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Center for Folklore Studies Archives Find New Home
The Ohio State Center for Folklore Studies' Archives has spent the last forty years on the move. Previously housed in boxes in the basement of Denney Hall, its next move was out to West Campus, in a too-small room far from the people who wanted to consult it. Thanks to the efforts of John Roberts, Dean of the College of Humanities, and members of the Folklore faculty and staff, the archives have found a more permanent and accessible home at last, in the heart of the Ohio Stadium.
The archives began in the 1960s with the papers of Professor Francis Lee Utley, an important figure in the history of the Folklore department. "He was one of the people who really instilled Medieval Studies and Folklore Studies here at Ohio State," said Dr. Dorry Noyes, Professor of Folklore. "He had connections with community scholars around Ohio, so their work is in the collection. And he kept student papers, every student who has ever taken an Intro to Folklore class has their paper deposited in the archive, [which means] the archive is great as a collection of urban legend, great as a collection of Ohio State student lore—the rituals of college students—and Ohio local legend, and local belief." The archives also will include the work of current faculty, including the work on Lake Erie fishermen culture by Professor Patrick Mullen and Center Associate Tim Lloyd.
The archives will be available for use by the end of January, as soon as all materials have been moved, and will maintain regular hours after that. For updates, see the Center for Folklore Studies Web site at cfs.osu.edu. An online catalogue of the archives holdings will be available soon.
Enquiries about the archives should be directed to Barbara Lloyd at Lloyd.123@osu.edu.
