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The Duke University Libraries Collection of Haggadot consists mainly of Passover Haggadot (singular: Haggadah) from the past 1000 years. The 436 Haggadot in the collection, which are found in the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, the Divinity School Library, Perkins Library, and Lilly Library, span 800 years (1200-2003), represent five continents (excluding only Australia and Antarctica), are written in several different languages (including Russian, Marathi, Italian, Yiddish, Ladino and Arabic), and were created for a variety of specific purposes. A majority of the Haggadot were published in the 20th century. A large number of the Haggadot are illustrated or illuminated while others contain only the text. Although the majority of the Haggadot in the collection were created by printing press, or other printing methods, Duke does own a number of limited edition facsimile editions of handwritten manuscripts. Most, but not all, of the Haggadot found in the Special Collections Library come from the Abram and Frances Pascher Kanof Collection of Jewish Art, Archaeology, and Symbolism. This guide does not include the Duke University Libraries' collection of microfilmed Haggadot. See the last paragraph of the Processing and Searching Note below for further information on searching for Haggadot in the library.

Since many of the Haggadot have similar titles (e.g. Hagadah shel Pesah yields 121 results), and to accommodate the variety of ways in which patrons might want to search for Haggadot, the entire collection has been arranged into three different series: Date List Series, Location List Series, and Purpose List Series. Each of these series contains the entire collection of Haggadot, but arranged according to different criteria. Therefore, the item with call number Haggadah Pam #106, an advertising Haggadah from 19th century New York, can be found in three places: 1) in the Date List under the 19th Century Subseries; 2) in the Location List under the United States Subseries; and 3) in the Purpose List under the Advertising Subseries.

The Date List Series is subdivided by century for Haggadot published from the 13th through the 19th centuries and by decade (e.g., 1910-1919) for those Haggadot created during the 20th and 21st centuries. The majority of the Haggadot (84%) are from the 20th century.

The Location List Series arranges the collection by the country where each Haggadah was created--usually where the item was printed--then by the date of creation. However, facsimile editions have been arranged by the place of their original creation. In these cases, the location where the facsimile was printed is identified in the description of each facsimile. This series is further arranged into subseries by country, including Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Tunisia, and United States.

The Purpose List Series is further subdivided by the specific purpose for which each Haggadah was written. Most of the Haggadot were created for use at a Passover seder and thus are arranged into the General Subseries. These Haggadot are generally traditional in content and are meant to be used by anyone. Other purpose subseries include Advertising, Children, Christian, Denominations (of Judaism), Facsimiles, Fundraising, Kibbutz, Parody, and Resource.

Collection

Earl J. Hamilton papers, 1350-1995, bulk dates 1650-1940 45 Linear Feet — 56 boxes and three oversize folders.

Earl Hamilton (1899-1989) was a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago (after beginning his career at Duke University). This collection primarily documents his professional life through his correspondence, writings, research, and teaching. It forms parts of the Economists' Papers Archive.

Hamilton's published works represented in this collection include Money, Prices, and Wages in Valencia, Aragon, and Navarre, 1351-1500; American Treasure and the Price Revolution in Spain, 1501-1660; and War and Prices in Spain, 1651-1800. There is also a copy of his 1929 dissertation.

The collection includes not only extensive background notes for Hamilton's major books and articles, but also over 200 original legajos and other documents pertaining to Spanish trade and economic development, dating primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries. Other primary source materials from the 14th to the 18th centuries are also abundant (chiefly in the form of photostats and transcripts), including hundreds of copies of documents held by the Archivo del Banco de España, the Archivo Histórico Nacional, and other archives in Europe.

Photocopies and microfilm copies of items which belong to other libraries and archives may require permission of the owner institution to further reproduce or publish. Users making further copies for their own research do so at their own discretion. Before publication of any such material, it is the user's responsibility to identify the original source and obtain permission.

The collection also contains drafts and reprints of research papers, and numerous folders of academic and personal correspondence. Some items are in French or Spanish.

Note that the early dates in the collection reflect the dates of the original primary source material that Hamilton used for his research, not the date when the photostat, photocopy or transcription was created.

Collection

Harold Jantz papers, 1500-1989 30.5 Linear Feet — About 60,000 items

Noted professor of German literature and collector of German baroque literature. Professional correspondence, note cards, research and teaching files, essays, offprints and reprints of articles by Jantz and scholars associated with him, and other printed material. Notable items are manuscripts about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his FAUST, and manuscripts related to Francis Daniel Pastorius's Bee-Hive. Accession (2008-0159) consists largely of Jantz's correspondence and letters, 1978-1985. Also included are exam blue books, some miscellaneous printed material, and a scrapbook of chromolithographs dating from the Victorian period. The blue books contain writings by Jantz, some relating to Francis Pastorius, and are arranged numerically.

Professional correspondence, note cards, research and teaching files, essays, offprints and reprints of articles by Jantz and scholars associated with him, and other printed material. Notable items are manuscripts about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his FAUST, and manuscripts related to Francis Daniel Pastorius's Bee-Hive. Accession (2008-0159) consists largely of Jantz's correspondence and letters, 1978-1985. Also included are exam blue books, some miscellaneous printed material, and a scrapbook of chromolithographs dating from the Victorian period. The blue books contain writings by Jantz, some relating to Francis Pastorius, and are arranged numerically.

Collection

John Jay TePaske papers, 1500s-1988 11.9 Linear Feet — 9000 Items

The following overview was compiled almost completely from the 1999 accession of the TePaske Papers, although the 1993 accession contains more of the same types of materials.

This collection consists of summaries of the fiscal records of the royal treasuries of key regions in colonial Spanish America. Represented in these records are present-day Mexico (New Spain), Peru, Upper Peru (Bolivia), Rio de la Plata (Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay), Chile, Ecuador, and Cuba. The scope of the records is broad and comprehensive, offering in most cases virtually complete series of fiscal data for the colonial era, from the sixteenth century through the early decades of the nineteenth century.

Variously known as sumarios, cartas cuentas, tanteos or relaciones juradas, the account summaries list all the revenues and expenditures in the account period for each particular treasury district. The royal treasuries (cajas) collected taxes and made disbursements. Tax receipts (cargo) included levies on silver production, sales and port taxes, Indian tribute, and royal monopolies on commodities, (tobacco, mercury, stamped legal paper) and legal transactions. Expenditures (data) included the salaries and upkeep of the district's royal bureaucracy, defense expenses, and support for the missionary activities of the church. Surplus revenue generally found its way into the viceroyalty's coffers to help defray costs related to governmental activities. Each summary synthesizes an account period's worth of transactions in each particular caja or treasury. As such, these documents provide a window into both the fiscal organization of the Spanish empire and the fiscal state of each district, and also help elucidate the diversity of economic life in the various treasury districts.

Most of these records come from the Archivo General de Indias in Sevilla, Spain. Originally organized into bundles or legajos, the account summaries were scattered in various sections of the Sevilla repository. The Contaduría section holds most of the accounts related to the period prior to the mid-eighteenth century. After that, the records are dispersed within the various Audiencia sections for each jurisdiction. For example, the records for the Lima treasury appear in the Audiencia of Lima section of the archive, and so on. The following list offers a broad overview of the location of the holdings in the Archivo General de Indias:

Peru: Up to 1760: Contaduría (legajos 1679-1873); After 1760: Audiencia of Lima (legajos 38-50); Audiencia of Cuzco

Upper Peru: Up to 1760: Contaduría (legajos 1795-1850); After 1760: Audiencia of Charcas (legajos 627-671); Audiencia of Lima (legajos 1301 and 1415)

Chile: Up to 1750: Contaduría (legajos 1854-1858, and 1860); After 1750: Audiencia of Chile (legajos 339-351, 395-415)

Rio de la Plata: Contaduría (legajos 1845, 1846, 1884, 1886A, 1887A, 1894A, 1894B); Audiencia of Buenos Aires (legajos 393-399, 401-409, 442, 445-446, 448, 450-451, 453-455, 457-458, 460-462, 464-466, 484, 619-620, 701-703); Audiencia of Lima (legajo 1416)

Ecuador: Contaduría (legajos 1377, 1539-1540, 1576-1577); Audiencia of Quito (legajos 140-141, 173, 165, 407, 413, 415-429, 469-475, 477, and 497)

Mexico: Up to 1760: Contaduría (legajos 677-940); After 1760: Audiencia of Mexico (legajos 2027-3198); Audiencia of Guadalajara (legajos 436-496)

These archival materials were originally collected for a collaborative research project designed to compile comprehensive fiscal data on the former Spanish American colonies. Except for the Cuban accounts, the majority of these sources have already been published in book format as the list below attests:

A. Mexico (New Spain) and Mexico City:

John J. TePaske and Herbert S. Klein. Ingresos y egresos de la Real Hacienda de Nueva España. 2 vols. México, D.F.: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 1986-1988.

John J. TePaske and José y Mari Luz Hernández Palomo. La Real Hacienda de Nueva España: la Real Caja de México, 1576-1816. México: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, SEP, Departamento de Investigaciones Históricas, Seminario de Historia Económica, 1976.

B. Peru, Upper Peru (Bolivia), Rio de la Plata (Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay), Chile, and eighteenth-century Ecuador:

John J. TePaske and Herbert S. Klein. The Royal Treasuries of the Spanish Empire in America. 4 vols. Durham: Duke University Press, 1982-1990.

(Note: The fourth volume in the series on Ecuador was compiled by professors Alvaro Jara and John J. TePaske.)

We strongly encourage researchers to first read the introductions to the published accounts before consulting these records. In the introduction to each volume, researchers will find useful background information about the development of the royal treasury system in the districts for which there is fiscal data. The introductions also concisely explain the organization and operation of the treasuries, the structure of the account summaries and the terminology used in them, the use of multiple units of currency, and other important details about bookkeeping in colonial times.

Although the published account summaries faithfully replicate the originals, there are slight variations. The authors made minor changes to make the data more manageable. Monetary units were rounded off and the entries on both the income and expenditure sides of the accounts were standardized and arranged in alphabetical order. For more information on these and other methodological issues, please see the introduction to the volumes.

The TePaske collection consists of colonial Spanish American fiscal records in both microfilm and print. The printed materials are duplicates of the originals in microform.

Glossary:

caja real = royal treasury

cargo = income, revenue

data = expenditure, disbursement

legajo = bundle of documents

ramo = income/expenditure category

sumario = accounts, account summary (also carta cuenta, tanteo, relación jurada)

tesorero = treasury official (also contador)

Collection

History of Medicine picture file, 1523-2002 and undated 16 Linear Feet — approximately 2400 items

Assembled by the staff of the Duke University Medical Library, the History of Medicine Picture File holds thousands of small and large images organized into series for individuals, places, and subjects related to the history of medicine and medical practice. The great majority portray notable physicians, scientists, naturalists, philosophers, and other individuals with important links to medicine. Places featured include hospitals and other institutions of medicine, and scenes in specific locations related to events in medical history. The subject categories cover many topics, with the largest groups including advertising, anatomy, caricatures, cartoons, pediatrics, physicians, and surgery. Predominant formats are engravings, lithographs, print materials (such as posters, clippings, and postcards), and many modern photographic reproductions of older works; there are also albumen photographs, negatives, slide reproductions, and other image formats found throughout the files. Forms part of the History of Medicine Collections at Duke University.

Assembled by the staff of the Duke University Medical Library, the History of Medicine Picture File offers thousands of images of individuals, places, and subjects dating from the 1500s to 2002, with the great majority portraying physicians, scientists, nurses, and other individuals related to the history or practice of medicine. Places featured include hospitals and other institutions of medicine, and scenes related to events in medical history. Subject categories include advertising, anatomy, books, caricature, childbirth, embryology, medical instruments, pediatrics, physicians, and surgery, among many others.

Most of the images measure in size under 10x12 inches, but there are approximately 500 larger pieces. The predominant formats are engravings, lithographs, cartoons, clippings from magazines and newspapers, and modern photographic prints, but there are also albumen photographs and other image formats found throughout the files. Items were acquired by the Duke Medical Library from various sources over many decades and functioned as a vertical file for library students and researchers.

The oversize items range in size from 11x15 to 23x30 inches, and offer a varied assemblage of portraits, caricatures, posters, broadsides, and reproductions of artwork, in black-and-white and in color. Items include portraits and scenes with notable physicians; illustrations of various medical practices, procedures, and instruments; anatomical views, some possibly as early as the 17th century; medical advertisements and promotional literature; depictions of events in medical history in Europe and North America; caricatures; 20th century illustrations for book covers; and many other topics.

Images and prints are often accompanied by reproduction negatives and slides created by Medical Center Library staff. Many of the images in this collection were also scanned by Medical Library staff and are available through the Medical Center Library & Archives Duke Medicine Digital Repository database. For more information, please contact the History of Medicine Curator at the Rubenstein Library.

Acquired as part of the History of Medicine Collections at Duke University.

Collection

Jane L. Berdes papers, 1525-1993 79.5 Linear Feet — 46,000 Items

The Jane L. Berdes Collection (1525-1993) has as its focal points the four Venetian welfare institutions known as the Ospedali Grandi and their role as providers of musical training for girls and women. The inclusive dates for the collection begin with the dates of primary materials Berdes collected and extend through her lifetime. The collection consists primarily of Berdes's research notes and materials on the Ospedali Grandi, and photocopies or microfilms of primary sources, including musical scores in manuscript and printed editions. It also contains correspondence, photographs, recordings and printed materials. Berdes identified the maestri of the Ospedali Grandi, the music performed, and the names of over 800 women who were members of the cori , but relatively little is known about them individually with the exception of Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen. In addition, the collection features general materials pertaining to other women in music throughout history. The user is advised that some photocopies are unattributed and, where Berdes did not indicate composer or author, no attempt has been made to provide one. The archive contains very few of Berdes's personal papers.

The bulk of the collection is found in the Research Notes and Materials Series, which contains information gathered in preparation for her books on the Ospedali Grandi and Maddalena Lombardini Sirmen (MLS). The heart of this series is the Ospedali Grandi data designated as Raw Materials, which contains information culled from primary sources and arranged by subject. Most subseries provide documentation for Raw Materials, including copies of primary and secondary sources, pictures of instruments and iconography, and a bibliography. Similar materials pertaining to Sirmen are here also, as is general information about women in music.

The Music Series contains manuscripts and early printed editions of music performed at the Ospedali Grandi in the form of photocopies or microfilms (printed scores in modern edition are grouped with Printed Materials). There is particular emphasis on the compositions of Sirmen, including some recordings of her music. Works by Bertoni, Galuppi, Hasse, Jommelli, Vivaldi and others are grouped alphabetically by composer. The Correspondence Series contains both general professional correspondence and Thesis Correspondence, that is letters from other scholars, libraries, archives, museums, and churches in Italian, French and English concerning the Ospedali Grandi and Sirmen. The Miscellaneous Series includes Berdes's other publications on both musical and nonmusical subjects, music criticism, course notes from classes she taught or attended, and memorabilia from her years at Oxford University. A selection of pertinent reference books from Berdes's library is found in the Printed Material Series, as are some libretti, and musical scores by Vivaldi in modern edition.

The user is advised to consult Box #1 for an introduction to the contents of the collection. It contains a copy of Berdes's book Women Musicians in Venice: Musical Foundations, 1525-1855; two copies of her dissertation, entitled Musical Life at the Four Ospedali Grandi, 1525-1855; two binders described by the donor as the road map to the collection and a videotaped review of its contents prepared by Berdes.

Collection

Frank Baker collection of Wesleyana and British Methodism, 1536-1996 50 Linear Feet — approximately 18,000 items

Online
Frank Baker (1910-1999) was a faculty member at Duke University in history, an expert on Wesleyan Methodism, and a rare book and manuscripts collector. The Frank Baker Collection of Wesleyana and British Methodism, 1536-1996 and undated, comprises correspondence, writings, local histories, printed items, engravings, and many other manuscript materials that date from the earliest years of Methodism to its worldwide expansion up to the 20th century. The collection includes the correspondence of two of the most important founders of Methodism, John and Charles Wesley, as well as correspondence from members of the Wesley family. Collection also includes correspondence from many of the key figures in 18th and 19th century history of British Methodism: Joseph Benson, Jabez Bunting, Adam Clarke, Thomas Coke, James Everett, John Fletcher, Mary (Bosanquet) Fletcher, Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, Elizabeth (Ritchie) Mortimer, George Osborn, Hester Ann Rogers, Richard Tabraham, and Thomas Wride. Other materials include church records and registers, account books, autograph albums, broadsides (notices), circular letters, engravings, maps, sermons, scrapbooks, photographs, and memorabilia. Topics covered by the materials include the life and training of Methodist clergy; the religious life of women; biography and portraiture of Methodists; spirituality; Protestantism in art; and the debate between Arminianism and Calvinism in the early church. Organizational history in the collection covers several branches of the 18th and 19th century church, including Wesleyan Methodism, Primitive Methodism, missions, and missionary societies.

The Frank Baker Collection of Wesleyana and British Methodism, 1536-1996 and undated, comprises a vast range of original correspondence, writings, local histories, printed items, engravings, and many other manuscript materials that date from the earliest years of Methodism to its expansion throughout the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. The collection includes the correspondence of two of the most important founders of Methodism, John and Charles Wesley, as well as correspondence from members of the Wesley family, including Samuel Wesley, Sr. (1662-1735), Sarah (Gwynne) Wesley (1726-1822) and the Gwynne family, and the children of Charles and Sarah Wesley: Charles Wesley, Junior (1757-1834), Sarah (Sally) Wesley (1759-1828), and Samuel Wesley (1766-1837).

Additionally, correspondence from many of the key figures in 18th and 19th century history of British Methodism greatly extends the collection's breadth of coverage. Among others, these groups of correspondence include Joseph Benson, Jabez Bunting, Adam Clarke, Thomas Coke, James Everett, John Fletcher, Mary (Bosanquet) Fletcher, Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, Elizabeth (Ritchie) Mortimer, George Osborn, Hester Ann Rogers, Richard Tabraham, and Thomas Wride.

The collection materials cover many topics, including: the life and training of clergy women correspondence and diaries; the religious life of women; biography; portraiture; spiritual topics; Protestantism as depicted in art; and the debate between Arminianism and Calvinism in the early church. Organizational history in the collection covers several branches of the 18th and 19th century church, including Wesleyan Methodism, Primitive Methodism, missions, and missionary societies.

Formats of materials include church records and registers, account books, autograph albums, broadsides (notices), circular letters, engravings, maps, sermons, scrapbooks, class tickets, photographs, photocopies of original manuscripts, memorabilia, and realia.

Collection

History of Medicine artifacts collection, 1550-1980s 51.5 Linear Feet — about 851 items

Online
Collection consists of historical medical instruments and artifacts, art objects, realia, and other three-dimensional objects related to the history of medicine, primarily originating from Europe and the United States, but including some artifacts from China and Japan. Ranging in age from the late 16th to the late 20th centuries, objects include medical kits and pharmaceutical items (often in the original cases and bags); equipment used in amputation, obstetrics, opthalmology, surgery, urology, neurology, early electrical therapies, and in research and diagnostic settings; instructional objects such as anatomical models and figurines; and other objects such as apothecary jars, cupping glasses, infant feeders, a bas-relief memento mori, and fetish figures. There are many models of microscopes and stethoscopes, dating from the 17th to the 20th century. Accquired as part of the History of Medicine Collections at Duke University.

Collection consist of historical medical instruments and artifacts, art objects, realia, and other three-dimensional objects, primarily originating from Europe and the United States, but including some artifacts from China and Japan. Ranging in age from the late 16th to the late 20th centuries, objects include physician's medical kits and pharmaceutical items (often in the original cases and bags); clinical equipment used in amputation, obstetrics, opthalmology, surgery, neurology, early electrical therapies, and in research and diagnostic settings; instructional objects such as anatomical models; and art objects such as apothecary jars, a bas-relief memento mori, a marble skull, and fetish figures.

There are many models of microscopes, from a small monocular "flea glass" to mid-20th century models. Other early medical instruments and supplies include amputation saws, bleeding bowls, cupping glasses, hypodermic needles, infant and invalid feeders, lancets, opthalmoscopes, pill rollers, stethoscopes, syringes, and other items. A more unusual item - and one of the larger pieces - is an adult walker made of wood, dating perhaps to the 19th century or earlier.

Of interest is a large collection of early anatomical and diagnostic human models from China and continental Europe, in the shape of small, intricately detailed manikins, most crafted from ivory. Some feature removable anatomical parts, and female figures often include a removable fetus. There is also a model illustrating acupuncture points. Other instructional artifacts include glass slides used in medical school lectures.

Most of these objects were photographed by Medical Library staff; at a later time, digital images of almost all of the objects in the collection were added to the online Duke University Historical Images in Medicine database, linked in this collection guide and now available through the Duke Digital Repository. Many of the original black-and-white photographic prints are filed in the History of Medicine Picture File collection. See the Related Materials section in this collection guide for links to these resources.

Acquired as part of the History of Medicine Collections at Duke University.

Collection

Alexander Weinmann papers, 1614-1986 14 Linear Feet — 7,000 Items

The collection reflects Weinmann's extensive research in the history of Viennese music publishing and is a resource for study of publishing firms in Vienna as well as documenting Weinmann's bibliographical research. The Music Series includes title pages and parts of arrangements, focusing on Viennese publishers and composers, including Georg Druschetzky, Joseph Haydn, Johann Baptist Vanhal, Johann Josef Rösler, and Ferdinand Kauer, as well as Johann Sebastian Bach. Included in the Writings and Speeches Series are manuscript drafts of works related to Weinmann's bibliographies (published in the Beiträge zur Geschichte des Alt-Weiner Musikverlages) as well as bio-bibliographical and historical works. The series also documents Weinmann's study of 19th century Viennese publishing firms including Artaria and Company, Giovanni Cappi, Leopold Kozeluch, Franz Anton Hoffmeister, Carlo and Pietro Mechetti, Tranquillo Mollo, Ignaz Sauer, Johann Traeg, and Thaddäus Weigl. Series includes research by Weinmann's brother, Ignaz Weinmann, on Franz Schubert.

The Research Notes Series consists of bibliographic references and citations, information about works and plate numbers; Weinmann's contributions to the Répertoire international des sources musicales; and Wiener Zeitung references. The Series also concerns Weinmann's work as an editor of the sixth edition of the Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichnis sämtlicher Tonwerke Wolfgang Amadé Mozarts. Anthony van Hoboken, Willi Boskovsky, Franz Giegling, Anton Fietz, and Arthur Fiedler are among primary correspondents in the collection. Weinmann also collected letters (originals and copies) from persons and publishers he studied, including J.P. Gotthard, Johann Strauss, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, and Tobias Haslinger.

Collection

Frank Baker papers, 1641-2002 and undated, bulk 1740-1995 112.7 Linear Feet — Approx. 90,000 items — Approx. 90,000 Items

Scholar, editor, collector, and Duke University faculty member specializing in the history of English and American Methodist history, and the life and career of minister John Wesley. Collection documents the professional career and life of Frank Baker, historian of Methodism and particularly of the founder and Methodist minister John Wesley. Materials are arranged in the following series: Baker Collections Files; Correspondence; Libraries and Archives; Ministry; Personal Files; Printed Materials; Professional Service; Scrapbooks and Albums; Subject Files; Teaching Materials; and Writings and Research. Topics covered include: the history of the Baker book and manuscript collections in the Duke University libraries; the history and development of Methodism and of the Wesley family; the Church of England; the Methodist Church in England, the U.S., and other countries; the development of academic research on Methodist history; music and hymnology; and material on the Wesley Works Series, a publishing project headed by Baker. There are abundant research materials on notable individuals associated with Methodism such as Charles Wesley and many other Wesley family members, William Grimshaw, and Francis Asbury. Printed material abounds, and includes many maps, articles, clippings and newspapers, pamphlets, and religious music.

The Frank Baker Papers date from 1641 through 2002, with the majority of the materials dating from the 1800s to the 1990s. The collection houses correspondence, articles, pamphlets, extensive subject and research files, clippings, publicity, a few audio recordings and microfilm, and other materials documenting the professional career and life of Frank Baker, historian of Methodism and particularly of the life and career of minister John Wesley, considered the founder of British Methodism. The collection is arranged in the following series: Audiovisual Materials, Baker Collections Files; Correspondence; Libraries and Archives; Ministry; Personal Files; Printed Material; Professional Service; Scrapbooks and Albums; Subject Files; Teaching Materials; and Writings and Research. Many of the series are divided into subseries, and two are also followed by an Oversize Materials subseries. Note that early dates usually represent reproductions, not originals, although the collection does house some original research materials.

Topics covered by the materials in the collection include: the history and development of Methodism and of the Wesley family; the history of the Church of England, and the Methodist Church in England, the U.S., and other countries; the development of academic research on Methodism and its publications; the history of the Baker book and manuscript collections in the Duke University Libraries; music and hymnology; and the development of the Wesley Works Series, a publishing project headed by Baker. There are abundant research materials on notable individuals associated with Methodism such as John and Charles Wesley, many other Wesley family members, and others such as William Grimshaw and Francis Asbury.

The largest series is the Subject Files (122 boxes), research files assembled by Baker on approximately 1500 topics related to the Wesley family and the history of Methodism and the Methodist Church. Another large series is Writings and Research (48 boxes), containing files of research notes, correspondence, print materials, and publicity related to each of Baker's published works. There are also many student writings in the collection and other materials related to Baker's teaching. Among the Personal Files are biographical files on Frank Baker; awards and honors; travel-related items, and two portrait photographs of Baker's parents. Baker's personal hobbies are reflected in the stamp collecting materials and a group of Victorian-era monogram and crest albums and "libri amicorum," or friendship albums that round out the collection.