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 was funded by an anonymous donor from 2005 through 2016.
The programs 71 researchers came from Canada, England, and Ireland as well as Kentucky and several other states. Their work included such areas as academic study (doctoral, masters, undergraduate), musical performance and composition, primary and secondary teaching.
Archival material most heavily drawn up on included fiddle and banjo music, folk tales, folk dancing, and radio programs. Outcomes included conference papers, dissertations, thesis, and books; fiddle tune transcriptions; classroom teaching resources; oral history recordings; music and poetry composition. In several instances, their various project reports and guides provide interpretation and information that remain useful beyond their original purpose.
