From drum to digital: popular music collections in libraries – a Bajan1 perspective

The development of collections of popular culture by libraries is discussed in the context of both technological development and a new understanding that all cultural expressions are important manifestations of humankind's creativity. Taking a Bajan (relating to the island of Barbados) perspective, the author argues the case for libraries to collect and provide access to popular music, focusing on calypso as a particular case. She shows that this is a particularly important issue for developing countries, especially where oral and sound materials are important as national and local cultural expressions.