Philanthropy's Impact on the Libraries

When we say your giving makes a difference, we don't just mean figuratively. In a literal sense, every gift to the University Libraries provides a service, a resource, or a space that directly affects the scholarly success of one of our students, faculty, or visiting researchers. Here are a few of the ways your philanthropy toward the Libraries shapes the future for Baylor University.

1. A Reimagined Moody 1st Floor

A Reimagined Moody First Floor

The University Libraries transformed a significant portion of the first floor of Moody Memorial Library from a previous incarnation as a location for book ranges into a vibrant, inclusive, and cutting-edge area for individual, small group, and seminar-style instruction aimed at supporting the university’s goal of creating a “transformative undergraduate education” for our students. Completing this project will made great strides toward the Libraries’ goal of increasing overall space for student use from the current level of a maximum of 9% of our student body to our target of 15% and is key to our mission of reclaiming the libraries for students, not materials.

This view of Moody 1 West shows rows of book ranges that held general collection items until the late fall 2020. The shelves were removed over the winter 2021/2021 break.

After extensive remodeling work during the 2020 Christmas break, the space was opened for small group use, offering dramatic views of the Baylor campus in a refreshed environment.

In early summer 2021, temporary furniture was added to the area in anticipation of permanent fixtures to come.

By the start of the Fall 2021 semester, individual study furnishings, a "pavilion" of four small rooms, and upgraded desks were added.

Funds for the furnishings and technology infrastructure in this area were provided by the Library Dean's Excellence Fund and generous benefactors like the Schumacher Foundation. The Baylor Libraries extends their thanks to all who gave in support of this transformation project!

2. Moody 304 Active Learning Lab - Supported by the Schumacher Foundation

3. Black Gospel Archive & Listening Center

The next step in the ongoing evolution of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project (BGMRP) is located on the Garden Level of Moody Memorial Library, just outside the Riley Digitization Center. Opened on November 12, 2021, the new Black Gospel Archive & Listening Center (BGA) is the physical home of the BGMRP, with archival storage space for thousands of items, a sound booth for private listening and research, and meeting space for scholars to engage with the scholarly resources found in the project.

The project was initiated with a lead gift of $50,000 from the Prichard Family Foundation, long-time supporters of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project. Total project costs will run to $175,00, plus an additional $40,000 in furnishings. The Libraries received $20,000 in gifts toward furnishings and the purchase of the sound isolation booth, with a major gift from the Libraries Board of Advocates leading the way.

4. "Chairs For Bears"

side by side comparison of chairs from 1968 to now

Original 1968-era Moody Library chair (left) and "Lyric" chair by Allsteel

When Moody Memorial Library opened its doors in 1968, it was considered a prime example of Mid-century Modern architecture, with furnishings and decor to match. Over time, much of the furniture from Moody's early years has been lost due to constant use by hundreds of thousands of Baylor students. Surprisingly, some 300 original chairs can still be found throughout Moody, but as may be expected, their aesthetic and functional value has been greatly reduced over the ensuing 50-plus years. In short: many of the chairs in Moody are old, uncomfortable, and in desperate need of replacement.

Over the past five years, the Libraries have made a priority of upgrading the furnishings in Moody to include new tables, lighting, carpet, flooring, and soft seating. As we work toward a goal of providing seating for 15% of our student body within Moody and Jones Libraries, upgrading our existing seating remains a top-level project. A donation to our "Chairs for Bears" project will provide the resources our students deserve: modern, functional, and comfortable new Lyric chairs from AllSteel designed to last for decades to come.

Project Progress

Thanks to a generous gift of $20,000 from Ken Betterton and another $5,000 from Nancy Newman Logan, we have secured 74 new "Lyric" chairs for the first floor of Moody Memorial Library, completing our project to upgrade the seating on an entire floor of our main campus library!

A major gift from Vernon and Charlene Wells of $32,000 will allow us to purchase another 90 chairs toward our goal of replacing 300+ original 1968 chairs!

As of February 2022, we've secured the funding to replace all of the remaining chairs on Moody 2! The new pieces will be in place by mid-Spring barring production delays. Now all that remains is 120 chairs on Moody 3!

Update! As of March 2022, the necessary funding to replace all chairs in Moody Memorial Library has been secured! Many thanks to all who gave toward this project.

Questions? Contact Dean of Libraries Jeffry Archer at jeffry_archer@baylor.edu.

5. ABL Garden of Contentment Upgrades

The Garden of Contentment provides a stunning natural respite from the intense heat of Central Texas summers, and a beautiful setting for gatherings year-round. Recent upgrades to the space have added sustainable, environmentally appropriate ground covering and flora, and in 2022-2023, funds were raised to install additional tables and chairs to ensure the garden provides enough spaces for individual and small group enjoyment.

Funds raised for this project provided:

- 7 perforated steelhead tables in silver

- 14 Catena chairs in silver

- 2 outdoor power stations

Named Spaces

There are many spaces throughout the University Libraries named in honor of generous benefactors spanning back to the earliest days of the university. Their legacies and names endure in places like the Joe Allbritton Foyer (Moody Memorial Library), the Prichard Family Information Commons (Moody Memorial Library), the Ray I. Riley Digitization Center (Moody Memorial Library) and the Frances C. Poage Map Room (The Texas Collection). A gift at this level ensures future generations of Baylor students will recognize the enduring legacy of Baylor's proudest supporters.

Crucial Resources

Baylor's attaining R1-Tier1 status - a designation that represents the highest levels of academic, scholarly, and research output - underscores the need for access to new scholarly resources. From journals dedicated to highly specialized scientific areas to Open Educational Resources (OER), the Libraries are at the crucial junction of expertise, acquisition, and access that undergirds the university's advancing research agenda.

2021 Development Highlights - University Libraries

Each year, our colleagues in University Development put together a snapshot of the progress each Baylor area made toward its fundraising and development goals. Below is the 2021 report for the University Libraries.

In 2021, more than 750,000 patrons visited Moody Memorial Library and Jesse H. Jones Library in person. Additionally, Baylor Libraries served as a pivotal resource for distance learning necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and as a refuge from subfreezing temperatures wrought by a weeklong winter storm. Whether working on campus or remotely, the Libraries faculty and staff have innovated with excellence to meet the needs of the Baylor family through enhanced resources, instruction, consultation and creativity.

The Libraries expanded access to collections throughout the pandemic shutdown by implementing curbside service and postal delivery of resources to remotely-located students. The launch of a robust online chat service further mitigated the challenges of social distancing for the entire Baylor community. Moody Memorial Library likewise provided shelter from the winter storm to students seeking warmth and internet service amid extended power outages.

Improvements benefiting in-person learning included the centralization of help desk services and reconfiguration of Moody’s Garden Level to house the new Black Gospel Archive Listening Center. Resources attained through the Junior Library Guild program prepare Baylor graduates to move into the classroom as professional teachers and support the education of early childhood development students.

Undergirding the success of Baylor Libraries in enhancing the student experience is the support of donors who have come alongside the university to provide for exceptional facilities, materials and programs. As demonstrated by the surpassing of the 2014 campaign goal to raise $10 million for Libraries, gifts of all sizes have combined to make a significant impact:

900+ donors
2,000+ gifts
$10.6M given
$3.6M to endowment
$1.7M to Dean’s Excellence Fund
10 new endowed funds
$2.6M to Baylor Libraries
73 gifts to Library Book Fund, totaling $255,000+
5 portraits valued at $336,000 to the Texas Collection
Donation of the Parker Collection, valued at $285,000, donated to the Texas Collection
Nearly $300,000 to the Baylor University Collections of Political Materials at W.R. Poage Legislative Library
$256,000 to support Baylor at Independence restoration tour efforts
$500,000 to support the Milton T. Gregory Memorial Garden at Moody Memorial Library

Pledge Your Support

To give to the Baylor University Libraries, contact Dean Jeffry Archer and discuss how your gift can change the lives of members of Baylor's academic community today.

Jeffry Archer
Dean of University Libraries
(254) 710-8509
jeffry_archer@baylor.edu