Finding Aid for Sousa Archives and Center for American Music Administrative Files, 1914-2024 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: Sousa Archives and Center for American Music Administrative Files, 1914-2024

ID: 35/2/43

Primary Creator: Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Extent: 39.65 cubic feet

Arrangement:

The collection is organized in four series:

Series 1) Correspondence, 1995-2024, is arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Series 2) Administrative Files, ca. 1900-2024, is organized in six sub-series: Sub-series 1) Budget Files, Grant and Project Proposals, Staff and Committee Files, Reports, and Awards; Sub-series 2) Marketing, Conference Materials, and Research and Drafts of Articles; Sub-series 3) American Music Month and Public Engagment Files; Sub-series 4) Exhibit Captions and Labels; Sub-series 5) Collection Management Files and Closed Lead Files; and Sub-series 6) Instructional Materials and Processing Projects. Sub-series 1, 2, 5, and 6 are unarranged and Sub-series 3 and 4 are arranged chronologically.

Series 3) Urbana-Champaign Local Music Preservation Initiative, 2013-2022, is arranged chronologically.

and Series 4) Archon and Archives Space Development Files, 2006-2019 is arranged in two sub-series: sub-series 1) Archon Development Files and sub-series 2) Archives Space Development Files.

Subjects: Academic Libraries, Archival Education, Archives, Bands, Clarke, Herbert L., Exhibits, Library Exhibits, Music - United States, Oral History, Popular Music--Illinois--Urbana-Champaign, Sousa, John Philip, University Archives, University Records

Formats/Genres: Papers

Languages: English

Consists of correspondence; research notes and papers; exhibit scripts; photographs; news clippings and brochures; NEH grant proposals and project reports; the personal papers of Phyllis Danner, who was archivist from 1994 to 2002; development files for the collections management systems Archon and Archives Space; and administrative files, documenting the creation and management of the Sousa Archives for Band Research between 1994 and 2003 and the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music from 2004 to the present. Notably, the records contain copies of Sousa documents, dating as early as 1902, that were sent to Danner for her research and exhibit projects. Also of note are files related to outreach and public engagement, including correspondence, research, and files related to the Congressional Proclamation of American Music Month, the Sousa Sesquicentennial celebration events, the Stradivari exhibit and events, the Lincoln Bicentennial grant, the James Bond 50th Anniversary exhibits and events, and the Urbana-Champaign Local Music Preservation Initiative's oral history interview transcriptions and audio clips.

Established in 1994 as the Sousa Archives for Band Research (SABR) and renamed the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music (SACAM) in January 2004.  The Center's mission supports and facilitates research, education, and public engagement by preserving and providing access to the documentary evidence of this country's music and fine arts heritage.

The Sousa Archives began with John Philip Sousa's donation of his band library to the University Bands in 1933. From 1933 to 1994, the Sousa Band Library was referred to as the Sousa Library and Museum, and was managed by the University Bands. In 1994, the management and care of the paper records was transferred to the University Library and the museum became the Sousa Archives for Band Research. Managed by Phyllis Danner, the archives' collection management policy was limited to wind band records. In 2003 the responsibility for the preservation of the music instruments and artifacts was fully transferred to the University Library. In 2004, Scott Schwartz became the director and change the name to the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music. In that same year, the Center received a congressional proclaimation, declairing that the month of November would be designated as American Music Month. Since then, SACAM has celebrated this event with an annual exhibition, featuring objects and paper records from within the Center's holdings.

Since 2007, the Sousa Archives has participated in and hosted concerts during local festivals including: Granny's Porch, the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival, the CU Folk and Roots Festival, the Boneyard Arts Festival, and the Uniting Pride Fest. Beginning in 2013, the Archives began a local music initiative, collecting oral history interviews and records from local musicians, record producers, and concert organizers.

The Sousa Archives has also contributed to national developments in archival collection management systems, assisting in the development of both Archon and Archives Space.

Academic Libraries
Archival Education
Archives
Bands
Clarke, Herbert L.
Exhibits
Library Exhibits
Music - United States
Oral History
Popular Music--Illinois--Urbana-Champaign
Sousa, John Philip
University Archives
University Records

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: Additional records were added in June 20, 2005; December 1, 2014; October 4, 2019; February 6, 2024; and March 5, 2024.

Access Restrictions: None.

Acquisition Method: Records transferred to University Archives June 20, 2005.

Other Note: Pages