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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | About 3175 items (5.5 linear feet) |
| Abstract | Artus Monroe Moser (1894-1992), writer, educator, and historian, spent much of his life collecting ballads in and around his home in Western North Carolina in an effort to document the folk traditions of Appalachia. Moser wrote extensively about the folk songs, folklore, and history of Appalachia, and recorded numerous Appalachian performers onto acetate discs. In 1945, the Library of Congress provided Moser with the equipment to collect and record more material, which was later placed in the LC's Archive of American Folk Song. The Artus Moser collection includes biographical material relating to Artus Moser and his wife, Mabel Young Moser, and Moser's numerous writings on Appalachian folk song, folklore, history, and other subjects. Moser's writings on the life of novelist Thomas Wolfe and his biography of North Carolina potter Walter Benjamin Stephen are also included. Other materials are Moser's ballad collection, consisting of versions of over 200 traditional ballads and folk songs, as well as collected stories and reminiscences of Appalachian folklife. There are also family history materials and numerous photographs of Moser and his family, including Moser playing the part of Andrew Jackson in a 1950 performance of the outdoor drama Unto These Hills. The collection also contains numerous sound recordings and scattered moving images. Sound recordings consist of commercial 78rpm records and LPs Moser collected, as well as his own acetate disc and reel-to-reel recordings of traditional Appalachian performers, including Jean Ritchie, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Marcus Martin, Maud Gentry Long, Samantha Bumgarner, George Pegram, Pleaz Mobley, Red Raper, and Virgil Sturgill. Other recordings include Waldensian singing, Western North Carolina Cherokee singer Will West Long, and shape note singers from Etowah, N.C. |
| Creator | Moser, Artus. |
| Curatorial Unit | Southern Folklife Collection |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
Ballad collector, educator, and historian Artus Monroe Moser was born 14 September 1894 in Hickory, N.C., to David Lafayette (Fayette) Moser and Cordelia Elizabeth King Moser. When Artus was two, the family moved to Buckeye Cove, N.C., located in Buncombe County near the Swannanoa Valley, where his mother had grown up and her family still lived. In 1904, Fayette Moser took a job as forester for the Biltmore Estate and moved the family there, where they remained until 1917 when Fayette became the North Carolina State Forest Warden on Mt. Mitchell. The family spent twelve years on Mt. Mitchell, then returned to Swannanoa after Fayette was hired as Warden for the Beacon Blanket Mill watershed. Growing up in the mountains of Western North Carolina instilled in Artus a deep respect for the traditions of Appalachia, which continued to influence him throughout his life.
Artus was graduated from Biltmore High School in 1917, then spent a year of active military duty in France during World War I. Upon returning to North Carolina, he entered the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where he studied under historian R. D. W. Connor and received his A.B degree in 1923. During his time in Chapel Hill, Moser began to develop his lifelong interest in North Carolina history and folklore. After serving as principal of Swannanoa High School for two years, he returned to Chapel Hill to pursue an M.A. degree, which he received in 1926. During this time, he also worked as a research assistant under Howard W. Odum in the Institute for Research in Social Science. In the years after leaving Chapel Hill, Artus pursued further graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Chicago Art Institute, and the Grand Central Art School in New York City. He also worked as a professor of English and speech at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In 1929, he married Mabel Eula Young, a graduate of the North Carolina College for Women in Greensboro, in her hometown of Spencer, N.C. The Mosers then moved to Middlesboro, Ky., near Harrogate, Tenn., where both Artus and Mabel served on the faculty of Lincoln Memorial University. The Mosers' three children--Dorothea Joan, Artus Monroe, Jr., and Janette Irene--were all born in Middlesboro. The family moved back to the Swannanoa area in 1943, where Artus taught in various schools until his retirement in 1964.
Artus began to collect ballads and folktales during his years in Tennessee, where he had encouraged his students to investigate their own heritage. He also contributed ballads to the collection of University of Tennessee folklorist Edwin C. Kirkland. Back in North Carolina, Artus avidly collected ballads and folktales in and around the western part of the state, recording local singer and storyteller Maud Gentry Long and musicians Jean Ritchie, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, and Pleaz Mobley, among others. In 1945, after playing his recordings during a talk he gave at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Artus was encouraged to offer his collection to the Library of Congress. Duncan Emrich, Chief of the Archive of American Folksong at the Library of Congress, accepted Moser's collection and also loaned him a portable disc recorder to collect and record more material. During the summer and fall of 1946, Moser made hundreds of recordings which were later added to the archive, including many collected at the Renfro Valley Folk Festival in eastern Kentucky. Throughout the rest of his life, Artus continued to build his collection of folk material and also spoke and performed before student groups and at folk festivals. Moser's relationship with the Library of Congress led to a recording contract with Folkways Records, and, in 1955, he recorded the album North Carolina Ballads.
Artus enjoyed many artistic activities during his life, including painting, pottery, and acting. In 1974, he recorded another album of traditional music for Folkways Records called North Carolina Mountain Folksongs and Ballads. He also wrote several manuscripts, none of which was published, on such subjects as the English ballads, Western North Carolina history, the Vanderbilt family, and North Carolina educator and explorer Elisha Mitchell. Artus Moser died in Swannanoa on December 24, 1992.
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Scope and Content
The Artus Moser papers contain correspondence, biographical materials, and photographs relating to his life, as well as his writings on ballads and folk songs, folklore, and Appalachia, plus materials he gathered in the study of these subjects. Also included are sound recordings documenting Appalachian folk music traditions, some of which he recorded himself.
Series 1 includes personal and professional correspondence, detailing his artistic interests and his work recording Appalachian musicians for the Library of Congress. The biographical materials in Series 2 relate to Moser's career as a teacher, his painting, acting, and pottery activities. They include a biography written by his daughter Irene and information about the biographical film Renaissance Man of the Mountains. Moser's family history research is also included, as well as materials relating to his wife, Mabel Young Moser.
Moser's writings are collected in Series 3. Included are published articles and his autobiography, as well as extensive writings on ballads and folk songs, folklore, and Western North Carolina. He had intended to publish an Appalachian story collection and books on Western North Carolina history and the Appalachian ballad and folk song tradition. His biographical writings on notable North Carolinians, such as novelist Thomas Wolfe and the potter Walter Benjamin Stephen are also included.
Moser's collections of Appalachian folksong, folklore, and historical materials are included in Series 4 and 5. Moser collected versions of over 200 ballads and folk songs from his friends and neighbors in Western North Carolina, in addition to songbooks and other published sources to aid him in his research. His Appalachia research comprises a variety of materials, including an extensive story collection, recollections regarding Appalachian folklife and folklore, information on Appalachian geography, identity and education, the Cherokee experience, and biographical information on several prominent Western North Carolinians.
Series 7 contains several studio photographs of Moser as a young man, as well as images of him teaching, painting, and performing. Numerous family snapshots and scrapbook pages are also included. There are also about fifteen photographs of the 1950 performance of the outdoor drama Unto These Hills, in which Moser appeared as Andrew Jackson.
Series 8 contains numerous sound recordings and scattered moving images compiled by Moser. Sound recordings consist of commercial 78rpm records and LPs Moser collected, as well as over 400 acetate discs, 1940-1955, he recorded of traditional Appalachian folk musicians, including Jean Ritchie, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Marcus Martin, Maud Gentry Long, Samantha Bumgarner, George Pegram, Pleaz Mobley, Red Raper, and Virgil Sturgill. Moser recorded many of the discs at folk festivals for the Library of Congress, using equipment provided by them. Other acetate recordings include Waldensian singing, Western North Carolina Cherokee singer Will West Long, and shape note singing from Etowah, N.C. Other sound recordings in the series include over 20 reel-to-reel tapes featuring recordings of music performances, music festivals, storytelling, and lectures. Moving images in the series consist of 2 motion picture films, 1972-1974, of music performances and music festivals, and a videotape, 1970, featuring a lecture by Maud Gentry Long on Jack Tales and ballads. The series also includes field notes found with select reel-to-reel tapes.
Series 9 consists of museum items, including wood radios and a homemade cornstalk fiddle, housed in the North Carolina Collection Gallery.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1921-1988.
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Subseries 1.1. Personal Correspondence, 1937-1980.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence between Artus Moser and his family and friends. Topics include Moser's artistic endeavors such as singing, painting, and acting, as well as his participation in folk festivals.
| Folder 1 |
1937-1980 #20005, Subseries: "1.1. Personal Correspondence, 1937-1980." Folder 1 |
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Subseries 1.2. Professional Correspondence, 1921-1988.
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence regarding prospective teaching positions and other employment, book proposals, speaking engagements at various historical and folklore society meetings, and folk festival appearances.
Letters of note include those between Moser and Duncan Emrich, Chief of the Library of Congress' Archive of American Folk Song, discussing Moser's ballad and story collecting for the Library of Congress.
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Series 2. Biographical Materials, 1921-1985.
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Subseries 2.1. General, 1921-1985.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Materials documenting Moser's life, including interviews, biographies, and clippings, as well as materials from his professional life.
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Subseries 2.2. Artistic Activities, 1934-1978.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Materials relating to Moser's interest and work in drama, painting, and pottery.
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Subseries 2.3. Family History Research, 1930s-1960..
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Moser's genealogical research into the maternal and paternal branches of his family. Also includes writings by his mother, Cordelia King Moser.
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Subseries 2.4. Mabel Young Moser, 1951-1981.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
The papers of Artus Moser's wife, Mabel Young Moser, including her writings on education in Appalachia, correspondence with publishers about journal articles and an undated letter from Bascom Lamar Lunsford, and materials documenting her work with Christian Harmony Singing.
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Series 3. Writings, 1920s-1970s.
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Subseries 3.1. Autobiographical, 1950s-1970s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Drafts of an autobiography and other writings by Moser relating to his life. It appears that Moser intended to include the extensive family history writings as part of his autobiography.
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Subseries 3.2. Ballads and Folksongs, 1930s-1970s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by title or subject.
Writings regarding the history and relevance of English ballads and their influence on American folk songs, particularly in Western North Carolina. Much of the text consists of multiple drafts of chapters to be included in a manuscript which Moser had hoped to publish in book form.
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Subseries 3.3. Folklore and Legends, 1930s-1970s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by title or subject.
Introductions and outlines for prospective books on folklore, Moser's version of the Chimney Rock phenomenon legend, and other writings related to Appalachian folklore.
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Subseries 3.4. Appalachia, 1920s-1970s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by title or subject.
Writings related to Appalachian history and culture, including a history of Swannanoa, N.C., where Moser and his family lived.
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Subseries 3.5. Biographies, 1930s-1970s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Biographical writings on notable North Carolinians. Includes drafts of a manuscript on the life of potter Walter Benjamin Stephen and Moser's notes on Loyal Jones's biography of Bascom Lamar Lunsford, published in 1984 as Minstrel of the Appalachians: the Story of Bascom Lamar Lunsford. In his correspondence with publishers, Moser mentions a manuscript for a book about Elisha Mitchell, but the folder contains only a short story and sources.
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Subseries 3.6. Miscellaneous, 1940s-1970s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by title or subject.
Moser's writings on a variety of subjects, including education and teaching, writing, and public speaking. Some appear to be essays Moser wrote as a student, other materials he composed for use in teaching. Also included is a short story about a football game, a song composed for his high school football team, and an open letter to President Jimmy Carter inviting him to Western North Carolina.
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Series 4. Ballad and Folksong Studies, 1920s-1980s.
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Subseries 4.1. Moser Song Collection, 1920s-1980s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by title.
Song texts Moser collected in Western North Carolina throughout Moser's life. Sources are sometimes noted and include family members; fiddler Marcus Martin; and Maud Gentry Long, the daughter of Jane Gentry, who provided British ballad collector Cecil Sharp with much of his material. Most folders include several versions of a particular ballad, as well as research notes by Moser.
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Subseries 4.2. Tune Collections, 1940s-1970s.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Collections of ballads, folksongs, or hymns that Moser categorized by type or source. Also included are lists Moser compiled of his own collection, some of which indicate sources and alternate titles.
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Subseries 4.3. Songbooks, 1920-1960.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Original songbooks.
Folder 316-317
Folder 316Folder 317 |
Songbooks #20005, Subseries: "4.3. Songbooks, 1920-1960." Folder 316-317 |
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Subseries 4.4. Ballad and Folksong Research, 1940s-1970s.
Handwritten, photocopied, and collected information about selected songs and ballads as well as folksongs in general.
| Folder 318 |
Research #20005, Subseries: "4.4. Ballad and Folksong Research, 1940s-1970s." Folder 318 |
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Series 5. Appalachia, 1940s-1980s.
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Subseries 5.1. Folklore and Folklife, 1930s-1980s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Collected information regarding Appalachian traditions and way of life. Of particular interest are hand-written accounts and newspaper columns about Appalachian folklife.
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Subseries 5.2. Collected Stories, 1940s-1970s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by title.
Folktales and legends from Western North Carolina that Moser collected from various sources. Some he recorded during interviews with local residents, other he took from previously published books or articles and retyped. Ultimately he intended to publish the collection in book form.
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Subseries 5.3. General Information, 1940s-1980s.
Arrangement: alphabetical by subject.
Collected information about various subjects specific to Appalachia, such as education, geography, and identity. Also included are a variety of newsletters and other publications that discuss cultural events and political and economic issues relevant to Appalachia.
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Subseries 5.4. Cherokee, 1930s-1980s.
Collected information about the Cherokee Moser used to research the early history of the Western North Carolina. Includes clippings about Cherokee history and folklore and notes Moser made regarding the various treaties the United States government made with the Cherokee people.
| Folder 362 |
History and folklore #20005, Subseries: "5.4. Cherokee, 1930s-1980s." Folder 362 |
| Folder 363 |
Treaties #20005, Subseries: "5.4. Cherokee, 1930s-1980s." Folder 363 |
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Subseries 5.5. Biographical Files, 1940s-1980s.
Arrangement: slphabetical.
Biographical information Moser collected about prominent Western North Carolinians, including some of the folklorists and ballad singers he recorded. Of note is a booklet about the life of Asheville writer Thomas Wolfe, as well as a clipping of his obituary. Moser attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with Wolfe and had written some unpublished articles about his life (see folder 78). The folder on Bascom Lamar Lunsford contains information about him as well as about the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival he founded in Asheville, N.C.
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Series 6. Volumes, 1950s-1960s.
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Series 7. Photographs, 1918-1980s.
Arrangement: by subject.
Photographs of Artus Moser and his family. Includes many of Moser as a young man in his army uniform, as well as photos of him on stage at folk festivals, playing musical instruments, teaching, acting, and painting. Family snapshots include Mabel Moser and the Moser children at various ages, plus scrapbook pages recording family life. folder 381 contains photographs of a performance of the outdoor drama "Unto These Hills", in which Moser played the role of Andrew Jackson.
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Series 8. Sound Recordings and Moving Images, 1940-1975 and undated.
Arrangement: by format.
Numerous sound recordings and scattered moving images compiled by Artus Moser. Sound recordings consist of commercial 78rpm records and LPs Moser collected, as well as over 400 acetate discs, 1940-1955, he recorded of traditional Appalachian folk musicians, including Jean Ritchie, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Marcus Martin, Maud Gentry Long, Samantha Bumgarner, George Pegram, Pleaz Mobley, Red Raper, and Virgil Sturgill. Moser recorded many of the discs at folk festivals for the Library of Congress, using equipment provided by them. Other acetate recordings include Waldensian singing, Western North Carolina Cherokee singer Will West Long, and shape note singing from Etowah, N.C.. Other sound recordings in the series include over 20 reel-to-reel tapes featuring recordings of music performances, music festivals, storytelling, and lectures. Moving images in the series consist of 2 motion picture films, 1972-1974, of music performances and music festivals, and a videotape, 1970, featuring a lecture by Maud Gentry Long on Jack Tales and ballads. The series also includes field notes found with select reel-to-reel tapes.
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Subseries 8.1. 78 rpm records.
Moser's commercial 78 collection, including recordings by Burl Ives, Jo Stafford, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and Texas Gladden. Also included are recordings by Appalachian artists Maud Gentry Long and Bascom Lamar Lunsford.
78-18249 through 78-18289; 78-18291 through 78-18298 #20005, Subseries: "8.1. 78 rpm records." Folder 386 |
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Subseries 8.2. LP records.
| Audiodisc FC-20005/13184 |
Vibrant 70209. Edsel Martin Plays the Appalachian Dulcimer, Edsel Martin #20005, Subseries: "8.2. LP records." FC-20005/13184LP record |
| Audiodisc FC-20005/13201 |
Vox VX 26.120. Songs of the Southern Mountains, The Goldenaires Choir #20005, Subseries: "8.2. LP records." FC-20005/13201LP record |
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Subseries 8.3. Acetate Discs, 1940-1955.
Arrangement: In order as received.
Acquisitions information: FD-20005/1299 through FD-20005/1404 and FD-20005/1678 received as Addition of August 2004
Processing information: Titles compiled from SFC database. Titles supplied by SFC are in brackets.
Vocal and instrumental recordings Moser made of Appalachian folk musicians, including Jean Ritchie, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Marcus Martin, Maud Gentry Long, Samantha Bumgarner, George Pegram, Pleaz Mobley, Red Raper, and Virgil Sturgill. Also included are recordings of Etowah shape note singing, religious quartets, Waldensian singing, and Western North Carolina Cherokee singer Will West Long.
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Subseries 8.4. Reel-to-Reel Tapes and Related Material, 1966-1975.
Arrangement: In order as received.
Acquisitions information: FT-20005/16544 through FD-20005/16556 and Folder 388 received as Addition of August 2004 (Acc. 99875)
Processing information: Titles compiled from SFC database. Titles supplied by SFC are in brackets. Folder 387 was formerly in Southern Folklife Collection Field Notes (#30025).
Recordings of music performances, storytelling, and lectures. Folders 387 and 388 include field notes found with select recordings.
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Subseries 8.5. Films, 1972-1974.
Processing information: Titles compiled from SFC database.
| Film F-20005/1 |
Friday Night at Club Parham's, 14 July 1972 #20005, Subseries: "8.5. Films, 1972-1974." F-20005/1Super 8mm motion picture film color ; silent |
| Film F-20005/2 |
Fiddlers' Grove, Union Grove, N.C., May 1974 #20005, Subseries: "8.5. Films, 1972-1974." F-20005/2Super 8mm motion picture film color ; silent |
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Subseries 8.6. Videotape, 1970.
A lecture demonstration video featuring Maud Gentry Long, focusing on Jack Tales and ballads. Recorded in June 1970 in Hot Springs, N.C., and produced by the Curriculum Laboratory at Mars Hill College for their Appalachian Workshops.
| Videotape VOR-101 |
Jack Tales and Ballads, Maud Gentry Long #20005, Subseries: "8.6. Videotape, 1970." VOR-1011/2" Open Reel Video |
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Series 9. Museum Items, 1930s-1940s and undated.
Wood radios and homemade cornstalk fiddle belonging to Artus Moser or his family. Housed in the North Carolina Collection Gallery.
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Items Separated
Museum items (MU-20005/1-3)
Sound Recordings and Moving Images:
78s (78-18249 through 78-18289, and 78-18291 through 78-18298)
Acetate Discs (FD-263 through FD-568, FD-699 through 707, and FD-1299 through 1404, FD-1678)
Audiotapes (FT-5523 through FT-5537, FT-6589, and FT-16544 through 16556)
Film (F-20005/1-2)
LPs (FC-13184 and FC-13201)
Videotape (VOR-101)
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