Hello and welcome to the Music Library!
This is part 1 of a 4-part series called "Tips from a Library Science Student." Check back each week in January for a new blog post, in which I take you through some of my top tips I’ve learned as a library science student in the Faculty of Information.
As part of my program, I’ve been working in the Music Library and have gotten to know a lot about how it works. If you haven’t been yet this year, I highly recommend a visit!
To start this series, I wanted to take you on a virtual tour of the new Music Library set-up, as a lot has changed. We have spent a lot of time re-arranging our space so that it is brighter, neater, and easy to navigate.
Let’s start with the exhibits in the front of the library. Our current exhibit "Opera Division Archive: Excerpts" is curated by our archivist and highlights newly-acquired materials from the University of Toronto Opera Division. To see the exhibit from last Fall, "I’ve Got U Under My Skin: AIDS and Classical Music," check out the exhibit page.
As we head in, you will see our front desk, staffed by our super friendly SLAs (Student Library Assistants). If you have a question or need some help, they are happy to help.
Across from the front desk (and scattered throughout the library) are computers for you to use. They are handy for those times when you are tired of looking at your laptop and need a change of scenery. These are also the easiest way for you to use our printers.
Next, we’ll be moving on to our display. This rotates out every month to highlight materials within the library’s collection. This month’s theme is queer music. If you have an idea for a new display, we would love to hear it!
To the right of the display is our current periodicals and new arrivals; these are updated frequently and have the latest in music books and journals. This is useful if you have a project coming up that you need inspiration for, or you’re just curious about what’s current in the discipline. You can also catch up with our bi-weekly new arrivals blog post on our website which lists all the new books, scores, CDs, and eBooks in the collection.
On the top floor of the library are all of our books. Along the back wall is the MT (Music Theory) books and the rest of the shelves are ML (Music Literature). If you’re having trouble locating a book, you can ask an SLA at the front desk.
As we head downstairs (or ask a friendly SLA to lend you the elevator key) we can see our score collection. The Music Library team worked hard to ensure that all our scores are now located together, separate from the books. This makes finding what you need much easier.
First stop downstairs is our performance collection, located to the left through the doors at the bottom of the stairs. If you need music for your larger ensemble, this is the place to go! It also houses some of our LP collection, which we’re in the process of cataloging.
Beyond this is our score collection. You can find anything here from antiquity all the way up to the present day. There are lots of gems in here, so whether you’re looking for a piece for lessons, or just for something fun, come on down and take a look.
Throughout the Music Library there are comfy chairs for you to sit in, tables to study at, and a quiet environment to relax in. If you haven’t yet been into the space this year, I would highly recommend you make your way here!
Thank you for coming along on this tour with me today! Tune in next week for part 2.