Records of the College of Arts and Sciences: Karen Baldwin Folklore Archive
1974-2014
University Archives #UA25-25- Creator(s)
- Physical description
- 84 Cubic Feet
- Preferred Citation
- [Item description]. Karen Baldwin Folklore Archive. UA25-25, Box [number]. University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.
- Repository
- East Carolina University Archives
- Access
- This collection is open for research use, but 48 hours advance notice is required.
Collection of eastern North Carolina folklore student research projects based upon interviews with family, friends, and acquaintances completed for folklore classes at East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.
Biographical/historical information
Karen Baldwin was born in 1943 and grew up in suburban Philadelphia. She attended Guilford College in North Carolina where she received her bachelor's degree in English and Journalism in 1964. Baldwin then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she first discovered her love for folklore. She received her graduate degree and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania where she also went on to teach as Associate Professor in The English Department. Her dissertation was remarkable as it helped set the groundwork for what would become known as "family folklore" within the field of study,
In 1978 Baldwin was named director of the East Carolina University Folklore Archive. She also served as editor of the North Carolina Folklore Journal and former director of ECU's North Carolina Studies Program. Baldwin produced nearly forty publications that appeared in various national and international journals, anthologies and encyclopedias. Her ground-breaking work dealt with oral poetry, family folklore, folk medicine, women's culture, deaf folklore, folklore and education.
Baldwin died of cancer at her home in Greenville, North Carolina, in 2007. Throughout her lifetime she was deeply committed to Quaker values, social justice and environmental issues. In 2008, Baldwin's family made a $100,000 gift to Guilford College to establish an endowed fund supporting scholarships.
Scope and arrangement
Collection materials consist of eastern North Carolina folklore student research projects (completed as class projects at East Carolina University) based upon interviews with family members, friends, and acquaintances. Formats include interviews on audio cassettes, publications, scrapbooks, reports and correspondence. Originally established in 1967 by ECU Professor Douglas McMillan, the Baldwin Archive contains various projects, including texts of verbal material, proverbs, belief expressions and narratives relating to folklore and folk art subjects. During the early 1990s, Baldwin also published a comprehensive annotated accession list of folklore projects representing twenty-nine counties in Eastern North Carolina that were completed between 1983 and 1992.
Administrative information
Source of acquisition
Originally established in 1967 by ECU Professor Douglas McMillan. Gift of Dr. Ron Mitchelson, ECU English Department.
Copyright notice
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@ecu.libanswers.com. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state law. The user assumes full responsibility for using such information and is advised that the disclosure of such information about identifiable living individuals without their consent may have legal ramifications.
Language of material
English
Related material
This collection is a part of Records of the College of Arts and Sciences.