Ray & Pat Browne Library for Popular Culture Studies
Search Databases
A database of photographs, images, manuscripts, rare printed material documenting the music, politics, fashion and youth culture in America and Great Britain from 1950-1975. A portion of the content is from the BPCL!
The Vintage Paperback Index serves as a graphic illustration of the evolution of American paperbacks from the 1940s through the 1970s.
A multi-disciplinary full-text database that includes scholarly journal articles on all subjects as well as magazines, books and book chapters, reports, conference proceedings, and more.
Film & Television Literature Index is a comprehensive bibliographic database covering the entire spectrum of television and film writing.
Over a thousand full-text scholarly journals and books covering all subjects in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. History, economics, art, literature, and mathematics are particularly strong. All journal titles are archived back to the first issue, many dating from the early 1800s.
Several more databases to assist you with your research!
About Us
Popular fiction, popular entertainment, and the graphic arts predominate the BPCL's collection, but several other topics are represented.
Find out what we can do for you.
Learn how to find some of our resources.
We have numerous collections of unique materials.
The BPCL's manuscript collections support and complement existing print collections in the areas of popular fiction, popular entertainment, and the graphic arts.
What to bring, what to do
A number of our collections are named after the generous individuals who donated the materials.
Our Favorite Things!
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Vintage Paperback Index
The Vintage Paperback Index serves as a graphic illustration of the evolution of American paperbacks from the 1940s through the 1970s. The cover images reflect the reading interests of the American public and changes in the paperback publishing industry during this time period. The covers also reflect the changing role of women in American society. The index can also be used to study the various styles of the artists who illustrated the covers. Search the Index
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Romance Collections
The Browne Popular Culture Library holds a wide range of romance materials from novels to valentines. The collection includes more than 10,000 volumes of category romance series from publishers such as Harlequin, Silhouette, Loveswept, Candlelight, Ecstasy, and others. The holdings also include a sizable collection of mass market novels, including Georgian, regency, gothic, contemporary, and historicals. See More
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Manuscript Collections
The BPCL's manuscript collections support and complement existing print collections in the areas of popular fiction, popular entertainment, and the graphic arts. Read More
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Mystery/Detective Fiction Collections
The works of all major authors of mystery/detective fiction, including classic sleuth stories, hardboiled private eye novels, police procedurals, and spy thrillers, among other genres are represented by some 50,000 volumes of cataloged hardbound and paperback books. Learn More!
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Science Fiction/Fantasy Collections
Within the Library's holdings of more than 190,000 cataloged hardbound and paperback books, science fiction, fantasy, weird/horror, supernatural/occult, utopian, and related genres are well represented. Find out more
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Popular Entertainment Collections
The BPCL houses thousands of primary works relating to all kinds of popular entertainment, with particular strengths in materials documenting mass media: television, motion pictures, and radio. Learn More!
Vintage Paperback Index
The Vintage Paperback Index serves as a graphic illustration of the evolution of American paperbacks from the 1940s through the 1970s. The cover images reflect the reading interests of the American public and changes in the paperback publishing industry during this time period. The covers also reflect the changing role of women in American society. The index can also be used to study the various styles of the artists who illustrated the covers. Search the Index
Romance Collections
The Browne Popular Culture Library holds a wide range of romance materials from novels to valentines. The collection includes more than 10,000 volumes of category romance series from publishers such as Harlequin, Silhouette, Loveswept, Candlelight, Ecstasy, and others. The holdings also include a sizable collection of mass market novels, including Georgian, regency, gothic, contemporary, and historicals. See More
Manuscript Collections
The BPCL's manuscript collections support and complement existing print collections in the areas of popular fiction, popular entertainment, and the graphic arts. Read More
Mystery/Detective Fiction Collections
The works of all major authors of mystery/detective fiction, including classic sleuth stories, hardboiled private eye novels, police procedurals, and spy thrillers, among other genres are represented by some 50,000 volumes of cataloged hardbound and paperback books. Learn More!
Science Fiction/Fantasy Collections
Within the Library's holdings of more than 190,000 cataloged hardbound and paperback books, science fiction, fantasy, weird/horror, supernatural/occult, utopian, and related genres are well represented. Find out more
Popular Entertainment Collections
The BPCL houses thousands of primary works relating to all kinds of popular entertainment, with particular strengths in materials documenting mass media: television, motion pictures, and radio. Learn More!