We’re always looking for new ways to connect the unique content in the Baylor University Libraries Digital Collections with our many and multi-faceted publics. So when it came time to find a way to create digital exhibits based on either a.) formerly physical exhibits or b.) entirely digital content, we settled on web publishing platform…
It Was There Before The Tree, Obviously: The Story of Mrs. Hubbard’s Hidden Flag Pole at the ABL
An existential question for you on this Flag Day: Is a flag pole still a flag pole if it’s no longer flying a flag? (Short answer: yes, it’s just not living up to its potential.) Here’s another, related, question: What’s up with the 50-foot flag pole currently hidden by a giant oak tree on the…
Before There Was A “Lariat,” There Was The “Literary”
The daily documentation of life at Baylor University began in earnest with the first issue of The ‘Varsity Lariat, the campus newspaper of record since 1900. But almost a decade earlier, Baylor students in the waning decade of the 19th century found their means of expression on the pages of the Baylor Literary. And now,…
And Then There Were 9,601: A Big Update on the Spencer Sheet Music Collection
It’s a collection that’s been at Baylor University since the middle of last century, with items spanning back to the 1700s. There are more than 28,000 items in that collection including a first edition of The Battle Hymn of the Republic and Jingle Bells. And as of this week, it’s reached a milestone: more than…
Guest Post: Celebrating Congress Week at the Baylor Collections of Political Materials (BCPM)
This week’s blog comes to us from Zach Kastens, a graduate assistant at the Baylor Collections of Political materials. Welcome, Zach! From April 1st—7th, the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress celebrates Congress Week, commemorating the month in which Congress achieved its first quorums in 1789. This year, the Baylor Collections of Political…
Battle Hymns and Passion Flowers: Julia Ward Howe And the 19th Century Women Poets Collection
A recently-released biography of Julia Ward Howe by Elaine Showalter titled The Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe paints an intriguing picture of an early American abolitionist and feminist whose unhappy marriage bred two works of creative genius: The Battle Hymn of the Republic (1861-1862) and a less-well-known book of poetry called Passion-Flowers (1853). You…
Classic Post: “Confuse Me, I’m Irish”: Evaluating Unusual Irish-Centric Sheet Music From The Early 1900s
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we’re re-posting this classic post on the strange kinds of Irish-themed sheet music to be found in our Frances G. Spencer Collection of American Popular Sheet Music. Taitneamh a bhaint as tú féin! (That’s Irish for “Enjoy yourself!”) “Confuse Me, I’m Irish”: Evaluating Unusual Irish-Centric Sheet Music From The…
From the First Issue to Last Semester: The Newly Expanded “Baylor Lariat” Digital Archive!
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’re probably wondering where we’ve been the past month or so. Well, it’s been a long time coming, but we’ve been laboring over a major project and have returned today to announce a major addition to the Baylor Lariat digital collection. For the first time ever, every…
Color Our Collections 2016!
We’re excited to be taking part in Color Our Collections 2016! The event start at the New York Academy of Medicine and this year tons of new institutions are joining in the fun by taking items from their collections, reformatting them as coloring pages, and encouraging users to upload their creations to social media using…
An Open Letter to Chip & Joanna Gaines of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper”
Dear Chip (@chippergaines) and Joanna (@TheMagnoliaMom), First off, a big old Howdy! from your alma mater‘s official Digital Collections blog! It seems like you guys are everywhere these days: doing publicity for Season 3 of your awesome show, going on the lecture circuit, showing up on the morning shows – and all while running the…
Making Our Mark(ers): The DPG’s 2015 in Review
Well, another year of saving the world one scan at a time is in the books, and 2015 was a doozy for all of us at the Digital Projects Group! But rather than give you a dry recitation of stats, we asked our friends Kara (Baylor’s oh-so-excellent metadata librarian and Friend of the Blog) and…
Memories of Christmases Past: Stories from the Oral History Collection
Christmas is a time for family, celebrating and the making and sharing of memories. Many times, those memories are presented as stories told during family gatherings (sometimes for the hundredth time), and oral traditions are an important part of any get-together. One of our most-used resources is composed almost entirely of personal stories and memories:…