Woody Guthrie Archives Newsletter
Year 2000

Recent Research
Many different kinds of researchers do work in the Woody Guthrie Archives.
The questions researchers ask show the breadth of Woody's life and interests. Topics range from medical research to literary and historical interest, to musical and artistic inquiries. Recent research topics include:

*Woody Guthrie's experience and struggle with Huntington's Disease
*Literary humor of the Southwest in Woody's book "Seeds of Man"
*History of the National Maritime Union and Woody's songs about it
*Ways Woody's songs (specifically "This Land Is Your Land") have been interpreted or used in changing political climates
*Songwriting about political candidates (Woody's songs to support Henry Wallace and Stetson Kennedy's campaigns)

New Acquisitions
The Woody Guthrie Archives is now in possession of copies of Woody Guthrie material (both manuscript and audio) in the Alan Lomax Archives. This includes letters from Woody to Alan and his family, manuscript copies of Woody's songbooks, and a CD recording of several shows of "Back Where I Come From," featuring Woody's songs.

Collector Barry Ollman recently donated a bound volume of the "Daily Worker" newspaper to the Archives. The volume covers July to Septemebr 1940. Woody Guthrie wrote a daily column in the paper. The Archives has individual copies of the columns, but in this volume they can be viewed as they appeared in print, along with the news of the day which inspired the topics of Woody's columns.

Copyright Project
Woody Guthrie wrote over 3000 song lyrics in his lifetime, of which approximately 600 were recorded or published.  We are currently working to gain copyright control over the remaining lyrics, thus making it easier for researchers to view and use the songs. As we do this, we will be able to conduct preservation work on each song sheet, making sure that the lyrics will be around for generations of researchers to view and be inspired by.

Future Plans
The Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives is currently working on ways to update our online research capabilities. We hope to include a bulletin board, where fans, researchers, and the archivists can ask questions and exchange information. Check back soon for more updates on this project and new happenings at the Archives.