American Folklife Center The Library of Congress Spring 1990 Volume XII, Number 2 The Folklife Center' s 1990 Neptune Plaza Concert Series opened on April 19 with the Lynn Morris Band, a newly formed group from Winchester, Virginia. The concert continues the Folklife Center's custom of beginning the series with bluegrass, and a note on this music and on the second concert in the series appears on page 10. Photo by Jim Higgins AMERICAN FOLKLIFE CENTER THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS EDITOR'S NOTES Alan Jabbour, Director Ray Dockstader, Deputy Director Doris Craig, Administrative Assistant Jennifer A. Cutting, Program Coordinator Sebastian LoCurto, Program Specialist Lisa Oshins, Program Specialist Folklife Center Reorganizes The Archive of Folk Culture is no longer a separate administrative unit Acquisitions Joseph C. Hickerson, Head Although the permanent staff of the within the Center, with a separate American Folklife Center numbers hierarchical structure of its own. The Processing only sixteen, the Center engages in an name of the Archive has been re­ Marsha Maguire, Archivist array of activities, from fieldwork tained, but now refers exclusively to Programs projects of original research to pro­ the famous collection itself. The place Peter T. Bartis, Folklife Researcher grams of lectures, concerts, and pub­ where one comes to do folklife research Mary Hufford, Folklife Specialist lications that "present" American at the Library of Congress is now David A. Taylor, Folklife Specialist folklife, as specified in its enabling called the Folklife Reading Room. Publications legislation. That same legislation also The phone number for folklife refer­ James Hardin, Editor calls for the Center to "preserve" enCe is the one used formerly for the Public Events American folklife, and in 1978 the Folk Archive. Phone numbers for the Magdalena J annotta, Coordinator Center assumed control of the Archive Center's administrative office and the of Folk Song (renamed the Archive of Federal Cylinder Project remain the Reference Gerald E. Parsons, Reference Librarian Folk Culture), which had been carry­ same. Judith A. Gray, Ethnomusicologist ing out that function within the Gregory K. Jenkins, Staff Assistant Library's Music Division for fifty "Folkways-Roots of Our Administrative Office years. Tel: 202 707-6590 To manage its many tasks more Many Pasts" effectively, including those associated Reference Service with its home institution and its One does not expect to find an endorsement Tel: 202 707-5510 Archive, the Center has a new orga­ of the importance offolklore in so unlikely Federal Cylinder Project nizational structure, devised by direc­ a place as the national budget, but these are Tel: 202 707-1740 tor Alan Jabbour in consultation with strange times. The following paragraphs are the staff. Under the new organization, reprinted from Richard Darman, "Direc­ Board of Trustees each function of the Center has a cor­ tor 's Introduction to the New Budget," Judith McCulloh, Chair, Illinois responding "unit," and there are Budget of the United States Govern­ William L. Kinney, Jr. , Vice Chair, South Carolina operating units for programs, acqui­ ment: Fiscal Year 1991, Section III.], Nina Archabal, Minnesota sitions, processing, reference, publica­ under the title "Preserving America's Johnnetta Cole, Georgia tions, and public events (as indicated Heritage. " J ohn Penn Fix III, Washington in the staff column to the left). Thus arranged, these six units represent the One might ask what "preserving Ex Qfficio Members course of activities and materials as America's cultural heritage" may James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress they are developed and carried out in have to do with investing in America's Robert McCormick Adams, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution projects, processed into the collections, future. To many the connection is not John Frohnmayer, Chairman, used to service public inquiries, and obvious. But the connection is impor­ National Endowment for the Arts made into products for presentation tant nonetheless. To the exteht that Lynne V. Cheney, Chairman, and distribution. investing in the future tends to empha­ National Endowment for the Humanities Alan Jabbour, Director, American Folklife Center Committees have been established size technological advances-as it corresponding to each of the functions, should-there is a need to assure a consisting of a chair and two or three counterbalaocing attention to aesthetic staff members (some from other values. To the extent that it implies a units), for the purpose of considering race through time, there is a need for problems and offering solutions to the a balancing appreciation of history. director. In many ways the new struc­ And to the extent that America's tradi­ ture formalizes and reinforces the col­ tional cultural values have helped legial workings of the small office as make America uniquely strong, it is they have evolved over the years, important that these values be where informal talk among colleagues preserved-in order that they may be has often led to a recommendation for built upon as America continues to a particular action. advance. .. 2 FOLKLIFE CENTER NEWS America is a nation of immigrants, more, particularly by those interested vey was to find a comprehensive whose common heritage includes the in folklife. approach to identifying and conserv­ thinking, art and science of the home­ ing America's cultural heritage. While lands of those who have come here and Sincerely, there is legislation to protect the are still coming here. It includes Joshua A. Fishman, Ph.D. natural environment and historic the multiple encounters of these Distinguished University buildings and sites, the intangible cul­ immigrants-with the continent, with Research Professor, ture often associated with these areas each other, and with the "Native Social Sciences, Emeritus and buildings is sometimes ignored. Americans." It includes the historic Ferkauf Graduate School of In 1983 the American Folklife buildings and environments that dot Psychology Center published Cultural Conservation: our urban and rural landscapes and Yeshiva University The Protection oj Cultural Heritage in the record our history and how our fore­ United States (the report ofa study coor­ bears lived. It includes the communi­ Folklife Center Reprints dinated by Ormond Loomis, con­ ties, customs and folkways- the roots Grouse Creek Cultural Survey ducted in cooperation with the of our many pasts. The preservation, National Park Service). Since that understanding and passing on of the D uring July 1985 a team of folk­ time the Center has been concerned best of this heritage is essential if lorists, historians, and architectural with heritage protection and with Americans are to know what it is to specialists conducted field research in bringing together from various sectors, be " American." the community of Grouse Creek, public and private, persons who share Utah, where the Mormon religion and that concern. The effort resulted in the Error in Dov Noy Article cattle ranching in combination have recent Conference on Cultural Con­ determined the built environment and servation: Reconfiguring the Cultural In the following letter to the editor, Profes­the cultural life of the region. Grouse Mission, held at the Library of Con­ sor Fishman is correct in suggesting that the Creek lies in a valley at the boundary gress, May 16-19 (the summer issue error in the article reporting on Prof Dov of Mormon Utah and the Great of Folklife Center News will be devoted Nay's lecture (Folklife Center News, vol. Basin's buckaroo country. Its ranch­ to a report on the conference). XI, no. 4, p. 15) belongs entirely to the ing traditions and architecture resem­ In the interest of keeping available reporter, who thanks him for his cariful ble those of Nevada to the west, while a publication that has come to be iden­ attention to the report and is happy to bring its home and community life resem­ tified with cultural conservation, the his letter to the attention oj newsletter readers. ble that of Utah to the east. Center has reprinted The Grouse Creek The Grouse Creek Cultural Survey: In­Cultural Survey. (The first printing by Dear Friends: tegrating Folklife and Historic Preservation the Government Printing Office sold Field Research, by Thomas Carter and out in less than a year.) Individual I believe there is an error in your C arl Fleischhauer, reports on the copies may be ordered from the Li­ Fall 1989 account of Prof. Dov Noy's specific work of the survey but in brary ofCongress, Sales Shop, Wash­ presentation. addition also discusses how the ethno­ ington, D.C. 20540, for $9 plus $3 .50 It is not the Hebrew word for" car­ graphic information assembled can for postage and handling (orders of rots" (gezer) but the Yiddish word guide government planning. The $20 to $35, add $4.50; $35 to $50, add (mern or meyern, depending on project provides a model for the way $6.50; $50 and over, add $10). For regional dialect) which is homony­ the various disciplines concerned with orders of ten or more copies, contact mous (I am not sure that your desig­ heritage protection can work together, Ray Dockstader at the American Folk­ nation "pun" really conveys this) with and the underlying purpose of the sur- life Center. 0 part of the (Yiddish, not the Hebrew) verb for " to multiply" (as in, to mul­ FOLKLIFE CENTER NEWS tiply biologically, i.e., not in arithme­ FOLKLINE tic): " zikh mern." J ames Hardin, Editor Since Professor Noy is thoroughly For timely information on the David A. T aylor, Editorial Advisor familiar with Yiddish folklore, I field offolklore and folklife, includ­ Donald Shomette, Design Consultant ing training and professional oppor­ assume that the error is that of your Folklife Center News publishes articles on the reporter rather than his. The main tunities and news items of national programs and activities of the American point made by the reporter remains interest, a taped announcement is Folklife Center, as well as other articles on correct, ofcourse, namely, that to fully available around the clock, except traditional expressive culture.