United States Work Projects Administration records

LC control no.	mm 82055715
Type of material	Archival Manuscript/Mixed Formats (Collection)
Corporate name	United States. Work Projects Administration. » More like this
Main title	United States Work Projects Administration records, 1524-1975 (bulk 1935-1942).
Related names	United States. Works Progress Administration. Works Progress Administration records. » More like this Federal Writers' Project. Federal Writers' Project records. » More like this Writers' Program (U.S.) Writers' Program (U.S.) records. » More like this
Related titles	American life histories : manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940. Born in slavery: slave narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938.
Description	409,000 items. 1,634 containers plus 1 oversize. 63 microfilm reels. 637.6 linear feet.
Organized/Arranged	Arranged in 5 parts. Part A: Federal Writers' Project Records, 1524-1942, arranged in 11 series. Series 1: Administrative File, 1936-1941; Series 2: American Guide File, 1524-1942; Series 3: Folklore Project, 1936-1940; Series 4: Social-Ethnic Studies, 1789-1940; Series 5: Special Studies and Projects, 1530-1942; Series 6: Negro Studies Project, 1722-1939; Series 7: Slave Narrative Project, 1705-1938; Series 8: Miscellaneous Records, 1790-1942; Series 9: General Miscellany, 1889-1942; Series 10: Printed Matter, 1935-1942; and Series 11: Addition, 1860-1940. Part B: Historical Records Survey Records, 1608-1942, arranged in 9 series. Series 1: Administrative File, 1933-1941; Series 2: Manuscript Record Survey, National Office, 1936-1942; Series 3: Church Record Survey, District of Columbia, 1735-1941; Series 4: Municipal Records Survey, District of Columbia, 1937-1941; Series 5: American Imprints Inventory, District of Columbia, 1938-1941; Series 6: Archival and Manuscript Records, 1681-1937; Series 7: Miscellany, 1608-1942; Series 8: Printed Matter, 1935-1942; and Series 9: Addition, 1784-1801. Part C: Research Library, 1925-1947, arranged in 2 series. Series 1: State File, 1925-1944; and Series 2: National File, 1929-1947. Part D : Addition: Slave Narrative Indexing Project, circa 1975. Part 5: Oversize, 1931-1940.
Access advisory	Open to research. Restrictions may apply to unprocessed material.
Invalid LCCN	95790661 42023109
Biography/History note	The U.S. Works Progress Administration was created in 1935; in 1939 the name was changed to U.S. Work Projects Administration. Federal Writer's Project, directed by Henry Alsberg, was created in 1935 as part of the U.S. Work Progress Administration to provide employment for historians, teachers, writers, librarians, and other white-collar workers. The purpose of the project was to produce a series of sectional guide books under the name American Guide, focusing on the scenic, historical, cultural, and economic resources of the U.S. Eventually new programs were developed and projects begun under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration were absorbed by the Federal Writers' Project. Federal Writers' Project renamed Writers' Program.
Summary	Series A. includes correspondence, memoranda, speeches, essays, scripts, plays, oral testimony in the form of life histories, folklore material, field reports, notes, transcripts of documents, inventories, lists, statements, instructions, surveys, critical appraisals, administrative records, graphs, drawings, maps, and other records. Subjects include production of American Guide-books which were intended to encourage travel to various states to bolster the economy during the Great Depression, rural and urban folklore, customs of social and ethnic groups, and African Americans both slaves and ex-slaves. Folklorists include Benjamin Albert Botkin and John A. Lomax. Authors include Nelson Algren, Sterling Brown, Jack Conroy, and Richard Wright. Correspondents include Henry Alsberg, Merle Colby, George Cronin, Joseph Gaer, Reed Harris, and Claire Laning. Series B includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, surveys, notes, data sheets, lists, instructional manuals, personnel records, transcripts of documents, newspaper articles, catalog entries, newspaper articles, and index cards. Subjects include church and religious activity in Washington, D.C., boards, commissions, and departments of the nation's capitol, and Mormons in Utah. Series C includes speeches, reports, publications, financial material, personnel forms, procedural and instructional manuals, press releases, newsletters, bulletins, promotional material, statistical data, graphs, illustrations, photographs, and related records. Documents the social welfare programs of the Depression era including the U.S. Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the U.S. Work Projects Administration, and private organizations including American Public Welfare Association, Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, Community Chests and Councils of America, and Family Welfare Association. Series D consists of card files from an indexing project of the slave narratives.
Notes	Microfilm edition of slave narratives also available in the Library of Congress Microforms Reading Room, no. 974 (E); cataloged in record 83145588. Some drawings and photographs: transferred to Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Some maps: transferred to Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Music and some material belonging to the Federal Theater Project: transferred to Library of Congress Music Division. Collection material in English. Containers A1041-1080 no longer exist and are available only on microfilm. MSS55715
Finding aids	Finding aid available in the Library of Congress Manuscript Reading Room and at <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009053>
Acquisition source	Gift, Harvester Press Microform Publications Ltd., Brighton, Sussex, England, 1986-1987. Transfer, U.S. Work Projects Administration, 1936-1944. Other gift and transfer, 1981-1998.
Constituent unit	Federal Theatre Project collection (DLC) 2003682046 » More like this
Additional formats	Life histories and corollary documents assembled by the Folklore Project with the Federal Writer's effort, 1936-1940, also available through the Library of Congress Web site under the title, American life histories : manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940. Slave narratives available through the Library of Congress Web site under the title, Born in slavery: slave narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938. Microfilm edition of inventory of Mormon diaries available, no. 7,465. Folklore, Wisconsin.: Microfilm edition of containers A693-705 available, no. 19,048. Slave narratives.: Microfilm edition of containers A917-A932 available, no. 23,423 (Negative : 974 (E)). Microfilm edition of containers A1040-1080 (A1041-1080 available only on microfilm) available, no. 19,334. Microfilm produced from originals in the Manuscript Division. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress Photoduplication Service, 1941-1987.
Subjects	Algren, Nelson, 1909-1981. » More like this Alsberg, Henry G. (Henry Garfield), 1881-1970. » More like this Alsberg, Henry G. (Henry Garfield), 1881-1970--Correspondence. » More like this Botkin, Benjamin Albert, 1901-1975. » More like this Brown, Sterling Allen, 1901-1989. » More like this Colby, Merle, 1902-1969--Correspondence. » More like this Conroy, Jack, 1898-1990. » More like this Cronin, George--Correspondence. » More like this Gaer, Joseph, 1897-1969--Correspondence. » More like this Harris, Reed--Correspondence. » More like this Laning, Claire--Correspondence. » More like this Lomax, John A. (John Avery), 1867-1948. » More like this Wright, Richard, 1908-1960. » More like this United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration. » More like this American Public Welfare Association. » More like this Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America. » More like this Community Chests and Councils of America. » More like this Family Welfare Association of America. » More like this African Americans. » More like this Depressions--1929. » More like this Ethnic groups--United States. » More like this Slavery--United States. » More like this Urban folklore--United States. » More like this Folklore--United States. » More like this Mormons--Utah. » More like this United States--Description and travel. » More like this United States--Economic conditions--1918-1945. » More like this United States--Ethnic relations. » More like this United States--Social life and customs. » More like this Washington (D.C.)--Politics and government. » More like this Washington (D.C.)--Religion. » More like this
Series	American guide-books. » More like this
Local shelving no.	0515A Oversize 6:17 Small backlog (Unprocessed ac. 24,026) Microfilm 974 (E)-11N; 23,423-11P (Copy 2) Microfilm 7,465-1N-1P Microfilm 19,048-7N-7P Microfilm 19,334-44N-44P-18P-35P (Copy 2 : reels 1, 19, 23-26, 28-29, 32, 34, 36-42; Copy 3 : full set distributed by Harvester Press Microform Publications)
Repository	Library of Congress Manuscript Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA dcu <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.home>
Links	American life histories : manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940.: <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000007> Born in slavery: slave narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938.: <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/collmss.ms000008> Finding aid: <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009053> Finding aid (PDF): <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009053.3>