.

Folk Collection 4a - The Austin and Alta Fife Record Collection consists of commercial folk records collected by the Fife's from 1940 through the early 1980s. The records are cataloged in USU's on-line catalog. The Fife's original inventory number is also on each disc and includes Fife C + number (Fife C20), with C indicating commercial recording. The collection includes acetate duplicates of commercial recordings by Austin Fife for his research library.

Folk Collection 5 - Folklore media collection: records (FC 5), cassette tapes (FC 5a), compact discs (FC 5b), VHS tapes (FC5c) and DVDs (FC5d). This collection continues to have materials added.

Folk Collection 6 - Hector Lee Fieldwork Recording Collection, 1945-1947.

Folk Collection 7 - Brigham Young University Student Fieldwork Collection, 1968-1978.

Folk Collection 8 - Utah State University Student Fieldwork Collections, 1977-present. Collecting projects are submitted regularly by USU students in upper division and graduate folklore courses. USU and GRAD collections continue to have materials added. The collections include:

• 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, early 1960s-present. The collection is comprised of individually collected items of folklore by students in folklore classes. The collection is arranged by genre and topic, with one transmission type. The collection includes ten groups. This collection continues to have materials added. For more information, see the index to Student Folklore Genre Collection. Since, Fall 2018, there is also a companion digital collection of student folklore fieldwork.

Folk Collection 8b - The Fife Folklore Archives Student Media Collection consists of folklore collected by USU folklore students on cassette tape, microcassette, and VCR tape. Most media submissions (2000 forward) accompanied genre collections FOLK COLL 8a); however, as most media submissions are connected to more than one genre item, they are housed separately from the transcript. The collection is organized by date.

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 Book Collection. This 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 build through gifts and library purchases. Each winter this library travels to Elko, Nevada, for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

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 is 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 and out of this work came the first Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV, in 1985.

Folk Collection 11g - The National Cowboy Poetry 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, includes publications, calendars, periodicals that reflect ranching and cowboy culture and images. UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Folk Collection 11j - Portraits and Poems: Portfolios I, II, III, IV, by Kevin Fuller-Martini. A Collection 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. 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 Book Collection. Over 200 books and pamphlets on cowboy and western folksongs and ballads, donated by the J.I. White family. USU Special Collections & Archives also houses the John I. White Papers in the manuscript collection.

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.

Folk Collection 17 - The Jay Anderson Foodways Collection donated by folklorist Jay Anderson. The collection includes historic cookbooks.

Folk Collection 17a - Foodways 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. Utah State University Special Collections is the chosen repository of the AFS Manuscript Collection, of which this collection is derived. This collection continues to have materials added.

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.

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.

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 Council, and Utah State University, conducted in the Grouse Creek region (northwestern Utah). The materials--audio tapes, slides, interviews, transcriptions, maps, etc.--were collected by professional field researchers and are housed in the Fife Folklore Archives. There is also a robust digital collection.

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.

Folk Collection 23 - The Elliott Oring Book 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.

Folk Collection 25 - The Wolfgang Mieder Proverb 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 extended an invitation to folklorists and others around the nation to document, by way of oral interviews, the tragic and historic events which occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001. The goal was to initiate a nation-wide effort to record the pressing and immediate responses of the general population during this national time of devastation, sorrow, and uncertainty. Professor Jeannie B. Thomas, a folklore professor at Utah State University, instigated this documentary project at USU in her fall 2001 semester class(es). This collection includes Professor Thomas's students' oral interviews.

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, including fieldwork conducted in 2001 in Box Elder, Cache, and Rich (Utah) Counties.

Folk Collections 30 - 39

Folk Collection 30 - Sam Agins Book Collection donated by the Agins family. The collection consists of books on American cowboy music and lifestyle.

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 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.

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). For conference materials since 2015, see the robust digital collection.

Folk Collection 31a -- USU Folklore Program Archive. Materials generated by and about Utah State University's Folklore Program.

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," (IAW) project took place during the summer and early fall of 1990. Fieldworkers Tom Carter, Phil Notarianni, and Steve Siporin conducted the fieldwork. The Italian-American in the West" was a project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The collection includes the final report by Steve Siporin and Siporin's contact sheets/logs and slides/logs.

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 Book Collection donated by Barre Toelken. This extensive book collection consists of books on American, German, and Native American folklore.

Folk Collection 35a -- The Barre Toelken Image Collection donated by Barre Toelken. This collection comprises Professor Toelken's fieldwork images, 1954-2002, which cover a range of folklore topics, including cemeteries, Native American, German/Austrian, Japanese, USA, and special motifs. There is also a robust digital collection.

Folk Collection 35b -- The Barre Toelken Sound Recording Collection donated by Barre Toelken. This collection comprises Professor Toelken's fieldwork recordings.

Folk Collection 36 - The Wayland D. Hand Collection of Superstition and Popular Belief. This is an extensive collection of categorized and cross-referenced beliefs, totaling 600 linear feet. The information was gathered from all parts of the United States by Wayland D. Hand, his colleagues and students over a lifetime of research at the University of California at Los Angeles. Each 3x5 card includes a belief but very little if any informant or contextual data. The information was gathered from books, people, and ephemeral sources. The information is housed alphabetically in ten card file cabinets. The Collection was donated to USU by UCLA. Because the collection is so huge (over 600,00 cards/entries) the collection can only be accessed 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, 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 is organized by date and continues to grow. There is also a digital collection for collectins added since 2014.

Folk Collection 38 -- The Latinx Voices Project. The LVP 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. There is also a robust digital collection.

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 is a 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 is a production of Utah State University's Merrill-Cazier Library in partnership with the USU Folklore Program. There is a robust digital collection.

Folk Collections 40 - 49

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

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. The collection is accessible through the Libraries online catalog.

Folk Collection 42 -- Logan Canyon Land Use Management Oral History Collection. This collection consists of oral histories gathered in 2008 of people who have worked in or enjoyed the Canyon during the last century and include the stories of ranchers, recreationists, scientists, activists, scholars, foresters and sheepherders adds cultural depth to the work of scientists, engineers and academics. There is also a robust digital collection.

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 includes pamphlets, brochures, booklets, program guides, etc., regarding U.S. public folklore programs. The collection was started with a donation by public folklorist Elaine Thatcher in 2009. In 2010, the Maryland State Arts Council deposited at the Fife Folklore Archives six linear feet of similar publications by/on public folklore programs in the U.S. These materials were collected from the mid-1970s through the late 1980s by Charley Camp, Maryland State folklorist for 20 years. Maryland has the longest-running state folklife program in the nation.

Folk Collection 46 -- Collecting Memories: Oral Histories of American Folklorists. Collecting Memories, a joint project of the American Folklore Society (AFS) and Utah State University Special Collections and Archives (USU), is an effort to preserve and present the voices and images of American folklorists and the field of folklore studies. The project is an official record of AFS, whose official papers are housed at USU in the American Folklore Society Records manuscript collection. For a history of folklorist oral history efforts see "American Folklorists' Voices in Print: A Critical Survey" by Simon J. Bronner, The Pennsylvania State University. (Full article in 2011 Folklore Historian). There is a digital collection of this collection, which includes information about interviews with folklorists held at other repositories.

Folk Collection 47 -- Cache Community Connections Oral History Project. The collection consists 39 Oral histories of people involved in 18 different Cache Valley religious communities (faith traditions); collected August 2008 through March 2010. The project was produced by Cache Community Connections, an inner-faith organization that grew out of the tragic events of 9/11 (2001).

Folk Collection 48 -- Smithfield Oral History Project.

Folk Collection 49 -- Ranch Family Documentation Project: Oral Histories, 2009-2012. There is also a robust digital collection.

Folk Collection 49a -- Western and Ranch books.

Folk Collections 50 - 59

Folk Collection 50 -- Marie Fuhriman Olsen Oral History Collection.

Folk Collection 51 -- Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous Collection.

Folk Collection 52 -- Deseret String Band Collection.

Folk Collection 53 -- Providence City [Utah] Oral History Project.

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. For a full list of items donated by Stewart, do a keyword search for "Gift of Polly Stewart" in the Library catalog. The books in this collection are being cataloged.

Folk Collection 55 -- High School Student Folklore Collection.

Folk Collection 56 -- Central Utah Project: Capturing Utah's share of the Colorado River. There is also a robust digital collection.

Folk Collection 57 -- USU Interfaith Initiative Collection.

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. Other products include a robust digital collection and three informational digital collections Voices: Burmese Muslims in Cache Valley, Utah, Voices: Eritrean Refugees in Cache Valley, Utah, and Voices: Karen Refugees in Cache Valley, Utah.

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. Other products include a robust digital collection.

Folk Collections 60 - 69

Folk Collection 60 -- Swaner Family Oral History Project, 2015-2016. Includes a robust digital collection.

Folk Collection 61 -- Election Reflections: Social Media Collecting Project, 2016. Includes a robust digital collection

Folk Collection 62 -- Cache Valley Drug Court Oral History Project. Includes a robust digital collection

Folk Collection 63 -- Great Salt Lake: Wetlands History Project: Oral Histories. There is also a robust digital collection.

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 Wyoming Field School for Cultural Documentation. Other products include a robust digital collection and an informational digital exhibit.

Folk Collection 65 -- The Climate Challenge: USU Voices, 2018. There is also a robust digital collection.

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 (Under Construction, Coming Spring 2020). Check out the companion digital exhibit I Remember When: Stories from Mendon Utah" Digital Exhibit

Folk Collection 68 -- Giving Back: Oral Histories of Meal-Sharing Traditions in Cache Valley, Utah is a robust 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 manner's tea hosted on Valentine's Day (14 February) by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Other products include a robust digital collection.

Folk Collections 70 - 74

Folk Collection 70 -- Association of Western States Folklorists' Annual Meetings Collection, 1985-2019 (Forthcoming Fall 2020)

Folk Collection 71 -- National Old-time Fiddle Contest and Festival Oral History Project (Forthcoming, Spring 2020)

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. Other products include a robust digital collection.

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; and Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum; and Everyman Productions. The collection has approval and support from the Crow Nation. (Forthcoming, October 2020)

Folk Collection 74 -- Utah Folklorist Image Collection is a digital collection of images of Utah's folklorists.