Stith Thompson - Photo Courtesy of the IU Archives |
The Folklore Collection has a long unbroken history at Indiana University. The collection was brought together, nurtured and sustained for forty years (1920-1959) by Stith Thompson, Distinguished Professor of English. The library encouraged this development and provided Thompson with funds to purchase library materials during his research trips to Europe, South America and Asia. Thompson's purchases were especially extensive in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Scandinavia.
The original collection grew as an offshoot of Thompson's work on his monumental Motif-Index of Folk Literature (1932-37; rev. 1955-57). This work established Indiana University as a focal point for the comparative study of folklore among international scholars and researchers. The size, quality, and diversity of the Folklore Collection has been instrumental in attracting external support for numerous research projects and conferences. These projects include:
- Offering NEH summer seminars for college teachers (e.g. 1978)
- Editing the Handbook of American Folklore
- Collaborating in international research projects
- Hosting conferences on mid-century folklore (1950), urban folklore, folklore and the modern world (1973), and others.
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