Scope and Content
The Lowell Folklife Project yielded an ethnographic collection consisting of 196 hours of sound recordings covering a wide range of subjects and activities, including oral history interviews, religious services, musical events, parades and processions, and neighborhood tours. An additional 23 hours of sound recordings covering musical events and oral history interviews were copied from originals lent by Lowell residents. The photographic materials amassed by the project total approximately 10,000 black-and-white images and 3,500 color slides. In general, these images provide photographic coverage of events also documented on audiotape, but they also document occupational scenes, cultural artifacts, environmental details, and public events that were not conducive to sound recording. Print and manuscript materials amount to 6,750 pages and include fieldnotes, reports, and administrative material. Finally, 15 computer disks, which constitute electronic versions of the manuscript material, and an assortment of ephemera round out the collection.
The large body of information collected on the life and traditions of the people of Lowell served as the basis for "Report to the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission." The report discusses the project's course of development and implementation, briefly surveys the project holdings, reviews cultural issues involved in folklife research and programming in Lowell, and presents a number of recommendations for further research and public programming in Lowell. (A copy of the report is included in the collection).