The Poetry at Bard collection consists of recordings of poetry readings and lectures held at Bard College. Initially established in 1982 with funding from the Carter A. Towbin Poetry Fund, the collection was first housed in Albee Hall before relocating to the Olin Building. It also includes recordings from the “John Ashbery Poetry Series,” which ran from approximately 1995 to 2007. This series, named after the poet John Ashbery who taught at Bard from 1990 to 2008, brought prominent contemporary poets to Bard College for readings and discussions. The collection serves as a testament to Bard’s longstanding role as an exuberant hub for poetry, spanning over fifty years. The recordings have been digitized and are available through the Bard College Institutional Repository at [https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/poetry_at_bard_collection/](https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/poetry_at_bard_collection/).