Armstrong Browning Library to Host Annual Benefactors Day Celebration

Event features presentation from research fellow on “Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls: 19th-Century Medicine, Religion and Literature”

Libraries Contact: Carlye Thornton, Baylor Libraries, 254-710-6675
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WACO, Texas (Nov. 13, 2019) – A lecture on “Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls: 19th-Century Medicine, Religion and Literature” will be featured as part of the Benefactors Day celebration at Baylor University’s renowned Armstrong Browning Library (ABL) at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, in the Hankamer Treasure Room at ABL, 710 Speight Ave.

The lecture by Lesa Scholl, Ph.D., ABL’s Three-Month Research Fellow from the University of Adelaide in Australia, will dive into the works of contemporary writers, such as Christina Rossetti and Alice Meynell, and explore the impact physical and spiritual health had on social justice understandings in 19th-century Britain.

Scholl, who also works as a research fellow of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, has been using ABL’s resources to contribute to her studies during her fellowship program.

“It’s been exciting to uncover the conversations that were occurring between medical practitioners and theologians about nutrition and bodily health,” Scholl said. “When I talk to others about my research, they’ve been prompted to think about initiatives in their own communities where they can get involved. That’s been really exciting.”

The ABL anticipates that this year’s Benefactors Day will leave a lasting impact on those who attend.

“I hope that they are encouraged to think about their own consumption and consider ways to be more ethical in terms of their individual health and production of waste,” Scholl said.

Baylor’s Armstrong Browning Library is a 19th-century research center dedicated to the study of the lives and works of Victorian poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and houses the world’s largest collection of Browning material and other fine collections of rare 19th-century books, manuscripts and works of art.

This year marks the 20th year that ABL has been honoring its supporters through the Benefactors Day celebration. ABL director Jennifer Borderud said it’s an important way the library shows appreciation for its supporters.

“Their generosity enables us to bring talented scholars to Baylor, to support the research needs of these scholars as well as the research and teaching needs of Baylor faculty and students, and to share the research findings made possible by the library’s collections with the Baylor community and the general public,” Borderud said.

A reception with light refreshments will follow the presentation in the Cox Reception Hall. For more information, please contact Carlye_Thornton@baylor.edu.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT THE BAYLOR UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The Baylor University Libraries lead as an innovative research library that undergirds scholarship, fosters teaching and learning, and builds communities. Comprised of the Central Libraries and world-renowned special collections that include the Armstrong Browning Library, The Texas Collection and University Archives, The Institute for Oral History, the Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society, and the W. R. Poage Legislative Library, the Libraries drive research at Baylor University and beyond.