The AMRC houses the region's largest repository of archival music materials, with particular collection strengths in the music of Colorado and the American West, American popular song, swing-era, TV & radio, and the silent film era.  The core collection was assembled by Sister Mary Dominic Ray at Dominican College in California in 1967, and was purchased by the University of Colorado in 1989. The AMRC collections are stored in the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries’ Rare & Distinctive Collections in Norlin Library.  Finding aids, or guides, to materials in these collections are available online on ArchivesSpace, the Libraries’ finding aid database.

Please note: The American Music Research Center is pausing acquisitions as we engage in the search for our next Director of the American Music Research Center. When acquisitions resume, all future collections will be considered if they fit within our current collection development policy. We look forward to resuming this important work in the near future.

If you are interested in accessing the materials, need copies, or would like more information about the AMRC's collections, please e-mail rad@colorado.edu. The AMRC collections are stored in the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries’ Rare & Distinctive Collections in Norlin Library. The collections are available for researchers in the Rare & Distinctive Collections Reading Room 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday by appointment only. Appointments can be made by contacting rad@colorado.edu. For more information about visiting the Rare & Distinctive Collections Reading Room (including policies and procedures), visit here.


Search by Category