Recorded Sound Section United States Armed Forces Institute collection

United States Armed Forces Institute collection

Collection

Identifier: 2021619512

Scope and Content Note

The United States Armed Forces Institute collection spans the years of 1943-1948. The collection primarily consists of language and travel guidebooks created to educate and inform military personnel. The spoken language series helped develop elementary, conversational language skills and the ability to understand the spoken language. The travel guide series provided cultural information to personnel. The Radio University series is a list of courses offered in the Italian section.

Dates

Creation: 1943-1948

Language of Materials

Collection material in English, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Norwegian, Chinese, Portuguese, Turkish, Hungarian, Russian, Korean, Dutch, Arabic, Greek, Japanese, Fanti, Malay, Persian, and Burmese.

Access and Restrictions

The United States Armed Forces Institute collection is open to research. Advance notice is required; contact a reference librarian in the Recorded Sound Research Center, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 20540-4690; (202) 707-7833.

Copyright Status

Restrictions may exist on copying, quoting, or publishing material included in the collection. For additional information, contact a reference librarian in the Recorded Sound Research Center, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 20540-4690; (202) 707-7833.

Administrative History

Established in 1942 in Madison, Wisconsin, the United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) sought to educate military personnel through self-instruction and correspondence courses. In collaboration with the Linguistic Society of America and the intensive language programs of the American Council of Learned Societies, the USAFI provided language instruction during the World War II years, utilizing sound recordings and guidebooks, which later became a model for commercial language courses.

Extent

1,925 items (approximately)
6 containers
2.31 linear feet

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Additional Description

Abstract

Language manuals and travel guides from an adult education program for enlisted service personnel that provides elementary, high school, technical, and college-level courses.

Arrangement

The United States Armed Forces Institute collection is organized in 3 series:

Physical Location

RPA 03744-03749 (boxes 1-6)

Catalog Record

https://lccn.loc.gov/2021619512

Provenance

Received as a gift from multiple parties starting in 1947 through 1978.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Material Cataloged Separately

Sound recordings from the United States Armed Forces Institute collection have been incorporated into the sound recording collections of the Library of Congress Recorded Sound Section. For additional information, contact a reference librarian in the Recorded Sound Research Center, National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 20540-4690; (202) 707-7833.