Locating a song in a collection
(especially for songs since 1950)

A. Search the song title in UIUC Online Library Catalog.

Step 1: Select GUIDED KEYWORD SEARCH.

Step 2: At the prompt, type the song title.

If you want only printed music, click More limits and select Music Scores. If you want only recordings, click More limits and select Musical Recordings .

B. If you don't find what you're looking for, try to locate the song in a collection using print indexes:

Step 1. Look up the song title alphabetically in Musi*Key or Folio-Dex (both are kept behind the Information Desk among the Ready Reference tools). 

Step 2. Titles of collections in which your song is printed are listed under the title of the song.

For example: If you were looking for collections which included the song All of Me, under the song title in Music*Key would be a list of collection titles that include that song.

Step 3. Now that you have a list of collections that include your song, you need to search for the collections by doing a title search in UIUC Online Library Catalog for the name of the collection.

    The Music Library will not own all of the collections listed. Just keep checking until you "get a hit." Most collections are shelved in the music stack area on the 2nd floor of the Music Library.

4. No Luck? Don't Give Up! Go to the "For the Determined Searcher" section.

No Particular Song in Mind?

If you wish to browse in the popular music sections, these call number ranges may be useful.  The stack areas are on the second floor of the Music Library. 

Unsure of the Song Title or Date?

The following books are good for verifying song titles and dates:

1. The Great Song Thesaurus (ML128.S3L391989) at the Information Desk. A handy thesaurus section lists song titles under keyword and subject.

2. Lissauer's Encyclopedia of Popular Music in America: 1888 to the Present (ML128.P63L57) at the Information Desk.

For the Determined Searcher

    Additional sources will index songs in other collections, or provide a year citation.  These sources are located in the Reference Book area or behind the Information Desk. There are other song indexes dealing with world songs or genre specific songs such as rock songs.  Doing a guided keyword search in the UIUC Online Library Catalog under song index as a phrase in the title words will give you additional resources.