For more than 75 years, the Archive of Folk Culture in the Library of Congress has been collecting and preserving American culture in all its varied forms. On March 24, the Library of Congress and its American Folklife Center announced the acquisition the Alan Lomax Collection, one of the most significant folklore collections in the nation's history.

During the 1940s, folklorist Alan Lomax took this photograph of Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter. His connection to Lomax helped him become one of the stars of the folk revival movement in America. Alan Lomax became the Archive of Folk Culture's firstfederally funded staff member in 1936 and served as "assistant in charge." He made collecting expeditions for the Library of Congress in the South, Midwest and New England; produced a seminal series of documentary folk music albums titled "Folk Music of the United States"; conducted interviews with musicians such as Jelly Roll Morton; and, over the years, introduced Washington audiences and radio listeners nationwide to an array of traditional artists.

"Hundreds of Hands Create a Portrait of a Nation" is the story of the archive's first 75 years. It was published in the Library of Congress Information Bulletin. The Information Bulletin reports on the programs, collections, events and policies of the Library and is richly illustrated with materials from every corner of the Library