Music Library Association Basic Manual Series – serie

Due to the distinctive nature of music as a separate "language" that non-musicians are often unable to read or understand, the cataloging and classification of music materials frequently present special challenges. In response to this often problematic situation, this volume is designed to introduce the principles of music classification to beginning music catalogers, as well as to non-specialist catalogers, and those who only occasionally deal with music materials. It will surely relieve the stress level for general catalogers by providing practical guidelines as well as clarifying and explaining the most commonly used classification systems in the United States—the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), the Library of Congress Classification (LCC), and the Alpha-Numeric System for Classification of Recordings (ANSCR).Also included is a general historical overview of music classification, from early attempts to organize specific collections, to the efforts of Oscar Sonneck and others to adapt fundamental principles of classification to the distinctive characteristics of music materials; as well as a discussion of the special needs of the users of those materials.

The goal of the MLA Basic Manual Series is to present definitive discussion on specific aspects of the music library profession, but this third volume in the series is a bit atypical. Although it focuses uniquely on instruction in the music library, because music library users' needs, curricular content, or institutional designs differ, it would be impossible to present a single viewpoint on this subject. Because the nature of such instructional programs meshes intimately with the institution itself, to divorce a program from its library would negate the context for its development. As a result, this volume provides three different approaches to instructional programs. Gregg Geary demonstrates how plans for teaching non-music majors about music resources match educational competencies established at the University of Hawaii; Laura Snyder presents the course she helped develop while teaching a graduate-level class on music bibliography at Eastman; and Kathleen Abromeit offers an overview of the program employed at Oberlin Conservatory Library for training undergraduate students to serve as reference assistants. This easy-to-read manual enables the reader to learn about the traits of these programs, adapt ideas to make them applicable to their own settings, and ultimately benefit from the experiences of these authors.

Because music publishing and distribution are largely outside the network of publishers and vendors that libraries use to acquire most of their monographs, there are many inherent difficulties faced by librarians and library staff whose jobs include the acquisition of printed or recorded music. Because of the international nature of the music publishing industry, libraries must often acquire their music stock from many countries and in multiple languages. Fling offers a how-to guide that addresses these issues and provides answers on where and how to acquire these materials. Key features include: Publication and distribution avenues for both printed and recorded music, Directories of vendors that specialize in particular types of music, Techniques for ordering music and dealing with music approval plans, Sources and techniques for finding secondhand and out-of-print music, How to acquire dissertations and microfilm and photographic reproductions of early-music resource, an extended glossary of specialized English and foreign-language terms that appear on published music, publishers' catalogs, and music bibliographies A comprehensive bibliography lists print and Web music resources, including manuals and journals of music librarianship; music editing, publishing, and library acquisitions; directories of music libraries and information centers, record labels, and vendors; music-in-print sources; and national bibliographies of music. The bibliography also contains information on general library acquisitions.

Sound recordings have existed since the last quarter of the 19th century, and libraries have collected them since the early 20th century. Where recordings—both audio and video—differ most notably from books is that they all need some kind of playback device: some intermediary piece or pieces of equipment between the user and the object. The world of audio and video gear is frequently foreign to many librarians, and what libraries need in terms of equipment is often different from the needs of both the individual audiophile and the professional sound archivist. Moreover, today's changing audio landscape—including audio/video streaming via the internet and the emergence of the iPod culture—have called into question the need for valuable library space to be occupied by listening/viewing carrels. Audio and Video Equipment Basics for Libraries presents all the information librarians need to know to make intelligent decisions about providing listening and viewing facilities in libraries. Everything from what to look for when buying new equipment, to how it works, to what to think about when designing a new listening facility or retrofitting an existing space is considered.