Now Available: Botkin Lecture Resource Guide from the American Folklife Center

The American Folklife Center (AFC) is excited to announce the launch of its new, easy-to-use Botkin Lecture Resource Guide, which gives users direct access to hundreds of hours of world-class lectures on folklore, folk music and traditional culture by prominent scholars, artists, authors and performers.

Since 2003, AFC has sponsored the Benjamin A. Botkin Lecture Series, which annually features 8–10 prominent scholars, researchers, authors and experts from across the United States and around the world speaking on a wide variety of folklife related topics. Botkin Lectures are usually 45–55 minutes in length and recorded at the Library of Congress before an audience of 50–70 people. Speakers are asked to prepare public-engaging presentations designed for non-specialist audiences. Therefore, the Lectures are suitable for high school, college, and adult education courses. They may be accessed online or downloaded for personal use or for educational programming without charge. (Crediting AFC is always appreciated.)

Over the years, more than 130 Botkin Lectures have been videotaped for the AFC collections. The new Resource Guide is organized and cross-referenced by more than a dozen topics including Music & Dance, Verbal Arts, Food & Agriculture, Visual Arts & Adornment, and Fieldwork & Documentation, which makes finding, accessing and enjoying these talks easy.