WACO, TX — Baylor University opened a new state-of-the-art Gospel Archive and Listening Center at Moody Memorial Library.
The school hosted an unveiling ceremony Friday morning to show off the new facility and the large collection of black gospel music now on display.
The center is the world's largest to scan and digitize vinyl gospel music, a process founders hope will keep the music alive for decades to come.
"There's comfortable chairs, there's places you can play old school turntable and you can see the vast array of artwork that covers these that are a unique window into African American music and life from 1940 to 1970," said Baylor Professor of Journalism and New Media Robert Darden.
The Black Gospel Archive and Listening Center features storage space for thousands of physical items, as well as researcher computer stations and a custom work desk.
Most of the music comes from the collection of Bob Marovich of Chicago, who says he has thousands of records he's happy to share.
"It's an opportunity for people to listen to songs they may not hear otherwise whether because they're in private collections or there's only a few copies left and one of them is digitized here or the physical product is here, just to enjoy the variety of gospel music," Marovich said.
The center is located on the bottom level of the library and is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m
