About the Archive
Archival Holdings
The Center for Louisiana Studies' archival holdings represent the collection and preservation activities of several generations of folklorists, historians, documentary photographers, ethnographers, linguists, and other cultural documentarians. The oldest recordings in the collection were recorded on wax cylinders; a large portion of the music and oral history interviews were originally recorded on reel-to-reel tape.
The Archive of Cajun and Creole Folklore is one of the largest and best known collections within the archives, comprising over 12,000 hours of oral histories, field recordings, music performances, and other folklife, folklore, and folk history related materials. Other collections include copies of the Library of Congress’ Louisiana holdings and examples of French spoken in the Upper Mississippi Valley, French Canada, the West Indies, and Africa.
Center for Louisiana Studies Documentary Photography and Image Archive
The CLS Documentary Photograph and Image Archive holds over 10,000 image files related to all aspects of the history and culture of the state of Louisiana. It features including public domain lithographs and photographs, compilations of images from all 64 Louisiana parishes, several collections of family photographs and memorabilia, photographs and images related to the ecology and wildlife of Louisiana, and images related to Louisiana's economic, business, and environmental history, among many other areas.
Community Collaborations
The Center serves as the official archival repository for a large number of ongoing events and associations involved with Louisiana history and culture, including Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Blackpot Festival and Cookoff, the Rendez-vous des Cajuns weekly radio/TV program, and Vermilionville Culture Days.
Accessibility
The archival holdings are accessible through a fully cataloged database, and listening copies are available upon request.
Fieldwork and Other Projects
Center for Louisiana Studies' fieldwork projects take many forms, from event documentation to large-scale themed projects, such as Dancehalls of South Louisiana. The Center issues music releases from archival holdings through the Louisiana Folk Masters CD series and, in partnership with Festivals Acadiens et Créoles and Valcour Records, the Rubber Bootleg Series, which are availble for purchase through the UL Press.
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