For instance, Daniel Brinton did extensive work in Native American oral literature and in fact his publications from the period 1860-1880 were for some time the only ones on the subject. There has also been a long line of ballad scholars who have taught at Penn which is reflected in the collection. Guidelines for Collection Development. No Chronological limits. Primarily printed materials and microform.
Some audio materials are appropriate, particularly in ballad and folksong research.
Consultation with the music librarian is necessary. Ephemeral publications are not collected. Children's materials are collected selectively if they provide high quality texts with strong attention paid to authenticity to folk performances. Links are provided to relevant web sites. Though the emphasis is on North American topics and books published in the United States since the largest interest is located there, materials about any location are relevant no matter where published.