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. 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 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 work dealt with oral poetry, family folklore, folk medicine, women's culture, deaf folklore, folklore and education.

Baldwin died in Greenville, North Carolina, in 2007. In 2008, Baldwin's family made a $100,000 gift to Guilford College to establish an endowed fund supporting scholarships.

Scope and arrangement

This collection contains papers, audio and video reels, cassettes, and floppy disks related to the research of East Carolina English Professor Karen Baldwin. Baldwin specialized in folklore and the papers include her publications, manuscripts, and conference presentations, as well as her reseach. The papers also contain folklore collected mostly in Virginia and North Carolina. The collection also contains photos and slides taken at various celebrations and festivals.

Administrative information

Copyright notice

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.

Metadata Rights Declaration

Related material

This collection is a part of Faculty Records.

Separated Material

ECU Emergency Procedures Manual (undated) to UA05-07; The Chancellor's Forum ECU 1991 Proceedings to UA50-39; Pieces of Eight Vol. 15, No. 7 1992 to UA50-05; Edge magazine Spring 2000 to UA50-14.

To NC Collection 7/31/24: NC Humanities Council newsletter, Spring 1989; Triangle Blues Society, Blues News, Sept. 1992, Jan./Feb. 1993; NC Folklore Society Newsletter, June 1992, Jan. 1993, Apr. 1993; NC Arts, June 1987, Jan. 1988, July 1988; NC Adult and Continuing Education newsletter, Sept. 1988; Green Prints, Winter 2006-2007; assorted NC tourism brochures and pamphlets

To Manuscripts Michael Hamer Papers #1348: Lemon Sisters and Rutabega Brothers Self-titled 7", 1985,

Container list