She was a pioneer of the collection and study of urban folk traditions and was elected president of the American Folklore Society in 1949.
[2] In 1923, James was appointed a junior lecturer in the English Department at the Colleges of the City of Detroit, later Wayne State University.
With her colleague, the folklorist Emelyn Elizabeth Gardner, James founded the Wayne State University Folklore Archive in 1939.
[3] Both women had been involved in the settlement-house movement, actions which influenced their work on the archive.
The archive mostly consists of transcripts of oral interviews conducted - and photographs taken - by the students as part of their research.
[4] The strengths of the archive lie in modern industrial and occupational folklore, "reflecting the rich ethnic diversity and work-oriented heritage of Detroit and southeastern Michigan".