Research With Us
The Texas Collection is a special collection with vast research materials. The tools below provide great starting points for your research journey. Have questions? Contact us: txcoll@baylor.edu and (254) 710-1268.
The Texas Collection is a special collection with vast research materials. The tools below provide great starting points for your research journey. Have questions? Contact us: txcoll@baylor.edu and (254) 710-1268.
A Web-based application that collects and stores Baylor University digital content and makes the evolving information searchable.
BARD is a searchable resource used to discover archival collections, including personal papers and records.
Newly revised and corrected, the Biographical Gazetteer of Texas has been released in digital format. The gazetteer indexes 194 biographies, journals and reference volumes by using a simple last and first name search strategy. Once located, the citation includes the name, a birth or death date, and the title and page number of the book. You may then use that citation information to request photoduplication of the excerpt it refers to.
Sample Search: Smith, John R., b1855, A History of Texas and Texans; v3-1217
The Biographical Gazetteer of Texas Database
Let us know how we can improve upon a Texas Collection classic.
Example Excerpt From Loyalists of the American Revolution: "Holland, Stephen. Of Londonderry, New Hampshire. He was a colonel in the militia, a member of the House of Assembly, and a man of note. In 1775 he appeared at a town-meeting, and made a written declaration that the charges against him, as being an enemy to his country, were false; and concluded with saying that "he was ready to assist his countrymen in the glorious cause of liberty, at the risk of his life and fortune." But in 1778 his estate was confiscated, and he was proscribed and banished. He was a gentleman of culture, easy address, and influence. He went to England, thence to Ireland, and died soon after the peace."
The Baylor University Libraries' Digital Collections contain a wealth of digitized items from The Texas Collection, including photographs, maps, Baylor University materials, rare books, and more.
A discovery resource that provides a single place to search most of the content available from The Texas Collection and Baylor University Libraries.
The Texas Collection is a Texas Regional Historical Resource Depository (RHRD) library. As one of 23 participating libraries in Texas, we receive the microfilm records of selected counties in our area from their Local Records Division.
The Texas Collection receives the records of these Texas counties:
Clicking on a county name will send you to the Texas State Library system where the county indices can be browsed online.
The loan of microfilm under the RHRD program is subject to the following policies and conditions of use. These policies are implemented to ensure the availability of the film to researchers on a timely basis and to protect certain rights vested by law in the custodians of the original records.
This summer The Texas Collection & University Archives is offering two teaching fellowships to encourage the use of the library’s collections in Baylor graduate and undergraduate curricula.
Past recipients of teaching fellowships who wish to explore additional possibilities are eligible to reapply. Preference, however, may be given to first-time applicants. Additionally, through a partnership with Baylor’s Learning Design team, applicants may submit a proposal for incorporating special collections into an online course.
Recipients of the teaching fellowships will receive a stipend of $1,250 (pretax) and are expected to spend at least one week (20 hours minimum) at The Texas Collection (located in Carroll Library) where they will be paired with a librarian or archivist who can provide guidance on the library’s facilities, collections, and services. The specific week chosen should be convenient to both the teaching fellow and his or her partner librarian and should occur between May 15 and August 11. Fellows incorporating materials into an online course will additionally partner with a member of Baylor’s Learning Design team.
Teaching fellows will be required to submit a 1-2 page document containing a description of how they intend to incorporate collection materials into a course. This document is due no later than two weeks after the fellow’s time in residence. Teaching fellows will also be expected to share their experiences with other faculty and graduate students by presenting on how they used collection materials in their classes in one of the Academy for Teaching and Learning’s Seminars for Excellence in Teaching (SET) or in another appropriate venue.
To apply, candidates should send a curriculum vitae and a brief statement (not to exceed two pages) describing the course for which they intend to use the library’s collections and the learning objectives they hope to achieve. Applicants should also indicate when they will be available to complete the fellowship at the library. The application materials should be sent by email to Jeff Pirtle, Director of The Texas Collection, by April 12, 2024. Recipients will be notified by April 26, 2024.
Applications will be evaluated based on their potential to enhance teaching and learning and will be reviewed by a committee. Recommendations will be sent to the Dean of University Libraries who will make the final decision.
For additional information, contact Jennifer_Borderud@baylor.edu.
*This stipend is considered summer pay which cannot exceed 25% of a faculty member’s salary.
One Bear Place #97148
Waco, TX 76798-7148