Designed for both manual and computerized applications, this up-to-date, definitive manual fills the information needs of established and beginning professionals in the fields of oral history and folklore archival management. It offers complete theoretical and practical guidelines for creating, organizing, and managing a sound archive according to state-of-the-art principles that are applicable to virtually any type of project or collection. Amateurs, students, and professionals will find essential information on every aspect of the field--from public service and community outreach activities to legal implications, technical processing, and preservation. The manual supplies, in addition, a simplified guide to data-processing and microcomputer applications for the sound archivist or librarian. Beginning with a concise introduction to the field, it outlines the elements of sound archive organization and management. The author discusses in detail the important public relations and legal requirements that should be considered, including services and security, ethical guidelines, and questions surrounding the issues of libel, access, and freedom of information. Chapters on processing, organizing, and conserving collections provide data on acquisitions, appraisals, types of processing, the technological framework, security, preservation masters, user copies, and storage. The introduction to microcomputer applications covers transcribing and word processing, data base management systems, research, and other uses.