The Dallas Public Library will now house more than 20 years of the in-house magazine Buckner Today in its Dallas History & Archives Division. Buckner donated issues from January 2000 to present to the library’s J. Erik Jonsson Central location this summer.
 
The Buckner Today donation included a combination of bound chronological anthologies as well as more recent individual issues of the magazine.

Adding to one of the largest local history collections in the nation

According to Misty Maberry, C.A., manager of the 7th floor-Dallas History & Archives Division in the Dallas Public Library, the department collects and preserves local history, with a focus on Dallas, and is one of the largest collections of its kind in the nation.
 
“Our department has over 500 manuscript collections, 1.5 million photographs, 65,000 books, 1,500 periodicals, 7,000 historic and current maps, and hundreds of oral histories and vertical files,” Maberry said. “While we did have some issues of Buckner Today, this donation will fill the gaps in our collection so we can offer researchers and visitors access to the full run of the magazine in this century.”
 
“The work we do is only possible through people like [Buckner] thinking about preserving history and the importance of sharing things like this with the library – thank you so much,” she continued. 

The journey of Buckner Today

The history of Buckner Today began in 1952 when Buckner published a monthly periodical titled “Buckner Bulletin.” In January 1978, the publication was transitioned into a monthly advertorial in The Baptist Standard named “Buckner Today,” and later a quarterly newsletter published in-house by Buckner.
 
In 1994, Buckner Today was officially reformatted into a quarterly magazine documenting the lives and experiences of Buckner clients, volunteers, donors and employees across Texas and internationally.
 
Emily Ahrens, former Buckner Today editor and current director of digital communications, was on hand to present the 20 years of issues to the library. Ahrens said new issues of the magazine will be mailed to the library to keep its collection current.

Looking to explore the stories of past Buckner Today issues? Access digital issues today.