UCLA's Ethnomusicology Archive Secures Prestigious Honor in Public Sector Recognition
The UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive, a treasure trove of over 150,000 audio, video, print, and photographic items, continues to be at the forefront of preserving and celebrating diverse musical expressions from around the world. Established in 1961, the Archive has become a critical resource for scholars and the public alike, with a commitment to digitization, cataloging, and conservation that ensures the safeguarding of fragile or rare recordings for future generations.
Public outreach is a cornerstone of the Archive's mission. Led by distinguished faculty such as Anthony Seeger, Distinguished Professor of Ethnomusicology and Director of the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive, the Archive offers educational programs, public lectures, workshops, and concerts. Seeger's public engagement extends to thought-provoking lectures addressing issues such as copyright and the ethics of sharing musical heritage, as highlighted in his widely noted 110th Faculty Research Lecture.
The Archive also supports student publications, such as the *Ethnomusicology Review*, which provides graduate students with a platform to share research and foster scholarly dialogue. Its collections are increasingly discoverable through online catalogs and digital exhibitions, thereby expanding access to public audiences and researchers worldwide.
One of the Archive's most significant contributions is its work in repatriation. While specific recent projects are not exhaustively detailed, the Archive has historically prioritized ethical engagement with source communities. This includes working with cultural groups to ensure that recordings are used respectfully and, when possible, returned to communities of origin. The Archive's leadership, such as Anthony Seeger, is well-known for advocating for the rights of Indigenous and minority music makers, and for exploring the complex legal and ethical landscapes surrounding the control and use of cultural materials.
Recent achievements include the completion of a project digitizing sixty sets of field recordings, titled Ethnomusicology: Global Field Recordings, and the publication of Ethnomusicology: Global Field Recordings, now available for institutional purchase and widely taken up. The Archive also required Adam Matthew, the publisher of Ethnomusicology: Global Field Recordings, to provide free digital access of the recordings to originating communities.
Maureen Russell, the Archive's head of cataloguing, has played a pivotal role in these efforts. She served as lead archivist in the project Our Culture Resounds, Our Future Reveals, which was edited by Eleanor Lipat-Chesler and Mary Talusan Lacanlale. The project, focusing on the contributions of the Filipino American community, has been downloaded over 5,000 times. Maureen Russell has also made over 1700 of the Archive's records available online, including the Ube Arte collection, with the support of California Revealed.
The UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive's leadership and contributions have not gone unnoticed. In 2021, Maureen Russell was named UCLA Librarian of the Year. The Archive has also been awarded the Judith McCulloh Public Sector Award by the Society for Ethnomusicology, recognising its recent achievements and its longstanding leadership in cultural preservation and public outreach. As the second largest in the United States, exceeded in size only by the Archive of Folk Culture at the Library of Congress, the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive continues to be a leader in preserving world music traditions, fostering public engagement, and promoting ethical stewardship of cultural heritage.
The UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive, in addition to its commitment to preserving diverse musical expressions, also invests in education-and-self-development, as demonstrated by its support for student publications like the Ethnomusicology Review, which fosters scholarly dialogue among graduate students. Moreover, the Archive's lifestyle initiatives extend to public outreach, with programs, lectures, workshops, and concerts that encourage discussion on topics related to science, such as copyright and the ethics of sharing musical heritage.
