The purpose of this project is to identify, acquire, preserve, record and catalogue the most at-risk music from the black gospel music tradition. This will primarily include 78s, 45s, LPs, and the various tape formats issued in the United States and abroad between 1945 and 1970. Additionally, any ephemera that may be of use to scholars -- including PR photos and press packets, taped interviews, informal photographs, tour books and programs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and sheet music -- will also be acquired as it becomes available. The ultimate goal is to have a copy of every song released by every black gospel artist or group during that time period.

Due to copyright restrictions, there are two online collections associated with this project. A Baylor-access only collection requiring use on campus, or login with a Bear ID and password. This collection provides full access to streaming audio, images and metadata. The second collection is for public access and provides access to 30-second streaming audio clips, images and metadata.

The streaming audio from this collection is currently not working in the latest versions of Explorer. Streaming is working in FireFox and Safari.

William Surtees Cook (1813 - 1887) married Henrietta, the sister of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in 1850. His journal records daily activities of the Barretts, the death of Elizabeth in 1861, and visits with both Robert and Pen Browning, as well as numerous insights into the religion, politics, and class structure of the nineteenth century.

The digitization and transcription of the journal was made possible through a generous gift by Anne Birkhead in loving memory of her mother, Frances Lewis Birkhead (class of 1947), and her grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. George E. Lewis.

The Frances G. Spencer Collection of American Sheet Music is one of the few collections of its kind and size in the country. Acquired by Baylor University in 1965, this collection of approximately 30,000 titles was the life-long pursuit of the avid and well-respected sheet music collector for whom the collection is named. The collection includes many fine examples of first editions such as Jingle Bells and Battle Hymn of the Republic, as well as first editions of prominent American composers of the time such as Stephen Foster and Scott Joplin. Spanning from the late 18th century to the early 20th century, the Spencer collection complements a number of areas of study in addition to music, including Texas and American history, art, political science, sociology, theater, sports, and recreation. It is arranged in over 200 subject categories.

The timeless themes of love and war are revealed with startling intimacy in this collection of personal letters written during the turbulent years of the American Civil War.

Spanning more than 80 years and dozens of unique topics, the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies Research File collection contains 1,492 items related to the relationship between government and religious institutions in the United States and abroad. With a special emphasis on the evolution of Baptist institutions, the collection provides insight into the often contentious struggle to find a balance between church positions and the workings of local, state, and national government.