Introduction to Music Librarianship
Music librarianship is an important and specialised area of library provision, and one that is singular in nature. Many library services and techniques are geared towards the book publishing world, and it is the duty of the music librarian to venture beyond this. This is not always easy, for music collections come with their own set of issues and challenges, such as the problems entailed in the retrieval of music; the complexities of titles, cataloguing and classification; and the process of adapting card-based cataloguing systems to online ones.
However, there are established solutions and strategies designed to tackle these unique challenges. This course is aimed at those who may find themselves having some responsibility for music in a library. It will examine these issues and the ways in which music librarians address them, along with the various principles and practices of music librarianship. It also provides a good grounding for those wishing to pursue a career in music librarianship.
On this course, you will learn about the history and evolution of music libraries; the services they provide; the creation, use and distribution of music; and how all of this has developed and expanded in the last century or so. You will study the different types of music libraries that can be found today, along with users and their requirements, and the significance of music libraries in an international context. You will look at the various formats of printed and recorded music curated by music libraries, the common practices of borrowing and hiring when sourcing material, and how to make music and recordings available to users whilst understanding important issues of copyright.
By the end of this course, you will have gained an understanding of the various aspects of music library management, including storage, binding, shelving and display, security, maintaining equipment and income generation. You will be able to evaluate the need for specialist staff and the levels of training required of others working with music, and how to ensure that library users’ requests are understood and met satisfactorily. Finally, despite its differences, you will be able to consider methods of integrating music into mainstream collections. With these insights, among many others you will learn on this course, you will develop the skills and knowledge that will enable you to operate effectively within a music library.