Wouldn't it be great if there were one comprehensive database of hymnody, both new and old? Hymnary.org wants to be that resource, but it will take considerable volunteer effort. So, our next task is to start organizing a cadre of volunteers. The annual Hymn Society conference is going to take place at St. Olaf College in Minnesota this year, July 12-16. There is going to be a session to start organizing and training volunteers for this task... If you are going to be at that conference, look for the session--and if you weren't planning to go, why not consider the possibility?

In the last few weeks five new hymnals have come online: the historic Hymns of the Greek Church, two volumes by Mary Nelson Keithahn and John D. Horman: The Song Lingers On and Time Now to Gather, a collection of new Christmas carols: If I Could Visit Bethlehem, and 16 new songs by Kathleen Thomerson and Patricia B. Clark: A Taste of Heaven's Joys. In the cosmetic news department, all the hymnals now have an icon of the hymnal's front cover.

Our Baptists users have rallied admirably in response to our recent call for volunteers to edit our Baptist hymnals. Thank you! Now we need to turn our attention to some other areas of the Hymnary. We have no African American collections, no Praise & Worship songbooks, and only one Roman Catholic hymnal. If you'd like to volunteer to enter or edit The African American Heritage Hymnal, Songs of Zion, The Maranatha Chorus Book, or Glory & Praise we'd love to hear from you. We are also in need of a proofreader for Hymnal of the Church of God. And of course, we're always open to suggestions for hymnals that you'd like to help us add to the Hymnary!

We now have a number of Baptist hymnals online, but we need a few people to complete the information in the Baptist Hymnal 1991 and the Baptist Hymnal 2008. While we're at it, the Celebration Hymnal could use a little sprucing up, too. If you own one of these hymnals and can give a little time, please contact us here.

Like any library, the Hymnary's collection is complete in some areas and incomplete in others. For example, all the songs in the Psalter Hymnal contain entries from the Psalter Hymnal Handbook and many have Sibelius Scorch scores that are playable, printable, and transposable; the Southern Harmony has page scans, MIDI files and MP3 recordings. So while the Hymnary may not have everything, its 2,658 scores, 4,628 texts, and 2,582 audio files should keep you busy for a while!

User hint: When you search or browse, the list of hymns will have icons next to those that have audio, score or information. Make sure you're looking down the row to the right of the hymn's title and not at the column header!

The Timeless Truths hymn collection has been added to the Hymnary's database, expanding it by 1,132 hymns! Most of these include complete lyrics, printable music and a MIDI file.

As you can see, the Hymnary has an ever-growing list of hymnals. But this is barely the tip of the hymnological iceberg. It's easy to add your favorite hymnal to the Hymnary. Instructions are available to lead you through the process and there's an online group supporting those who are adding and editing hymnals. It's really easy: pick a hymnal, enter the information into the provided spreadsheet, and then send it to us. It's a great way to learn more about hymnody while making a valuable contribution to the thousands of pastors, worship planners, scholars and hymn lovers who use the Hymnary.

Check out the recently-added 1982 Hymnal of the Episcopal Church which contains over a thousand hymns on forty-one different topics.