University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Music Library

Annual Report

 

Core Processes

 

Services and Access

Circulation and shelf preparation

Shelfreading of circulating score collection. During spring 2001, Marlys Scarbrough organized a complete shelfreading of the circulating score collection. Student employees and public-service staff and librarians shelfread the entire circulating score collection, amounting to approximately 1,200 shelves of scores. This was the first comprehensive shelfreading of the scores in more than twenty years.

Reconciled missing-item lists. The circulation staff searched for materials on missing-item lists and updated records as needed.

Microfilm maintenance. The circulation staff shelfread and proofread barcodes for the microfilm collection and repaired (or replaced) damaged boxes.

Music cataloging

Retroconversion and reclassification of reference music scores. In early spring 2001, Richard Burbank worked with the cataloging staff on planning and implementing phase two of the Reference collection recon/reclass project. This phase involves completing the following work for all of the collected works and other monographic music series in Reference: updating bibliographic records in DRA, reclassifying the sets using the Library of Congress classification, and verifying and updating all volume-holdings information. Two cataloging staff members spent two hours each day on the project, and by August 2001 they had processed 100 titles (1,612 volumes). This represents one third of the titles, so we can project that the project will be completed by the end of 2002.

Searched the backlog of unprocessed materials for copy. By the end of 2000, the cataloging department had accomplished its goal of searching OCLC for all newly acquired materials in the backlog.

Accommodated a medical leave in the department. Richard Burbank, the cataloging coordinator, began an extended medical leave of absence on 2 April 2001 that required changes in assignments to cover the administration of music cataloging. Andy Bendel assumed responsibility for the day-to-day coordination of the work of the department (and in August 2001 received a temporary upgrade to Library Operations Assistant to compensate for these added job responsibilities). Richard Griscom worked with Bendel on setting priorities and goals for the unit, and he also answered cataloging and classification questions and assumed responsibility for personnel matters.

Special collections

Database of King LPs. Graduate assistants Roberta Dawson and Alicia Anderson made significant progress on the Microsoft Access database of the 15,000 vinyl recordings donated by Lawrence King in 1995. During the course of the year, approximately 1,500 records were added to the database.

Online catalog of Frankel Collection. During the late 1990s, Wanda Nettl provided descriptive-bibliography cataloging for most of the materials in the Frankel Collection. This year, Roberta Dawson added one hundred of these entries to a Microsoft Access database, which eventually will be accessible via the web.

Kasura, Partch, and King finding aids mounted on the web. In summer 2000, Kevin Medows mounted the finding aids he had prepared for the King tape recordings, posters, and photographs. In June 2001, Griscom converted finding aids for the Kasura Collection (prepared by Tamara Livingston) and the Partch Collection (prepared by Tom McGeary) to electronic form and had them mounted on the web.

Conversion of card indexes. Student employees completed the conversion of the sheet-music card catalog to a networked Microsoft Access database, making 96,000 titles in our sheet-music collection accessible by the public. They then began work on the index to the Choral Reference File, and by the end of summer 2001 had converted the entire file, containing 22,000 titles.

User instruction and public information services

Redesign of Music Library website. Alicia Anderson, with input from Leslie Troutman and Kevin Medows, completely redesigned the library's website. One goal of the redesign was to make frequently used resources available directly from the top page.

Web-based instruction. Leslie Troutman created an instructional guide for students in Music 428 (Problems and Methods) and mounted it on the web.

Revision of the library map. Kevin Medows revised the library map and mounted it on the web.

Preservation

Harry Partch film footage. In spring 2001, Partch researcher Phillip Blackburn asked to have video copies made of the reels of documentary film footage on composer Harry Partch that are a part of the library's Partch Archive. Griscom took several reels to Photographic Services for examination and was advised that video copies could not be made without a careful review of the condition of each foot of the film as well as each splice. Preservation work on film stock cannot be completed by Photographic Services; the film would need to be treated and videotaped at a lab in Chicago. In response to a call for possible NEH preservation projects, Griscom submitted a proposal to fund this preservation work on the Partch film footage.

 

Review of materials held for decades in Conservation. Griscom reviewed several dozen items that had been sent to Conservation for treatment during the past twenty years. The volumes that already had been treated were returned to the library for shelf preparation. For the other volumes, Griscom decided which could be treated immediately with pamphlet binding or envelopes. The remainder were left in Conservation for review by the new conservation librarian.

Electronic resources

Added links in the online catalog for digitized scores. In February 2001, the Indiana University Music Library announced that it had digitized approximately two hundred public-domain scores and invited other libraries to create links to these electronic documents in their own public catalogs. In spring 2001, Alicia Anderson searched the list against our holdings, and Marlen Vavrikova created links to the scores in our online catalog.

 

Collection Development

Budget

For fiscal year 2000/2001, the library received an increase of $16,101 (approximately 12.9%) to its materials budget, bringing the total to $141,301. This amount was distributed as follows:

Music dissertations $1,100

Music media 20,000

Scores (Harrassowitz approval plan) 20,000

Scores (Pepper approval plan) 6,000

Scores (firm orders) 1,951

Books 31,000

Monographic continuations 29,000

Continuations 15,250

Periodicals 17,000

TOTAL 141,301

In addition to these permanent allocations, the library received $7,773 in one-time funds as the result of an October 2000 distribution by the Collection Development Committee. These funds were earmarked for book purchases. By the end of the year, the library had completely expended its allocation.

Reconfigured acquisitions procedures. With the retirement of Pat Foster in fall 2000, we redefined the chief clerk position as a library technical assistant and assigned the position many of the clerical responsibilities associated with preorder searching and order processing. Until this reassignment was made, selectors had been typing most of their own purchase orders.

NEH Challenge Grant competition. A copy of the second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians was acquired for the reference collection.

Year-end competition. The library acquired $2,319 worth of music facsimiles through a year-end acquisitions competition.

Acquired the library's first DVDs. The library began acquiring videorecordings on DVD, a medium that is durable, offers sound and video of high quality, and often contains added content. The library's initial purchases amounted to $2,500 and were mostly in the area of opera and musical comedies.

Significant acquisitions

Partch, Delusion of the Fury (manuscript facsimile)

Correspondence of Yehudi Menuhin and Denis Stevens (housed in Rare Books; partially a gift from Alexander Murray)

Significant gifts

Books and scores from the library of John Garvey, including a manuscript facsimile score used by Garvey for the premiere of Harry Partch’s Bewitched

Books and scores from the library of Salvatore Martirano

Papers of William Brooks

Papers of J. Keirn Brennan

 

Support and Ancillary Activities

Expansion of public workstations. The number of public workstations was increased from seven to twelve in late summer 2000. These workstations are used to access the online catalog, internet resources, and electronic mail.

Instruction of music librarianship students. The professional staff provided instruction and supervision for three practica in music librarianship: Angela Carstensen and Jill Martorano (summer 2000), and Terren Wein (spring 2001).

Cooperation with Indiana University music librarianship program. On 13 April, four music librarianship students and music librarian Mary Wallace Davidson visited the library. Griscom and Medows described workflow in the library, and Don Krummel presented a lecture on music printing formats. On 27 April, Troutman, Griscom, Medows, and Dan Boomhower visited Indiana University to participate in the concluding session of Davidson's seminar in music librarianship.

Hosted Mortenson fellow. In June 2001, the library hosted Silke Breslau, a Mortenson fellow visiting from the Deutsches Musikarchiv in Berlin. The professional staff held private sessions with Breslau to introduce her to the workings of the Music Library, and she explained to our staff the operations of her library. Griscom drove her to Bloomington on 19 June for a tour of the Indiana University Music Library as well as for meetings with Ralph Papakhian, head of technical services, and Mary Davidson, director of the library.

 

Training and Staff Development

Revision of operations manuals. Scarbrough revised the operations manuals for circulation-desk workers and shelvers.

Circulation student orientation/training sessions. Scarbrough conducted training sessions for new and returning students in the fall and spring semesters.

New public-service staff members. Scarbrough trained Pat Lee (LTA) in November 2000 and David Butler (LC III) in April 2001.

Monograph collection development. Griscom trained Kevin Medows (visiting assistant music librarian) in the process of book selection and the review of books received on approval plans.

Reference graduate assistants. Troutman trained graduate assistants Alicia Anderson, Roberta Dawson, and Erin Mullen and practicum student Terren Wein for service at the Information Desk.

Mending and preservation training. In spring 2001, David Butler and Marlys Scarbrough received training in basic mending and preservation techniques from Norma Linton in Conservation.

 

Innovative Ideas, New Initiatives

Streaming audio for class listening assignments. In spring 2000, Griscom received funding from the Educational Technologies Board to fund a pilot project that would make class listening assignments available over the internet. The grant funded an encoding workstation, software, and approximately $4,000 in student wages. The Center for Educational Technology (CET) agreed to provide space on its media server as well as technical support for the streaming side of the project. During spring 2000, Griscom, Alicia Anderson, and Kevin Medows met with CET staff to discuss workflow, university copyright-compliance policy, and possible ways to restrict access to the UIUC community..

In fall 2000, Griscom ordered the encoding workstation, installed software, and wrote programs to automate much of the encoding process. He ran tests of the encoding and streaming technology and spoke with faculty members who were interested in participating in the pilot project. Griscom identified four classes: a mix of lower-level and upper-level undergraduate courses and a graduate seminar. In December 2000, encoding for the spring 2001 semester began, and by the beginning of classes in mid-January, the encoding had been completed for the four classes. As word spread of the project and its success, other faculty approached Griscom about their classes, and by the end of January, listening assignments for ten classes were available through the website. Griscom initially supervised the project, but by the middle of spring 2001, Alicia Anderson was coordinating the encoding and the preparation of the web pages for each class.

Because the spring 2001 pilot project was a great success, we proceeded to offer listening assignments for five classes in the summer. Unfortunately, the Educational Technologies Board funding expired in June 2001, so funding for the work on sound encoding is making additional demands on our insufficient student wage budget.

Involvement with Other Units in the Library and on Campus or Beyond

Center for Educational Technologies (CET). The library worked closely with CET on the planning and implementation of streaming audio for School of Music listening assignments.

Indiana University National Science Foundation Grant. In 1998, Indiana University invited the School of Music to serve as a satellite site for its Digital Music Library ("Variations") project as part of its three-million-dollar proposal to the National Science Foundation. We have agreed to provide the minimal level of support for a satellite installation: a networked workstation running Indiana's proprietary software, on which we will conduct tests.

 

Additional Topics Deemed Unique to the Unit in Question.

School of Music accreditation. In preparation for the National Association of Schools of Music accreditation review of the School of Music, Griscom prepared a ten-page report on the Music Library. Griscom discussed the report with a member of the review committee on 3 April 2001.

Staffing

Make more efficient use of the library's clerical employees by minimizing the time they spend at public-service desks. The library's request for additional student wages was not met, so this goal was not accomplished.

Reconfigure internal procedures for acquisitions. Completed.

Cataloging

Search backlog of new acquisitions. Completed.

Retroconversion/reclassification of reference scores. Significant progress made. One hundred titles were processed.

Special Collections

Integrate collections of publishers' catalogs and plan the creation of a finding aid. No progress.

Make significant progress on a finding aid for the King LPs. Approximately 2,500 of the 15,000 LPs in the King Collection have been added to a Microsoft Access database, and of those, approximately 1,500 were input this year.

Weed and shift printed materials. No progress.

Phase boxes. Several volumes were treated on a case-by-case basis, but a comprehensive survey was not completed.

Frankel Collection conservation work. Postponed pending arrival of a head of conservation.

Conduct an inventory of materials held for decades in Conservation. Completed.

Mount finding aids on web. Completed.

Special Collections guide. Jean Geil has begun work on detailed descriptions of library's extensive special collections.

Public Information

Redesign web site. Completed

Library map. Completed and mounted on the web.

Circulation and stacks maintenance

Shift music stacks. No progress.

Security stripping. Continued on an ongoing basis, as planned.

Collection Development

Replacement procedures document. No progress.

User education

Web-based instruction. Troutman created an instructional website for Music 428 (Problems and Methods) and Music 110 (Introduction to Art Music).

Information delivery

Provide network delivery of audio reserves. Completed.

Facilities

Security in Special Collections. On Wendy Shelburne's to-do list.

Sound problem in reading room. Discussed with Wendy Shelburne, but no plans have been made.

Staffing

Search and fill librarian position. Jean Geil will be leaving the Music Library in May 2002, and in fall 2001 the music librarians will prepare a job description and a letter justifying the retention of the position, with the hope of conducting a search in spring 2002. The duties of the position will be reviewed and revised in light of the changing nature of the work in the Music Library.

Cover extended leave of absence of cataloging coordinator. Griscom and Medows will continue to assume administrative responsibilities for music cataloging during Richard Burbank’s absence. Medows will take on the primary responsibility for fielding cataloging questions, setting cataloging standards, and managing workflow beginning in September. He will also represent the library on committees related to cataloging.

At the time of the writing of this report, Burbank was not able to project a return date. If his absence is expected to extend into 2002, we will look into the option of appointing an acting coordinator.

Staffing for audio encoding. The library received grant funding to launch its digital audio reserves project. Now that the grant funding has expired, we will request that $2,000 be added to our student wages budget to cover work on audio encoding.

Make more efficient use of the library’s clerical employees. Because the library’s student wage budget is not sufficient to staff our two service desks during our hours of operation, we have had to assign library clerks to desk duty. We will request an increase to our student wage budget so that our clerks will be able to devote more time to the important work they were hired to do.

Circulation

Planning for remote storage. The library will need to identify materials suitable for transfer to the Oak Street remote storage facility. Likely candidates for transfer include cassette tapes and long-playing recordings. The library will conduct a use survey of the LP collection prior to possible transfer of some of these materials to remote storage.

Shelfreading. The circulation staff will shelfread the compact disc and CD-ROM collections (and replace jewel cases as needed) as well as the book stacks.

Shelf maintenance for periodicals. The circulation staff will evaluate spine markings on periodicals and laminate labels as needed.

Revision of circulation manuals. Scarbrough will continue revising the series of circulation manuals.

Shift music stacks. Some sections of the music stacks are becoming crowded, and a general redistribution is needed.

Circulate keys and equipment on DRA. We will barcode keys and circulating equipment and begin managing their circulation through DRA.

Review items in the collection that are no longer represented in the catalog. Scarbrough has assembled a significant number of library materials that are represented in neither the online nor the card catalog. Selectors will review these items and decide whether they will be retained; if so, they will be routed to cataloging for processing.

Cataloging

Continue work on recon/reclass. The cataloging department will continue its conversion and classification work on composer's collected editions and monuments of music.

Reduce backlog of unprocessed microfilm. The cataloging department houses about one hundred microfilm reels of primary source material that have remained unprocessed, some for longer than ten years. A graduate student will work on basic bibliographic descriptions of the films so that brief records can be added to the catalog.

Special Collections

Review backlog materials held in cabinets. Special collections materials needing additional processing or preservation treatment are held in four storage cabinets on the fourth floor. The materials need to be reviewed and routed to cataloging or the Conservation Department. Some might be appropriate for deaccessioning.

Shift Special Collections stacks. The stacks are becoming crowded and are in need of weeding and shifting.

Continue conversion of manual finding aids. The student employees will continue work on converting manual files to electronic format.

Collection Development

Compact disc holdings. We will check our compact-disc holdings against A Basic Music Library to make sure that we have all standard repertory on compact disc.

Replace LPs on reserve with compact discs. A fairly large number of long-playing records are used for class reserves. We will search for compact-disc reissues of these titles (or the repertory contained on them) and acquire them.

Replacement procedures document. The professional staff will review our procedures for replacing lost/missing materials and make sure that orders are processed on a regular basis.

Information delivery

Begin providing web-based access to print reserves. In the spring, we will identify a small number of large-enrollment classes and work with the Undergraduate Library on providing online print reserves for the classes.

Investigate the possibility of providing listening workstations in the Music Library. We will request that a small number of listening workstations be installed so that students can complete their reserve listening in the library rather than having to make trips to computer labs outside the building.

Mount choral database on the web. Troutman will work with systems staff on converting and mounting the Microsoft Access database of our choral reference collection so that it is searchable on the web.

User instruction/Reference

Expand our schedule of tours. We will try to provide basic library instruction to a larger number of incoming students by expanding and varying our tour schedule.

Explore real-time reference. We will study the feasibility of providing real-time reference service by consulting with librarians who are already providing the service to determine its success, its advantages and disadvantages, and its equipment requirements.

Expand list of electronic journals. New music-related electronic journals are appearing monthly, and we need to revise our list accordingly.

Public information

Exhibit commemorating the centenary of Harry Partch’s birth. The library will mount an exhibit in honor of composer Harry Partch (1901-74), drawing on unique materials housed in the library’s Harry Partch Archive.

		UIUC Library | UIUC School of Music University of Illinois at Urbana Comments to:Music Library Webmaster Music Library, 2136 Music Building MC 056 1114 West Nevada Street, Urbana, IL 61801 Phone: 217-333-1173 Updated on:  06/25/03