Brenda McCallum Papers
Collection Overview
Abstract
The Brenda McCallum Papers consist of manuscript and research materials related to Brenda McCallum's professional and academic careers. The collection is minimally processed, but it is available to researchers upon request.
Dates
- Creation: ca. 1910 - ca. 1989, unknown dates
Extent
45.58 Cubic Feet (38 boxes (37 record cartons; 1 mailing box))
Creator
- McCallum, Brenda (Person)
Scope and Contents
This collection spans the entirety of Brenda McCallum's career as a student, folklorist, librarian, and educator. Researchers will find field recordings, lecture notes, research materials, and publications by Brenda McCallum and others. These materials relate to folk art and music in Alabama and Florida, the civil rights movement, women's rights, and work culture in the South in general.
The collection is minimally processed, but it is available to researchers upon request.
Biographical / Historical
Brenda McCallum (1948-1992) was an American folklorist and archivist. After receiving a master's degree in American Studies from the State University of New York, she served as Director and Archivist for the Archive of American Minority Cultures, as well as Associate Curator of the Division of Special Collections the University of Alabama from 1979-1985. She joined Bowling Green State University in 1986 as Assistant Professor and Head of the Popular Culture Library, the second individual to hold that position. She remained at Bowling Green until her passing.
As a folklorist, McCallum focused on American regional and ethnic cultures, primarily in the South. She authored or edited numerous volumes and articles on folk art, women's culture, and industrial workers. She served as Executive Producer for the radio series "Working Lives", broadcast on more than 40 public radio stations as well as NPR's "All Things Considered" in 1985. She served as producer on serveral recordings of field music from areas in Florida and Alabama. She was an active member of several professional organizations including the American Folklore Society, which today gives an award in her name.
Conditions Governing Access
No known access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright and other restrictions may apply to the materials in this collection. Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The materials in this collection were transferred to the Browne Popular Culture Library by Brenda McCallum in a series of donations beginning in 1989.
Processing Information
This collection is minimally processed; it includes materials in their original folders and unfoldered materials. The folder titles are based on the folder titles created by McCallum; the contents have not been checked against the folder titles.
The unfoldered materials were inventoried but not assessed in depth or re-foldered; they are referred to as "items" in this finding aid (instead of "foldered" items).
- Title
- Guide to the Brenda McCallum Papers
- Author
- Steve Ammidown, Lucas Denzler, Tyne Lowe
- Date
- May 2017, March 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin