The Armstrong Browning Library & Museum Announces Academic Symposium & Community Celebration in Honor of its 75th Anniversary
Baylor University’s Armstrong Browning Library & Museum will mark its 75th anniversary this September during Family Weekend with a two-day schedule of events honoring three-quarters of a century as the premier global center for research on Victorian poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Featuring an Academic Symposium with scholars from around the world on September 17–18 and an evening Community Celebration on Friday, September 18, 2026, the festivities recall the library’s historic 1951 dedication while looking forward to its next era of scholarly and public engagement.
Conceived through the decades-long vision and fundraising efforts of long-time Baylor English Department Chair Dr. A.J. Armstrong and his wife, Mary Maxwell Armstrong, the Armstrong Browning Library was formally dedicated in December 1951. The original three-day dedication drew international acclaim, receiving tributes from U.S. President Harry S. Truman and King George V of England, alongside a wreath-laying by poet T.S. Eliot at Robert Browning’s grave in Westminster Abbey. Today, the three-story facility houses the world’s largest collection of books, original letters, manuscripts, and memorabilia associated with the Brownings, as well as 62 stained-glass windows, an iconic 45-foot dome in the Foyer of Meditation, and the tranquil Garden of Contentment.
“We are excited to welcome everyone—whether long-time associates or those who have never visited before— to the Armstrong Browning Library & Museum to recognize this significant milestone,” said Jennifer Borderud, Librarian and Director of the Armstrong Browning Library & Museum. “Friday evening’s Community Celebration will feature food, music, poetry, exhibits, and other engagements that remember the past and look forward to our future. The Academic Symposium will honor the scholarship that has been produced from the archives, and serve as a call to Browning scholars and researchers of Victorian writers and the culture of the era to explore our holdings.”
The Community Celebration will be held on Friday, September 18, 2026, beginning at 6:00 p.m. with a reception on the main floor of the Armstrong Browning Library & Museum. Remarks will be offered at 6:30 p.m. in the Foyer of Meditation and will feature a special performance by the Baylor Chamber Singers. Following this welcome, attendees are invited to explore the library and discover poetry readings, music, exhibits, and other activities throughout the building. The evening will close with a party in the Garden of Contentment.
The Academic Symposium, "Legacies and Futures in Browning and Nineteenth-Century Scholarship," will be held on Thursday, September 17, from 1:00-5:00 p.m. and Friday, September 18, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. - Noon in the Lewis-Birkhead Lecture Hall of the Armstrong Browning Library & Museum. Sessions will be held in-person and via Zoom Webinar.
The Friday evening community celebration is free and open to the public. While RSVPs are not required, attendees are encouraged to register online for the Academic Symposium and the Community Celebration at library.web.baylor.edu/abl75 or call (254) 710-4968.
For complete details on the academic symposium schedule, panel presentations, speaker bios, and event parking, visit library.web.baylor.edu/abl75symposium. For more information about the Community Celebration, visit library.web.baylor.edu/abl75celebration.