The Phil and Dorothy Spaeth Endowed Collection in Music was established in 1990 by the Phil D. Spaeth Foundation through the efforts of Margaret Krause, sister of Dorothy Spaeth and business associate of Phil Spaeth. Phil owned Realistic Waves, a company he eventually sold to Revlon. Margaret and Dorothy were longtime supporters of Notre Dame. Margaret created this endowed library fund in their names after their deaths. The Spaeth Collection was the first named library collection in music at the University.

The Phil and Dorothy Spaeth Endowed Collection in Music significantly improved the Hesburgh Libraries’ collection of materials in support of the Department of Music. The needs of this academic unit are great, especially in the area of scores. With so many different forms of music—including symphonies, concertos, and a variety of chamber ensembles such as string quartets, organ, and vocal—multiplied by the identifiable periods in the history of Western music—from medieval to the 20th-century—the materials acquisition needs are extensive. The Spaeth Endowment is the resource that allows the Libraries to obtain the scores required.