Directory of Music User Guides for Libraries

Compiled by the
Bibliographic Instruction Subcommittee
Music Library Association

INTRODUCTION

Music librarians and librarians whose responsibilities include music have over the years developed a variety of informational pamphlets, bibliographies, and other instruments for the purpose of educating library patrons in effective ways to find the materials they need. For the most part, these guides are unknown to librarians in other places, who might be developing similar materials. Moreover, the primary clearinghouse for exchanging such guides (the LOEX Clearinghouse in Ypsilanti, Michigan) has few guides relating to music. The purpose of this directory is to bring together in one place descriptions of user guides that have been developed for music collections with information on obtaining copies of the guides. In many cases, the guides are available electronically over the Internet, and the list serves as a means of organizing and describing them, as well as linking directly to them. The Subcommittee Members began collecting and describing these guides in 1996.  The project is ongoing and the Directory is updated periodically.

Guides have been chosen according to the following criteria:

• Materials that have music as their main focus;
• Materials whose main purpose is to assist library patrons in using the collections and finding what they need, or teaching aids for the purpose of educating library patrons; and
• Electronic documents available on the Internet, pamphlets that typically would not be collected or cataloged by libraries, or unpublished documents.

While for the most part the documents in the directory have been produced by librarians specifically for their libraries, the list may include materials produced in support of presentations at MLA and other conferences as well as projects submitted by students for courses, if they meet requirements relating to the scope of the project.

The directory has been organized into separate lists according to the purpose of the guide. The lists are as follows:

1. Bibliographies and Pathfinders
2. CD-ROM and Electronic Sources
3. Course Syllabi and Outlines for Library User Education
4. Finding Aids for Scores and Recordings
5. General Guides to Music Collections
6. Newsletters and Acquisitions Lists
7. Online Catalog Guides
8. Miscellaneous Guides

The description of each guide takes the following format:

• The "citation" contains the following elements, in order: Title; Author/Compiler; Institution; Date (date received if item is undated); Pagination (if paper) or number of bytes (if electronic).
• The annotation describes the item and indicates its scope, coverage and function (eg., point of use guide, pathfinder, tutorial). The main purpose of the annotations is descriptive rather than evaluative.
• Information on how to obtain copies of the item concludes the description:  an Internet address (URL) linking to the electronic form of the guide and the name and address of a contact person who has agreed to supply paper copies of guides not on the Internet.   Readers who do not have access to the Internet may request paper copies of any guide from the appropriate contact person.

In order to keep the Directory as current and relevant as possible, the subcommittee will periodically review it to determine the currency of the cited items and the accuracy of electronic addresses. The subcommittee will also periodically place calls for new guides, and for updates to existing ones, on MLA-L, in the MLA Newsletter, and other sources. Guides which are no longer current may be deleted from the Directory.  

The subcommittee welcomes submissions for inclusion in the directory.  Please refer to the Guidelines for Submission for directions.

This directory has been compiled by the members of the Bibliographic Instruction Subcommittee of the Reference and Public Services Committee of the Music Library Association:   Suzanne Eggleston (Yale University Music Library), chair, Paul Cary (Cleveland Institute of Music Library), Deborah Davis (Mannes College of Music Library), Gregg Geary (University of Hawaii-Manoa Library), Allie Wise Goudy (Western Illinois University Library), Judy Marley (University of Arizona Music Library), Myron Patterson (University of Utah Library), and Darwin Scott (Brandeis University Library).  We thank the librarians and others who have generously offered their guides for inclusion in the directory.

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