Folklorist and Digital Conversion Specialist Robin Fanslow worked with a team of professionals to develop the online presentation of the Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker Collection. She prepared the collection for digitization and created databases to facilitate searching and display. She identified all internal links and performed quality review on audio and SGML text. She worked with National Digital Library Program staff concerning copyright clearances, document scanning, and web design. In addition, she wrote much of the text and was responsible for overall editorial review.
Archivist Nora Yeh manages digital projects for the American Folklife Center. She is involved in planning all Center online presentations. She coordinated the efforts of Center staff to bring the Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker Collection to the web and insured that needed resources were secured. In addition, she did the initial review and selection of the collection's audio recordings.
As the National Digital Library Program's liaison to the American Folklife Center, Thomas Bramel guided the production of Voices from the Dust Bowl, including digital capture and quality review of images, text, and sound recordings, technical design, database conversion, and administrative coordination.
Dr. Yeh, Ms. Fanslow, and Mr. Bramel would like to acknowledge the support of their supervisors Alan Jabbour, American Folklife Center, and Nancy Eichacker, National Digital Library. Special thanks go to Carl Fleischhauer, who shared his experience and expertise in many areas of the digitizing process.
American Folklife Center Staff
Other American Folklife Center staff who contributed their time and energy to the development of this online presentation include Judith Gray and Joseph C. Hickerson, who offered their musical expertise in support of our copyright research. Stephanie Hall, James Hardin, and Mary Hufford provided editorial assistance in the formulation of the text. In addition to providing musical and editorial expertise, Catherine Hiebert Kerst provided guidance gained from her work with a previous Center online presentation. In the early stages of the project, Camila Bryce-Laporte and junior fellow Norbert Sarsfield performed background research, itemized and described the collection, and created databases to provide access to the field recordings. Other junior fellows and volunteers who assisted with this online presentation include Catherine Bowers, Christa Maher, Marie Walter, and Cynthia Zujko-Miller.
National Digital Library Program Staff
Many dedicated professionals on the staff of the National Digital Library Program brought Voices from the Dust Bowl into the digital domain. Dominique Pickett coordinated the web design/framework and graphics. Mary Ambrosio and Stan Lerner programmed the indexing and display of the documents. Melissa Smith-Levine evaluated rights issues and permissions requirements. Tracey Salley coded html web pages and did supporting graphics work. Steve McCollum coordinated image quality review. Karen Billett gathered facts for copyright and permissions. Sharon Nixon and Ishmael Wilson provided office support.
Other Contributors
In addition to the American Folklife Center and National Digital Library Program staff, Voices from the Dust Bowl benefited from the work and expertise of several other Library staff members. Michael Donaldson, senior audio production specialist in the Magnetic Recording Laboratory in the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS), made the original disk-to-tape transfers. Ann Seibert and Andrew Robb of the Conservation Division provided their expertise in assessment and treatment of collection documents and photographs. Members of the Prints and Photographs Division provided reference assistance.
Thanks also go to Allan McConnell, Head of the Magnetic Recording Laboratory in MBRS, and James C. Roberts, Head of the Reference and Bibliographic section of the Copyright Office, for their help in the project. A&J Recording Studios in New York City created and edited the digital audio files.
Finally, we would like to thank Charles L. Todd for cheerfully responding to all our inquiries regarding the collection, and Doris Weddell, organizer of the annual Dust Bowl Days festival in Lamont, California, for her kind assistance in our efforts to locate any people documented in the collection or their descendants.