Catalogs

The function of a library catalog is to identify all the items in a collection and to group like items together. There are two primary catalogs in the Music Library: the online catalog and the card catalog. In our library both catalogs are used to identify all the books, serial publications (e.g., magazines and journals), scores, and recordings in our collection. One thing the catalog will not do is identify the contents of serial publications -- that is, it won't list article titles. Indexes are used for that purpose and will be covered in the next section.

UIUC Online Library Catalog is the electronic catalog. It contains full information (bibliographic records) for books, scores, recordings, etc. that came into the library after 1978. For materials that entered the library before 1978, UIUC Online Catalog contains only brief information (no subject headings, editors, performers, publication information, etc.). You can also view the holdings of and borrow from the 65 other libraries in Illinois that belong to the Illinois Library Computer Systems Organization using ILLINET Online.

The Card Catalog contains full information for materials received in the library up through the end of 1979. We stopped filing cards into the card catalog in 1980. Consequently, older materials are listed in the card catalog. For example, you won't find any compact discs lists in the card catalog, since the first CDs were produced in 1982. There are occasions when it can be easier and faster to use the card catalog.

Find a score and compact disc of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. Note the call numbers (you might need them later!)

IMPORTANT: You may start your search for library materials in the online catalog, but if you don't find what you're looking for or if you receive incomplete results, you need to check the card catalog.



		University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Gateway Homepage Music Library Homepage Comments to Esther Gillie Updated on: 09/12/06