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Posted by: John Fenn
The American Folklife Center is bidding a fond farewell to Elizabeth “Betsy” Peterson, who has retired from the position of Director after ten years in that role. Her leadership engaged all facets of the Center’s activity–from stewardship of the collections to expansion of public programming and outreach–and she routinely anchored that leadership in an ethos …
Posted in: AFC History
Posted by: John Fenn
Please join the American Folklife Center in welcoming our new Director of Archives, Michael Pahn! He’s only just started with us in this position---his official first day was May 9—but has a long relationship with the Center, going all the way back to an internship he held in the 1990s! He’s also worked with many AFC staff over the years in his capacity as Head of Archives and Digitization at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), the position he held prior to joining the Library of Congress.
Posted in: AFC History
Posted by: John Fenn
The American Folklife Center is happy to announce that Monica Mohindra has been named Director of the Veterans History Project (VHP). Monica has served as Acting Director since June 2021. Since then, she has been ably leading the Project’s adaptation to a changing world. This includes an extensive website transformation which is improving discoverability of …
Posted in: AFC History, Veterans History Project
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
This is my last post for Folklife Today as I retire on December 31. I find myself thinking about how I got to this point. I began as a Fellow in a program for graduate students at the American Folklife Center in 1986. The American Folklife Center Internship Program is a similar program that continues …
Posted in: AFC History
Posted by: Stephen Winick
From late December 2012 through early June 2021, Nicole Saylor led a team of archivists, ethnomusicologists and folklorists that curates the nation’s largest ethnographic archives. She worked to preserve the American Folklife Center’s collecting legacy while accelerating the transformation of an already well-established archives for the digital age. She recently took a position at the Library as the Chief of the Digital Innovation Lab, a position established to lead the Library’s innovation with digital collections and to support its digital transformation. As she began her new position, we interviewed her about her time at AFC.
Posted in: AFC History
Posted by: John Fenn
This guest post comes from Todd Harvey, a Reference Specialist and the curator of Lomax collections at the American Folklife Center. To the Librarian of Congress March 21, 1940 Alan Lomax has in Washington with him today and tomorrow a folk singer for whose excellence he vouchers. This singer, Woodie Guthrie by name, is willing …
Posted in: AFC History, Alan Lomax, John Lomax
Posted by: Michelle Stefano
In May, I wrote about a project that was keeping me busy, and providing a nice escape from the mental confines of my well-worn, Baltimore couch. While I cannot believe it is already August, I am happy to announce that the project is all set and ready to share! Chicago Blues and Jazz: Selections from …
Posted in: AFC History, AFC Publications, African American History, African Americans, Blues, Folklorists, Jazz, Story Map
Posted by: Nicole Saylor
This is a guest post by processing coordinator Ann Hoog, who among many other things, coordinates interns and volunteers at the American Folklife Center. One of the American Folklife Center’s long-time volunteers, Marshall Howard Kramer, passed away April 30, 2020, of COVID-19. Howard was a beloved member of AFC’s family for nearly 20 years. He …
Posted in: AFC History, Folk Music, Obituaries
Posted by: Michelle Stefano
In this challenging time, I am grateful to be able to work with the AFC’s rich online collections, particularly the Chicago Ethnic Arts Project Collection, or as I like to call it: the gift that keeps on giving. For over two years, I have been digging into this collection, and the gems just keep popping …
Posted in: AFC History, AFC Publications, German Americans