Indiana University Folklore Collection

The IU Libraries' Folklore and Ethnomusicology Collection is the largest, most comprehensive library collection devoted to this subject in the world.  The collection contains 55,000 distinct titles, including: 1,100 journals and periodicals; 125 current journal subscriptions; 2,570 sound recordings; and 1,100 musical scores. 

We collect scholarly publications and primary materials in folklore and ethnomusicology in all languages and formats. The collection includes folk literature and customs, folk music, dance, mythology, museum and heritage studies, folk art and craft, vernacular architecture, and much more. Some unique materials include the Fansler Collection of Philippine literature in vernacular languages (microfilm) and the Gaidoz Collection of Celtic studies, comparative religion, and mythology. 

The Folklore Collection has been a special part of the IU Libraries since the 1920s. In 2009 it was designated a Collection of Distinction and digitized in its entirety—the first and only special library collection to receive this treatment. The Open Folklore project is working to make more of these digitized books fully accessible online. Digitized books may also be searched in Google Books or Hathi Trust