Archives

The Rinzler Archives is a public resource. We invite artists, musicians, community members, and other researchers to visit the archives, consult with curators and archivists, and request reference copies of collection items for your research and personal use.

Beginning September 2022, the Rinzler Archives reading room is open by appointment only, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., except for Federal holidays. Booking an appointment is necessary to provide the best research and reference services and to ensure that the collections are available for your use, as some items are stored offsite.

Reading and Listening Room

Visitors are welcome to listen to and view our digital and digitized audiovisual collections. When making an appointment to visit, be sure to tell us if you plan to listen to sound recordings or view video tape, as we will need to ensure that digital reference copies of our fragile recordings are available before you arrive. Transcripts are available for many of our holdings.

Visitors may also view photographs, slides, and contact sheets from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well the collections of Diana Davies, Robert C. Malone, and Robert Yellin.

In addition to our own collections, we have a library of commercial LPs, 45s, 78s, cassettes, and CDs from other record labels, as well as serials and monographs related to folklore, ethnomusicology, anthropology, musicology, and the music business.

Use of our photocopy machine is free, and researchers can take non-flash photographs of collections items for personal research use.

Online Access to Collections

More than 80,000 historical and contemporary items from Rinzler Archives collections are available in the Smithsonian’s Collections Search Center. Find complete collection descriptions in finding aids and inventories in the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archive, which often include digital surrogates. The commercial recordings in our collection are distributed by Smithsonian Folkways: access samples, download entire tracks or albums, and read original liner notes.

To request copies of photographs, documents, audio, or video in our collections for research or personal use, please use our Archival Research Materials Order form. To license materials for publication, please submit an Archival Materials License Request form, or contact us for further information. Requested files are delivered via Dropbox.

The Rinzler Archives does not own or control the intellectual property rights to every item in our collection. Duplication of some audiovisual materials may require permission from the performer or interviewee in the recording. Your use of collection items is contingent upon obtaining final permission for use from the rights holder. Requests for copies of archival material are considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to copyright and other restrictions, the availability of digitization equipment, and staff resources.

We grant exceptions to these fees for past Festival participants and their immediate family; current Smithsonian fellows (limited to ten undigitized images/year and five undigitized AV items/year), students (limited to five undigitized images/year and two undigitized AV items/year) who provide proof of status, records creators, and other individuals on a case-by-case basis, depending on the nature of their project.

The Rinzler Archives is committed to providing opportunities for source communities to meaningfully engage with the collections in our care. Please refer to our Shared Stewardship of Collections policy for information.

TV and Film Production Guidelines

The Smithsonian has developed guidelines to be used by television and film producers in working with Smithsonian units. The guidelines describe key areas that should be addressed when working with Smithsonian archival units and special collections. Specific guidelines for Smithsonian Networks producers are also available.