The Deutsche Volksliedarchiv, a research institute for Volkslied (folk song) in German, was founded in 1914 and was integrated into the University of Freiburg in 2014, now called Zentrum für Populäre Kultur und Musik (Centre of popular culture and music). It has extensive collections of traditional and popular songs, maintained and expanded in the new centre, and accessible to the public without restriction. Before 2014, it was independent scientific research institute of the state Baden-Württemberg, based in Freiburg im Breisgau. History The institution was founded in 1914 by the Germanist and folklorist John Meier, aiming to collect and document Volkslieder (folk songs) and to publish them in a scholarly complete edition. The publishing was successful for ballades between 1935 and 1996. Meier's enterprise was scientifically advanced at the time, especially the recourse to the then still novel empirical methods (active collection activity). It was based on national and folk-pedagogical efforts, to pass cultural heritage to people uprooted by modernity. Meier rejected the contemporary (entertainment music) (operetta, Schlager), but also collected "Kunstlied im Volksmund" (art song in people's mouth). During the period of National Socialism and World War II, the Archive continued its activities of collecting, documentation and editing. Ideologically, the national and folk-pedagogical accents already established in 1914 were reinforced, but Meyer avoided racist and antisemitic tones. During the war, there were efforts to integrate the archive into the University of Freiburg, but this step was not taken at the time. After its founders death, the institute was taken over in 1953 by the state of Baden-Württemberg as a research institution, with a library dedicated to the collections. The legal basis was a donation contract: Meier had left his scientific library and collections to the state, while the institute's building – Meier's former residence – was purchased by the state and left to the archive until 2011. During the 1960s, the scientific spectrum was expanded, in terms of both focus and research. In particular, the political songs and the singer-songwriter scene (Liedermacher) were included. A renewed and comprehensive modernization was undertaken in the 2000s, especially by including contemporary musical culture and by paying attention to media issues. At the same time, the Archive released new publications: the two online encyclopaedias from 2005, and from 2011. At the same time, the series Populäre Kultur und Musik (Popular Culture and Music), edited by Michael Fischer and Nils Grosch, was founded to complement