Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Story

The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music documents American music through historical artifacts and archival records in multiple formats. The center is part of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign's library system and the University of Illinois School of Music.Among the center's important collections are archives of John Philip Sousa, Albert Austin Harding, Herbert L. Clarke and the University of Illinois Bands. The center is devoted to collection and preservation, public access, exhibitions, publications, and scholarship.The center is located in the Harding Band Building on the campus of the University of Illinois. It operates as a museum, with annual rotating exhibits on themes such as Baseball and Music, Women and Music, Technology and Music, and events during the annual November Music Month in Champaign-Urbana. All collections are accessible to the public and are regularly used in exhibit displays and public programming.