Public Libraries

Public Libraries Adam Eric Berkowitz (bio) Music librarianship as a specialized discipline is undergoing significant change in public libraries. Most no longer have prominent music collections in the charge of music librarians, but music related public services still play an important part in the operations of libraries. The work music librarians do to promote music education, engage with local music organizations, and curate useful music collections will remain staples of the profession, but music librarians now serve in more generic roles in order to take on broader responsibilities. The shifting needs of today's users toward online content creation require that libraries reconsider the importance of specialized librarians as these patrons require access to instruments, recording equipment, music studios, and information about music copyright law, a scope of practice best suited to the music librarian. a brief history of public music librarianship Libraries such as the New York Public Library, the Boston Public Library, and the Free Library of Philadelphia retain significant music collections and employ experts who oversee their maintenance and use. These libraries, among others like the Los Angeles Public Library, the Detroit Public Library, and the Denver Public Library, constitute the very first libraries with dedicated music departments. In 1919, the number of public library music collections outpaced academic libraries fifty-six to thirty-one, and in 1927, thirty public libraries had their own dedicated music departments hosting substantial music collections.1 By 1949, the number of public libraries housing small music collections grew to over six thousand. Most of these libraries, both large and small, carried a limited selection of books, magazines, sheet music, and records, and they were situated throughout the United States in rural, suburban, and urban End Page 296 settings.2 Each library's collection makeup was heavily predicated upon the size of the community and the musical skill of their patrons. Smaller libraries typically housed instrumental standards and pop songs while the largest of music collections were considered "well-balanced representations of the world's music."3 At the time, libraries were just beginning to build their collections of recorded music, and circulation for recordings outperformed books and scores, indicating that listening to recorded music was a more accessible activity than learning to read and perform music.4 Many libraries slowly began to focus on the generalist audience, pivoting towards recreational use of music; although, some major library systems continued to cultivate specialist collections for the sake of research and posterity, especially where preserving local history was concerned. The Detroit Public Library's Music and Performing Arts Department, for example, was established by the library's acceptance of a significant collection of Black music by the Detroit Musicians Association in 1943. The department specializes in the music of local Black communities, particularly gospel and Motown, but has grown to include cinema, radio, theater, television, and dance. The New Orleans Public Library acquired a significant portion of its music library when it incorporated the LaHache Music Library in 1950. Merging the LaHache Music Library with the New Orleans Public Library's Souchon Folk and Jazz Collection formed the New Orleans Public Library's Arts and Music Department. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has been a constituent member of the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts since 1965. This massive department within the New York Public Library comprises multiple administrative units with their own budgets dedicated to collecting print media, sound recordings in a variety of formats, and artifacts from around the world.5 The Memphis Public Library retains a significant historical music collection in their Memphis and Shelby County Room within its History/Social Sciences Department. Established in 1971, it hosts recordings in CD, LP, and tape cassette formats, showcasing the music of native Memphis artists ranging from 1920s Memphis Jug Band to today's Justin Timberlake. The Sarasota County Library System's Selby Public Library hosts the Sarasota Music Archive. The archive was first established as an independent center End Page 297 for recorded music in 1980, and after expansive growth, it merged with the Selby Library in 2000. The Sarasota Music Archive claims to be the leading public reference collection of print and recorded music in the Southeast...