University Libraries

Mission Statement

The mission of the Baylor University Libraries is to support excellence in teaching and learning, enhance research and discovery, and foster scholarship and success by providing academic life centers, scholarly resources, and technological innovation.

The Libraries will accomplish the mission by:

• Developing and implementing appropriate strategies to support student success
• Providing an infrastructure that effectively supports the academic mission of Baylor University
• Building, preserving and providing access to collections, especially those unique to Baylor University
• Developing partnerships and enhancing relationships locally, regionally and nationally to promote the reputation of the Libraries and the university, and ensuring effective resource management
• Highlighting collections, services and facilities through strategic engagement
• Sustaining and promoting a culture of efficient and effective administrative practices

Moody Memorial Library and Jesse H. Jones Library

Moody Memorial Library and Jesse H. Jones Library, or the “Central Libraries,” together are the main research library for the university. Located at the end of Fountain Mall on South Third Street, these adjoining libraries house over 2.5 million volumes, including rare materials, and over 140,000 media items for undergraduate, graduate and faculty research. The Libraries provide access to thousands of electronic resources including e-books, online journals and databases covering a wide range of research areas. Subject specialist liaison librarians and staff are available to provide research assistance. Students heavily utilize the library as a place for individual and group study. The Moody Garden Level Study Commons, the Prichard Family Information Commons and Allbritton Foyer are popular study areas open 24 hours/day, from 1 p.m. Sunday to 11 p.m. Friday during the fall and spring semesters. The Moody Foyer is also home to a Starbucks.

For more information on the Central Libraries, visit www.baylor.edu/library/.

Electronic Library

The Electronic Library provides services and resources to assist the Baylor academic community with technology-based tools for teaching, learning and research. Faculty and staff in the Electronic Library support the use of electronic information resources within the library system, including online databases, digital materials, electronic tools for scholarship, and technology-enhanced learning. The Electronic Library also supports technology for teaching and learning by providing resources for classroom technology, faculty development and support, student computing services, web-based course materials and research computing. By combining the roles of the librarian and the academic technology professional, the Electronic Library is able to support the innovative use of technology to access a wide range of electronic and digital resources for scholarship.

For additional information, visit www.baylor.edu/library/el/.

Armstrong Browning Library

A world-renowned special collection focusing on the lives and works of the 19th-century British poets, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, this library houses the largest collection of their letters, manuscripts and other primary materials in existence. The Brownings: A Research Guide (www.browningguide.org), an online database created by the library, facilitates the study of the Brownings and their circle. In recent years the collection has broadened its scope and presently serves students and scholars researching many aspects of the Victorian period. All library materials are used in the Belew Scholars’ Room located on the third floor, where staff members are available to assist patrons. The building itself contains magnificent architectural features and attracts thousands of visitors each year. For a quiet and concentrated study atmosphere reminiscent of a college library at Oxford or Cambridge, Baylor students are encouraged to use the John Leddy-Jones Research Hall on the second floor from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. The inspirational McLean Foyer of Meditation is available during the same hours; and the Garden of Contentment can be enjoyed at any time.

For additional information, visit www.baylor.edu/library/abl/.

The Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society

The Keston Institute was officially formed in the United Kingdom in 1969 under the direction of Michael Bourdeaux to document the fight for religious freedom by believers living under communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The archive and library provided the core of Keston’s operations and contained unique items on religions and Christian denominations, including the stories of individuals and their witness.

In 2007, the Keston Institute passed the care of its archive and library to the newly-formed Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society at Baylor. As part of the University Libraries, the Keston Center works with the Keston Institute in Oxford in carrying out its mission to promote research, teaching, and understanding of religion and politics in communist, post-communist, and other totalitarian societies and the relationship between religion and Marxism.

Housed on the third floor of the Carroll Library, Keston materials are available for use in the Michael Bourdeaux Reading Room. For additional information, visit www.baylor.edu/kestoncenter/.

The Texas Collection

Founded in 1923, The Texas Collection is a research center consisting of extensive printed materials and archives. Its holdings include books, periodicals, vertical files, maps, historical manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, Baylor University archives and other Texana-related materials. It is also a depository for Texas state documents, county microfilm records, oral memoirs and most graduate theses and dissertations completed at Baylor. These materials cover all aspects of life in Texas and provide opportunities for in-depth research by graduate and undergraduate students as well as faculty members and scholars from throughout Texas and the world. The Texas Collection is located in Carroll Library  on the Burleson Quadrangle and is an excellent library for quiet study and research.

For more information visit www.baylor.edu/library/texas/.

Baylor Collections of Political Materials

The materials in this collection, which focus on national and Texas politics, include the papers of former members of the United States Congress, the Texas Legislature, judges and other officials. The library houses materials about Texas politicians and provides an important resource for research by social and political scientists of both national and state-level political history and activities. The Baylor Collections of Political Materials is located in the W. R. Poage Legislative Library building.

For more information, visit www.baylor.edu/library/poage/.

Baylor University Press

The Baylor University Press, in conjunction with the University Press Committee, is responsible for publishing academic research, thus advancing knowledge to scholars beyond campus boundaries. The office oversees all acquisitions, editing, production, and marketing activities.

Mayborn Museum Complex

The Sue & Frank Mayborn Natural Science and Cultural History Museum Complex at Baylor University includes the Harry & Anna Jeanes Discovery Center, the Gov. Bill & Vara Daniel Historic Village, and the Strecker Museum Collection. The Mayborn Museum Complex brings together in one location the resources of hands-on discovery rooms and interactive natural science and cultural history galleries, including outdoor exhibits. This unusually rich combination provides a wide spectrum of engaging learning opportunities for all types of learners and visitors of all ages. The exhibits and education programs encourage families to learn together as they make choices and design their own museum experience. The multifaceted Museum Complex also serves as a learning laboratory for Baylor University students in the Department of Museum Studies, as well as many other disciplines across campus.