Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Biography
Scope and Content
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Federal Writers' Project of California records
Date (inclusive): 1930-1942
Collection number: 306
Creator:
Federal Writers' Project (Calif.)
Extent:
206 document boxes (103 linear ft.)
1 oversized box (1 linear ft.)
1 flat box (.5 linear ft.)
1 oversized folder (3 linear ft.)
Abstract: Records of the Southern California section of the Federal Writers' Project, including writing and research for the WPA Guide
to California, the Los Angeles guide, the local history research material (never published), art object inventory, records
of personnel, war and civilian defense material, and administrative documents. The bulk of material focuses on Guide Book
research and material for Los Angeles and other Southern California regions.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library,
Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of
the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC
Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Collection acquired prior to October, 1948.
Processing Information
Collection minimally processed by Joanna Black in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from
Kelley Wolfe Bachli, 2010. Past processing of a portion of the collection by George Sanchez, 1986. Folder titles have been
maintained from their original titles, as provided by the Federal Writers' Project. Because of this, discrepancies exist in
folder title structures, spellings, and organizations. Files have been divided into series and subseries according to primary
subjects, as interpreted by the collection processor. Some overlap between subjects does exist, but files were placed within
the section determined as most relevant.
A portion of the processing of this collection was generously supported by
Arcadia
funds.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Federal Writers' Project of California records (Collection 306). Library Special Collections, Charles
E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography
The Federal Writers' Project began in 1935 under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal program, as part of the Works
Progress Administration. Employing writers, researchers, editors, historians, and other field workers, FWP is best known for
compiling the American Guide Series books that detailed the histories of each state. This collection is from the Southern
California branch of the FWP and contains essays and research relating to city and county government, social and cultural
institutions, commerce and industry, arts and culture, sports and recreation, local history and folklore, war and civilian
defense, and municipalities and cities, as well as numerous other subjects used toward FWP assignments. The program ended
in 1943 after state and federal sponsorship halted.
Scope and Content
Records of the Southern California section of the WPA Guide to California, the Los Angeles guide, the local history research
material (never published), war and civil defense documents, records of personnel, and some administrative documents. Included
is material on ethnic minorities, flora and fauna, labor and industry, churches, art, the impact of war on Southern California,
archaeological materials, cities, civilian defense, agriculture, health, sports and recreation, folklore, LA World War II
posters, Hollywood Writers' Mobilization, and project employee files.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Federal Writers' Project (Calif.)--Archives.
California--Guidebooks--Archival resources.
Los Angeles (Calif.)--Description and travel.