Materials about Andresen and the state of old-time music in the Duluth region are best revealed in the manuscript materials in the collection. These include published accounts of Andresen's activities, the original manuscript of his article “Traditional Music of Wisconsin,” Andresen's writings, and a small body of correspondence. More than 200 photos and postcards can be found in the collection. Most images document performances by Andresen and other old-time musicians and were removed from their original files for preservation. Evidence of Andresen's career as a graphic artist is represented throughout the collection with information on typography and the School of the Associated Arts.
The Andresen manuscript materials are organized into four series: general files, Scandinavian files, subject files, and music folios. The Scandinavian files and music folios are organized alphabetically by musician. Photographs now listed in the Graphic Materials series were removed from subject file folders; notes in the folders indicate that photos were removed.
The Andresen recordings are organized by record type--78 rpm, 45 rpm, and LP discs, and reel-to-reel tapes. Information on the 78s can be found by searching the Ethnic Recordings Database at Mills Music Library. The database is not yet online so a Mills librarian must help with access. The 45 rpm and LP recordings are unprocessed. A tape inventory is included in this finding aid for the reel-to-reel tapes of Northland Hoedown. Mills holds all but 12 of the 94 radio programs Andresen recorded, and each 30-minute program focuses on a particular regional musician or style. A portion of these radio shows, which are not organized chronologically, are digitized and the rest remain accessible on reel-to-reel.
