Betty Belanus pioneered much community scholar training through her outstanding workshops coinciding with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
"The Smithsonian Summer Institute for Community Scholars existed for two remarkable summers, 1989 and 1990, and brought community scholars from all over the country - most the them recommended by state folk arts coordinators who had been working with them for years on various projects, and relied on their knowledge of and work in their own communities. I wrote about the Institute on the occasion of its 25th anniversary here:"