American Folklife Center

09/16/2026

Hey librarians - come join our team! The American Folklife Center is hiring a Reference Librarian to work on the Veterans History Project. Details on the position in the link below. Applications are due 9/30.

The Library of Congress shares its vast collections of books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, audiovisual materials, and priceless artifacts to cultivate curiosity and spark imagination. We engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge...

09/16/2026

Tomorrow is the day! We're so excited to share that our new exhibition, "Alive in Many Hands: The American Folklife Center at 50" opens on the evening of September 17! Join us, in the Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress, on 9/17, beginning at 5pm, to be one of the first to see this wonderful display of AFC collections, from our 50 years of work. The opening, held as part of the LOC's Live! At the Library Series, is free to the public, but registration is required. See the link below for more details:

https://www.loc.gov/item/event-419714/live-at-the-library-exhibition-opening-alive-in-many-hands/2026-09-17/?loclr=fbafc

For a sneak peak of the online exhibition, visit: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/american-folklife-center-at-50/about-this-exhibition/?loclr=fbafc

09/15/2026

Natalie Merchant is sharing detals of the concert she curated to her own social media. Don't miss it--this Thursday evening at the Library!

afc@50-alive-in-many-voices-a-concert-to-open-the-exhibit-alive-in-many-hands-the-american-folklife-center-at-50/2026-09-17/?loclr=fbafc" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.loc.gov/item/event-423096/afc@50-alive-in-many-voices-a-concert-to-open-the-exhibit-alive-in-many-hands-the-american-folklife-center-at-50/2026-09-17/?loclr=fbafc

09/15/2026

On Thursday, at 10:30am, join us at the Library of Congress for a special panel discussion about the history of the American Folklife Center, as told through the experiences of current and former AFC employees. Participating panelists will include Peggy Bulger, Betsy Peterson, Carl Fleischhauer, Jennifer Cutting, Maggie Kruesi, Guha Shankar, Michelle Stefano, and Jesse Hocking. It will be a fascinating discussion, in celebration of our 50th anniversary. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. At the link below, find more information and register!

afc@50-celebrating-50-years-of-the-american-folklife-center-panel-discussion/2026-09-17/?loclr=fbafc" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.loc.gov/item/event-422957/afc@50-celebrating-50-years-of-the-american-folklife-center-panel-discussion/2026-09-17/?loclr=fbafc

09/11/2026

Today, on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the American Folklife Center is proud to share that an online collection of nearly 500 first-hand accounts from 9/11 responders is now available online: https://www.loc.gov/collections/benjamin-luft-collection-of-9-11-oral-histories/about-this-collection/?loclr=fbafc. The collection includes 484 full-length video interviews conducted between April 2010 and September 2024, along with their corresponding transcripts, which document what responders witnessed, why they responded, what they endured, and how the experience affected their health, families and lives in the years that followed. The interviews are part of a project begun by Benjamin Luft, a physician at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, who treated responders in the years after the attacks. See the press release below for more information.

Library Makes Nearly 500 First-Hand 9/11 Responder Accounts Available Online Timed to the 25th Anniversary of 9/11, Collection is Available Remotely for the First Time The Library of Congress has...

09/10/2026

For our upcoming Family Day, on Saturday, 9/19, from 10:30am - 3:30pm, we're excited to feature the Sonicycle - a DJ platform and community activation/documentary tool created by Los Herederos, a NYC-based organization dedicated to inheriting culture in the digital age. The Sonicycle not only allows individuals to document themselves but is equipped for radio broadcasting, cultural mapping, and even block parties! At Family Day, you'll be able to engage with the Sonicycle and meet the wonderful folks from Los Herederos who created it. This is just one of the many activities planned for Family Day, all focused on the American Folklife Center. Please join us! The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. For more information and to register, visit: https://www.loc.gov/item/event-421595/family-day-celebrating-50-years-of-the-american-folklife-center/2026-09-19/?loclr=fbafc

09/08/2026

September 17, Natalie Merchant hosts the concert "Alive in Many Voices."

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On Thursday, September 17, at 7pm, please join us for Alive in Many Voices, a concert to open AFC's new exhibition, Alive in Many Hands. AFC board members Natalie Merchant, Martha Gonzalez, and Lori Pourier have curated a great concert of music from Bayla Davis (Appalachian banjo), Quetzal (East LA Chicano sounds), and Maȟpíya Lúta (Red Cloud School Singers). Natalie Merchant will host, and she'll be joining the performers for several songs, too! The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please see the link above to register and more information.

09/08/2026

The AFC is excited to share that Documenting Goombay and Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove, a 2024 AFC Community Collections Grant (CCG) project collection, is now online!

Documenting Goombay and Little Bahamas of Coconut Grove focuses on the annual Goombay Festival that has taken place since 1977 in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida, that celebrates the city’s longstanding Bahamian community and their music, dance, and food traditions. The project was co-led by Drs. Aarti Mehta-Kroll, Rebecca Friedman, and Valerie Patterson of Florida International University in close collaboration with the Goombay Festival Planning Committee and community leaders.

Head over to Miami’s Goombay Festival here: https://www.loc.gov/collections/documenting-goombay-and-little-bahamas-of-coconut-grove/about-this-collection/?loclr=fbafc

Photo: A Junkanoo Rush on Grand Avenue during the 2024 Miami Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove. Photo by Enrique Rosell.

09/04/2026

Hey parents, guardians, and kiddos! Join us for Family Day on Saturday, September 19, to celebrate 50 years of the American Folklife Center. From 10:30am -3:30pm, in the Library of Congress' Great Hall, we'll have activities, games, and opportunities to tour AFC's new exhibition, Alive in Many Hands: The American Folklife Center at 50. It will be fun for the entire family. The event is free and open to the public, but registration required. See the link below for more information and to register.

https://www.loc.gov/item/event-421595/family-day-celebrating-50-years-of-the-american-folklife-center/2026-09-19/?loclr=fbafc

08/17/2026

Recently, the American Folklife Center hosted a fantastic lecture with Greg Harris, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On Folklife Today, see Harris' lecture and watch an interview with Harris about his life and career. Link below!

https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2026/07/greg-harris-of-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-botkin-folklife-lectures-plus/?loclr=fbafc