This database is an online searchable platform for the complete Caffè Lena collection.
The archives comprise seven significant collections from collaborating institutions:
- RECORDINGS held by the American Folklife Center
- EPHEMERA including the Lena Spencer Papers, Performer Files and Jan Nargi Collections held by the Saratoga Springs History Museum, the Board of Directors Collection held by the American Folklife Center and the Lively Lucys Coffeehouse Collection held by Skidmore College.
- PHOTOGRAPHS held by the Joe Alper Photo Collection LLC.
Representing the only collection of its kind, the materials fill in a critical missing piece in American folksong history – the role of coffee houses and clubs. The goal of this project is to create public access to the collection in order to educate wide audiences on this important era of cultural history.
The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project. The digitization of the material was made possible through generous funding from the EMC Corporation.
All Caffè Lena Collection materials © 2014. All rights reserved.
Any and all use requires permission. Please consult the Licensing Page for details.