Documenting Local Culture:
An Introductory Field School on “Disability and Community” 
June 9 - July 1, 2001
Bloomington, Indiana 

Are you interested in learning how to:

·	document the cultural resources of your community or region through the use of photography, sound recordings, ethnographic fieldwork and other methods?
·	preserve documentary materials for future generations?
·	build community through the creation of exhibitions, publications and other examinations and celebrations of local culture?

If you are, then you should apply to become a participant in an exciting and intensive three-week field school called Documenting Local Culture, sponsored by the Indiana University Folklore Institute, The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, and the American Folklife Center (Library of Congress). 

Content
This three-week-long field school will be an immersion experience. It offers hands-on training in professional techniques for cultural documentation, including archiving, interviewing, still photography, ethnographic writing, project planning, research ethics, computer applications, and the development of community-building participation programs. Trainers are experienced specialists, who will provide lectures, workshops, discussions, curriculum materials, and supervised fieldwork experiences. 

“Disability and Community” will be the focus of the 2001 field school, to be held in Bloomington, Indiana. Field school participants will work closely with local residents with and without disabilities to document the history and experience of disability in the community.  Their gathered materials will be later used to launch a local “Museum of the Person,” a format that uses the web to present  life stories of persons whose voices often are submerged in official history and community planning. 

Who Should Apply? 
 The field school is designed for adults who have a strong interest in cultural documentation, but little or no previous training or experience in this area. Preference will be given to persons who are in a position to utilize newly learned skills upon returning to their home communities. School teachers, museum curators, local historians, leaders of cultural groups and foundations, librarians, community organizers and activists, and undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply. Persons with disabilities, professionals in the field of disabilities, and members of minority groups are especially urged to apply. Indiana residents will be given preference, but residents of other states are welcome to apply. 

Dates and Location  
The field school will begin on Saturday, June 9, 2001, and conclude on Sunday, July 1, 2001. Field documentation will focus on Bloomington and nearby communities.

Cost, Housing, and Credit Options 
Registration fee for the field school is $750 for the entire three-week package. The package includes most meals, instruction, equipment, and all course materials. A non-refundable deposit of $375 will be required upon acceptance; the balance will be due by May 11. 

Fee scholarships will be granted according to need and available funds. Please specify need and required amount on the application form below.  

Housing arrangements are the responsibility of individual applications.  Housing will be available both on the IU campus and in the Bloomington community. For more information contact Inta Carpenter, address below.  

Optional class credit hours available. Participants may sign up for 1-3  IU undergraduate or graduate credits, by registering for F404/804 or E400/E600. Tuition costs as follows: Undergraduate Indiana residents $121.80 per credit; non-residents, $404.90. Graduate Indiana residents $168.69 per credit, non-residents  $491.15 per credit. Registration information for non-Indiana University students is available from Jody Smith, University Graduate School’s Continuing Non-degree Program, Indiana University, e-mail: josmith@indiana.edu..

Application 
An application form is attached (below). A total of 15 participants will be selected from the pool of applicants. There is a rolling application deadline. Application review will begin on March 15, 2001 and continue until April 27, or until all 15 spaces are filled.

Questions? 
For more information, contact one of the co-directors: Dr. Inta Carpenter, Director Special Projects, Indiana University, Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, 504 North Fess, Bloomington, IN 47408  (812) 855-8049, carpente@indiana.edu. Dr. Philip B. Stafford, Director , Center on Aging and Community, 2853 East Tenth, Bloomington, IN, 47408-2696 (812) 855-2163, staffor@indiana.edu.  Dr. David A. Taylor, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.  20540-4610. (202) 707-1737, dtay@loc.gov. 

Application Form
	Documenting Local Culture: An Introductory Field School
Disability and Community
	June 9 - July 1, 2001 Bloomington, Indiana

We encourage each applicant to seek support from your school, workplace, or other source for field school fees. We will have limited funds for fee reduction. If you wish to be considered for a fee scholarship, please explain your need, including the amount required, in the application form.

Send completed form to Dr. Inta Carpenter by email (carpente@indiana.edu) or by regular mail to her at Indiana University Folklore Institute, 504 N. Fess, Bloomington, Indiana  47408.   

Please limit your response to the questions below to no more than two (2) pages. Send completed application to the address above. Application review begins March 15 and continues until April 27.

Name:
Address:
Home phone:						Work phone:
Email:							Fax: 
Occupation:						Age:

1. How could the training you receive help you in your work?

2. Have you had previous training or experience with cultural documentation?  If you have, please describe it.

3. Do you have any experience with or own any of the following equipment?  If you own any equipment, would you be willing to bring it to the field school for your own use?  (Previous experience with documentation equipment and the supplying of equipment are not prerequisites for the course.)  Please respond below: 

35mm camera
_____________ level of experience        own        can bring

Portable cassette tape recorder
_____________ level of experience        own        can bring

Laptop computer
 	_____________ level of experience        own        can bring
					
4. Request for fee scholarship (optional).  If you would like to apply for a fee scholarship, please explain your need and specify the amount of your request.
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