Because of the dynamic nature of folklore, "items" of folklore rarely lend themselves to clear-cut procedures of classification.  Archival standards for folklore collections vary nation-wide, leading each institution (including our own) to establish its own system of classifications.

This collection is divided into three major catagories: "Oral Folklore," "Customary Folklore," and "Material Folk Culture," with additional catagories of "Family Folklore" and "Other types of Folklore."  Within each of the major catagories are various genres (e.g., Legends, jokes, riddles).  These genres are further divided into subgenres such as "Lightbulb Jokes," "Elephant Jokes," and others.  These subgenres as placed alphabetically in individual files for ready access.
 

Folklore Collection  |  Literary, Music and Theater