This digital collection will ultimately be comprised of materials from three different sources at Indiana University Bloomington. As of November 1999, however, only materials from the Archives of Traditional Music have been digitized. See the What's New section of this site for additional information and updates as new materials are added. The Carmichael manuscripts, 1921-1955, consist of letters, papers, and music. Correspondents represented in the collection include Bix Biederbecke, Dwight David Eisenhower, Bob Hope, William Ezra Jenner, Richard Milhous Nixon, Don Redman, and Herman B. Wells.
Music consists of six original music manuscripts and eighty-four pieces of published sheet music.
Judge Ora L. Wildermuth of Gary, Indiana donated the bulk of the printed sheet music to the Lilly Library in 1957. The IU Archives has approximately 70 photographs and 200 pieces of correspondence, newspaper articles, and News Bureau releases. Articles include extensive biographical information and information on Carmichael's family. The Archives houses over 750 sound recordings that feature Hoagy Carmichael as a composer or performer. The field recordings include test pressings, interviews, and Carmichael's performances at informal gatherings.