Research guides are the work of Archives staff and the College's Sound Archives Fellows. Using audio and video illustrations, the guides cover a wide range of topics.
From 2005-2016, the Sound Archives Fellowship program supported both the scholarly use of Berea's non-commercial audio / video collections and the conducting of cultural documentation projects that produced new material for future research use.
The program's focus is on Berea's collections of noncommercial recordings that document Appalachian history and culture and the history of Berea College.
These guides are the work of Archives staff and scholars supported by the College’s Sound Archives Fellowship Program.
Folklore & Spoken Word Collection Finding Aids
These collections contain audio and / or video content. Click on the collection title for more information, a complete list of collection recordings, and links to the digitized content.
Video recordings documenting the Fifth National Festival of Black Storytelling held at Berea College, November 12-14, 1987. Features of the event included concurrent storytelling sessions for various ages, the Second National Liars Contest, an informal "Swapping Ground" for storytellers, and scholarly lectures on the status of blacks in Appalachia.
Seventeen audio recorded interviews with active gardeners that document the practice of scheduling planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops based on moon phases and astrological signs.