American Memory:   Technical summary

Collage

URL http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/afccchtml/cowhome.html


Collection Overview

Description
Multi-format ethnographic field collection that includes sound recordings, still photographs, drawings, and written documents from a variety of European ethnic and English- and Spanish-speaking communities in Northern California. The collection comprises 35 hours of folk music recorded in twelve languages representing numerous ethnic groups and 185 musicians. This elaborate New Deal project was organized and directed by folk music collector Sidney Robertson Cowell for the Northern California WPA (Work Projects Administration),and sponsored by the University of California, Berkeley, and cosponsored by the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress. This undertaking was one of the earliest ethnographic field projects to document European, Slavic, Middle Eastern, and English- and Spanish-language folk music in one region of the United States.
Source collection
The WPA California Folk Music Project, American Folklife Center.
Technical features
The documents in this collections relate to one another in multivalent ways: the performers turn up in recordings, photos, letters, and reports; the songs turn up in recordings and transcriptions; musical instruments turn up in recordings, reports, photos, and drawings. The framing texts for this collection--the various explanatory texts and menus that form the "home page family" at the web site--are rich in pointers and guidance to the materials proper.
Original material formats
Number of original items
1142 -- (817 sound recordings, 108 research documents [in 9 categories], 4 blocks of correspondence, 168 photographs, 45 drawings)
Status of collection
Available online as of November 1997.
Public access
Restrictions associated with this collection will require grantees to address access management to protect possible legal rights of third-parties. See notes on rights and restrictions provided by the Library to users of this collection.

Aids to intellectual access

Type & granularity
MARC bibliographic records. Each bib. record describes a single item, which may be represented by multiple files. Some audio items were recorded in segments. Sample bibliographic display for a document (song transcription).
Sample bibliographic display for audio item.

Linking to digital reproductions
Bibliographic record contains identifier used in filenames for all associated files. Bib record contains identifier used in filenames. Identifier prefixes: a=audio, p=photograph, d=drawing; mnemonic filenames for document identifiers. Numbering system in place to link searchable text to page images and illustration images.

Digital reproductions

Total file-space for digital reproductions: 5 Gbytes

Audio Service audio Service audio
Marker Filename extensions ".ram" and ".ra" Filename extension ".wav"
Formats RealAudio WAVE
Sample rate n/a 22.05 kHz
Word length n/a 16 bit
Channels mono mono
Modem setting 14.4 Kbps n/a
File size 30-400 Kbytes (.ra)
1 Kbyte (.ram -- for RealAudio metadata)
1-12 Mbytes
Quantity 944 944
Sample Sample RealAudio Sample WAV

Research documents Archival text file Page images
Marker Filename extension ".sgm" Filename no hyphen
Formats SGML TIFF Group IV
DTD American Memory (TEI conformant) n/a
Tonal resolution n/a 1 bit
Spatial resolution
(approx)
n/a 300 dpi
Quantity (approx) 214 765
File size 2-165 Kbytes 25-240 Kbytes
Sample Sample SGML document Sample page-image

Correspondence Archival text file Page images
Marker Filename extension ".sgm" Filename no hyphen
Formats SGML TIFF Group IV
DTD American Memory (TEI conformant) n/a
Tonal resolution n/a 1 bit
Spatial resolution
(approx)
n/a 300 dpi
Quantity (approx) 4 234
File size 66-165 Kbytes 35-260 Kbytes
Sample Sample SGML document Sample page-image

Photographs Service image Inline thumbnail Additional thumbnail
Marker Filename ends "r" Filename ends "t" Filename ends "t"
Formats JPEG/JFIF GIF TIFF
Tonal resolution 8 bit (grayscale) 8 bit 8 bit
Spatial resolution (approx) 640x480 pixels 150x100 pixels 150x100 pixels
Quantity (approx) 168 168 168
File size 30-90 Kbytes 8-25 Kbytes 6-20 Kbytes
Sample Sample service Sample thumbnail Sample thumbnail

Note: Service images and thumbnails for photographs are also available in PICT format. 640x480 PICT images are 100-300 Kbytes in size; the thumbnails are 9-25 Kbytes. Sample service image and Sample thumbnail.

Drawings Archival image Service image for printing on 8x11 paper Service image for display Inline thumbnail
Marker Filename ends "u" Filename ends "p" Filename ends "r" Filename ends "t"
Formats TIFF (uncompressed) TIFF Group IV (Motorola byte order) JPEG/JFIF GIF
Tonal resolution 1 bit 1 bit 8 bit 8 bit
Spatial resolution (approx) 6200x4000 pixels 3000x2400 pixels 1200x1000 pixels 280x200 pixels
Quantity (approx) 45 45 45 45
File size 3.5-4.5 Mbytes 50-150 Kbytes 100-300 Kbytes 10-20 Kbytes
Sample Sample archival Sample printing Sample display Sample thumbnail

Note: Also available are versions of the printing image in TIFF Group IV in Intel byte order. Sample printing image of drawing.


Library of Congress contribution to Digital Libraries Initiative - Phase II [Site Map]
Collections available: [List] [Rights] [Samples] [Handover]
Technical notes: [Documents] [Images] [Maps] [Sound recordings] [Motion pictures]