• To sup­port the instruc­tional and research mis­sion of the Uni­ver­sity of Wash­ing­ton and the Eth­no­mu­si­col­ogy Program.
• To pro­vide archival ser­vices to a world­wide clien­tele of stu­dents and researchers.
• To safe­guard the musi­cal her­itage embod­ied in the Archives’ recorded collections.
• To encour­age respon­si­ble eth­no­mu­si­co­log­i­cal field research and appro­pri­ate doc­u­men­ta­tion, stor­age, and preser­va­tion of result­ing research materials.
• To bal­ance the need for open and unre­stricted access to research mate­ri­als with the need to restrict access due to pri­vacy con­cerns or cultural/spiritual restrictions.
• To apply pro­fes­sional archiv­ing stan­dards to the per­for­mance of the archival tasks of col­lec­tion, doc­u­men­ta­tion, access, and preservation.

The UW Ethnomusicology Program and Archives stand in solidarity with our African American students and other students of color at the University of Washington as well as with our African American colleagues and other colleagues of color—including faculty, staff, and other University of Washington employees. We are committed to making space in academia for historically underrepresented musics, voices, and experiences. Read more here... 

The Archives is entrusted with caring for Native American and other Indigenous ethnographic collections. As part of our ongoing efforts to preserve and return digital copies of these collections to communities of origin, we refer and adhere to the guidelines described in Protocols for Native American Archival Materials. If you have questions about our digital return and physical repatriation efforts, contact us: lib.washington.edu/about/contact 

The Ethnomusicology Archives, a part of UW Libraries Special Collections since 2023, is distributed across UW's School of Music Building and Suzzallo-Allen Library. Due to accessibility issues and staffing shortages, the Archives is currently available by appointment only. Contact the curator to make an appointment: lib.washington.edu/about/contact 

John Vallier, curator/archivist

• 24/7 Chat
• Phone: (206) 543-0974 
• Email: ethnoarc@uw.edu
• Website: guides.lib.uw.edu 

Connect with the Archives on Instagram and SoundCloud.