Ola Belle Reed Research Guide: Archival Collections
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Archival Collections with Materials Related to Ola Belle Reed
- Ola Belle Reed Collection, 1960-1979 (20010)This collection primarily includes audio recordings, some news clippings and the manuscript for Reed’s unpublished autobiography. The audio recordings are a mixture of live performances and more intimate interviews, conversations and home music recordings. The conversation topics range from music, religion and politics to pollution, sex education, love and more. Reed’s unpublished autobiography, “High on a Mountain” was written with the help of David Reed and Josh Dunson.
- Robert D. Bethke Collection, 1971-2000 (20466)This collection includes four open reel recordings and two videos of Reed and her family from 1972.
- Alice Gerrard Collection, circa 1870s-2008 (20006)This collection includes audio recordings from performances and parties and photographs of Ola Belle Reed, primarily from the New River Ranch Music Park in Rising Sun, Maryland that Reed ran with her husband Bud Reed.
- Mike Seeger Collection, 1923-2012 (20009)This collection also includes audio recordings and photographs of Ola Belle Reed, primarily from the New River Ranch Music Park in Rising Sun, Maryland.
- Eugene Earle Collection, 1939-1980s (20376)The Eugene Earle collection contains several open reel recordings of Ola Belle including recordings from Sunset Park, New River Ranch and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Ola Belle is spelled “Olabelle” in the collection.
- Pete Kuykendall Collection, 1938-1995 (20546)Ola Belle Reed appears on two open reels in the Kuykendall collection, both at New River Ranch. SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20546/259 features Reno and Smiley with a brief appearance by Ola Belle reed and the New river Ranch Gang. SFC Audio Open Reel FT-20546/80 features the Monroe Brothers and others, including “Aunt Ola Bell”. An open reel for the Carter Stanley memorial concert also references Ola Belle’s band “The New River Boys.”
- North American Traditions Collection, 1967-2007 (20503)This collection contains six sides of Reed’s recordings for the 1977 album Ola Belle Reed and Family, including several unissued cuts.
- William R. Ferris Collection, 1910s-2022 (20367)This collection includes photographs of Ola Belle Reed at Yale University in 1975-1978 and recordings from Calhoun college in 1975 and 1976.
- Southern Folk Cultural Revival Project Collection, 1965-1989 (20004)Correspondence, publicity, tour planning and photos related to Ola Belle Reed’s involvement with the Southern Folk Cultural Revival Project, an organization that presented integrated concerts, tours and other events with Black and white musicians in the South during the late 1960s – 1980s.
- Mary Katherine Aldin Artist Files, circa 1990-2010 (20485)This collection includes an artist file for Ola Belle Reed.
- Sing Out! Collection, 1937-2014 (20550)SFC Audio Cassette FS-20550/2: Gospel Workshop, 1980 with Ola Belle Reed, Janette Carter, Elizabeth Cotten and Lily May Ledford.
- North Carolina Folklore Broadcast Collection, 1976 (20105)Ola Belle Reed performs at the 1976 Festival of the Eno in Durham, North Carolina.
Finding Aids
A finding aid is one way that archivists make the materials within a collection available to search. It typically includes a collection overview, scope of content, copyright and permissions and sometimes a more detailed list of content. Finding aids are meant to help in the research process rather than being a complete description of what is available.
Navigating the finding aid
Finding aids have multiple sections and can be overwhelming to look at. Understanding how they are organized can help with navigating them. The format of finding aids may vary from institution to institution, but all finding aids include the same basic information such as an abstract, biography, scope and content, copyright and permissions. The top of the finding aid will typically have more general information such as an overview of the collection, subject headings and related collections. The finding aid will provide more detailed information the further you go, sometimes including a complete content list.
Finding Aid Tip:
The menu on the left side of the screen provides links to jump to different sections of the finding aid. If you are looking for a particular item, you can use “ctrl and F” (or “command and F on macs) to search for individual names, dates, locations and other keywords.
Use “search archival collections” to search the finding aids in Wilson Library.
Requesting Materials From Finding Aids
If the item you are interested in is not digitized, you can request it by clicking "request this collection" and specifying the call number of the item you want. You may request the item for an in-person visit, or through a duplication request. For more information on registering and requesting materials, visit the Registering and Requesting Materials page.
