Patrick Ward Gainer (1904-1981), Collector, Papers and Folk Music Recordings, 1890/1981

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

Special access restrictions apply.

Permission of a curator required for use of this material; please contact the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc to request permission.

Part of this collection (22 boxes of folk music recordings) is stored offsite. Please make an appointment prior to visiting.

Researchers may access digitized audiovisual materials by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department. Materials that are not digitized must be digitized prior to research access. Researchers must contact the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc to request digitization.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Patrick Ward Gainer (1904-1981), Collector, Papers and Folk Music Recordings, A&M 3003, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
18.08 Linear Feet 39 document cases, 5 in. each; 1 records carton, 15 in.; 4 microfilm boxes, 1.75 in. each and 25.4 Gigabytes 203 .wav files and 28 .mp3 files
Creator:
Gainer, Patrick W.
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Patrick Ward Gainer (1904-1981), Collector, Papers and Folk Music Recordings, A&M 3003, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Archives of an eminent folklorist and professor of English at West Virginia University. Manuscripts include field folklore collections, lecture notes, book manuscripts, correspondence, student papers, and folksong arrangements. There are also materials regarding Gainer's position as director of South Atlantic USO activities during World War II and a journal of a folksong collecting trip to Ireland in 1961. Also two hundred and ninety-three audio tapes containing vocal and instrumental folk music, folklore and oral history, recorded in West Virginia and in Scotland and Ireland. Nearly half of the material is performed by Gainer himself. The collection also includes news clippings relating to folklore and Gainer's career, as well as a variety of photographs, film clips, and personal awards and memorabilia.

Additional information about the folk music recordings is available in: West Virginia University, and John A. Cuthbert. West Virginia Folk Music: A Descriptive Guide to Field Recordings in the West Virginia and Regional History Collection. West Virginia University Press, 1982.

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: West Virginia & Regional History Center
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard