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Music Libraries

 

History

 

            It is assumed that music librarianship started in 1902 when a Music Division of the Library of Congress was formed. In 1931 the Music Library Association was founded to help those who were music librarians to collaborate with one another (Bradley 1990). Collections of music were formed at different libraries, especially music institutions and groups such as orchestras or choirs. The music library was a place formed to put scores of music and other information for musicians, composers, and all music lovers to be able to have easier access to the information of music (Bryant 1985).

 

Current

 

            Today the collection of the music library has expanded greatly since it was first formed, but is still a small collection. Research within this field has expanded throughout the different music disciplines. The public has become less interesting in visiting or supporting a music library as they are interesting in other things. Organization is very important to keep the collection current (Bryant 1985).

 

Collection

 

            The music collection is made up of many things such as books, scores, MIDI files, CDs, DVDs, etc. It is made up of very old music that from Bach to the new music of today’s artists, anything to fit the need of today’s user. Space can be hard as there are so many different scores and material within music. A music library must have the proper resources so a patron can find what they are looking for, this means ordering certain kinds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, or periodicals. The classification used within music libraries is the Dewey Decimal system as it is easier to add on to the collection. Library of Congress is used in some music libraries. Some online systems such as OCLC are used in bigger music libraries. There are always issues with cataloging as music titles can be the same, when this issue occurs music librarians tend to look to AACR2r for help. The difficulty with the collection is that most of the material is old therefore the library has to make sure it preserves many of its items which means most items are in archives (Griscom 2000).  Also the material tends to be mostly “grey literature” as noted by Lerner (2002, 180).

 

Subject Headings

 

Classical Music

Church music

Composition

Computer music

Concerts

Conducting

Humanities

Music

Musicians

 

 

(Miller, J. 2000). 

 

Patrons

 

            Most patrons are those who are musicians or composers. The first users of the music library were the instrumentalists. The public has lost interest in the music collection so it is narrowed down to those who are in the field of music. (Bryant 1985).

 

Staff

 

            Depending on the size of the music library the staff can be rather small with few hours, but as the collection grows the staff can be huge. In a library for an orchestra it can have up to three people whereas a school for music can have as many as seven people. They support other music librarians by joining the music library association that gives help and collaboration with one another (Bradley 1990).

           

 

Organizations

 

Music Library Association

 

Job Opportunities

 

            Job Opportunities can be found either through the Music Library Association or the magazine it publishes. Music librarians depending on where they work can make anywhere from $30,000 to $300,000 (Music Library Asssoc. 2003). To be a music librarian it is wise to have a background in music such as a Bachelors Degree in Music or knowledge of music. In bigger collections of music it is pretty much required to have a Masters in Library Science. It is noted that these music librarians are to do some extraordinary techniques therefore needed the degree (Bradley 1990).