I believe the archives were started as the Woody Guthrie Foundation by Marjorie Guthrie, Nora's mother and Woody's ex-wife.   Marjorie started the archives as well as an organization called the Committee to Combat Huntington's Disease. Harold Leventhal gave her space in his offices. I remember visiting her office in the late 70's and she pointed out file cabinets that were filled with material. I think that was only the tip of the iceberg back then. A lot of her time was spent answering letters and allowing limited access for certain projects.   I think when Nora took it over and turned it into an archive that it really became a resource - although I understand it is a very lean operation that is doing an incredible job.