These days library spaces are used for all manner of events, many of which will involve the live performance of music or the playing of sound recordings. Both of these activities require a form of licence. Collective management organisations exist in order that music users don’t need to individually obtain permissions from rights holders in…
I was deeply saddened to learn that Patrick Mills had died in December last year. A delightful man who taught me all I know about music cataloguing. This little memoir really begins in 1976 (yes, that summer) when I joined the staff, fresh out of library school, of what was then the British Library Bibliographic…
Hello Music Librarians! I am writing to you today from BBE’s HQ in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. We’ve had a bit of a hectic couple of months of late, not least because in May we took on the custodianship of the National Brass Band Archive – which includes an extensive music library. The National Brass Band…
This post is a brief synopsis of my presentation at this year’s ASW on my MA dissertation research on the hybrid music library. The ‘hybrid library’ is defined as a library with a mix of traditional print collections and online resources.[1] There is also an expectation of integrated access to everything online via the OPAC.[2]…
The Oxford English Dictionary tells us that to advocate means to support, recommend, or speak in favour of a person or thing. This, I find, is a beautiful, simple and helpful definition. In the English speaking world in particular, the concept of advocacy currently tends to be interpreted as high level pro-active influencing of decision making. IAML’s international Advocacy Committee is aiming to do a bit…
Music librarians across the country took part in Make Music Day 2018, on Thursday June 21st. These were just a few of the celebrations…. Westminster Music Library joined in the world-wide celebrations with a “Learn to play mandolin” workshop; which included a brilliant performance by the London Mandolin Ensemble. Meanwhile…Camden Libraries, supported by Camden Music Service marked the day with a…
As I ease myself into my harness as IAML (UK & Irl)’s Performance Set officer, I thought I’d share some things I’ve been chewing over about the various forms of competition there are to the services we offer. Here in Birmingham, we’re quite new to charging for performance sets, having only been doing so for…
In 2017, Leeds College of Music will be moving their music library to the Quarry Hill Skyline building, dramatically increasing the resources available to their students, and opening up their impressive facilities to the public. The new library will house Leeds College of Music’s huge vinyl archive and music collection, which includes over 30,000 items…
Interesting posting from the Holst Project Archivist.
For academic librarians throughout the UK and Ireland it’s the start of another academic year. Over the next few weeks we’ll see lots of eager new faces, often looking slightly scared along with worried looking final years. Some of the librarians are looking pretty worried too as they start library induction tours and talks; and…
Despite September’s impressive attempts to imitate our August heat wave, summer is finally over. Autumn has rolled in and schools and universities have resumed business as usual. Here at Westminster Music Library, however, we do not resent the end of summer. The beginning of the school year brings with it thousands of students, and many…
Partly inspired by an ASW….
It’s not just scores! Some unexpected items to be found in a music library. The BBC over the last few years has tried to get children to become more involved in classical music. November 2014 saw the introduction of Ten Pieces, an initiative aimed initially at children of primary school age. There was a “Ten…
It’s The Summer Reading Challenge again, and Westminster Music Library does not like being left out, but what could we do to inspire our Summer Reading Challenge participants that would embrace this years’ theme – The Big Friendly Read? We love reading, we love music, and we like to celebrate all things musical in a…
Roma 2016 was my 10th IAML congress and I returned as usual full of enthusiasm. I would even dare go further and say that it felt like one of the most successful conferences since I first attended at San Sebastian in 1998, when I was the fresh and relatively young face from Antwerp Conservatoire Library.
All the fun of the opening session – “big” IAML meets in Rome.
This has been a fantastic year for Westminster Music Library’s Choir Joint Force Singers, since 2015, they have performed at prestigious venues and events from Lords MCC to Pimlico Proms, Westminster’s Community awards to the magnificent Guards Chapel at Wellington Barracks. And it was at the Guards Chapel that our grand finale concert took place,…
You may recall the “Free our History” campaign back in 2015 which sought to lobby the UK government into bringing unpublished text based works back to the normal term of lifetime plus 70 years. Unfortunately that wasn’t successful in persuading the government, which means the 2039 rule is still proving costly for libraries and institutions….
Strife, spirit and soul were the themes of a spectacular performance by Westminster Music Library’s own Joint Force Singers. Think choir concerts are boring? Joint Force Singers made us think again, with their showcase of music in a wide range of styles, periods and even languages! The impressive Guards’ Chapel at Wellington Barracks played host…
“The power of music to integrate and cure . . . is quite fundamental. It is the profoundest nonchemical medication.” – Oliver Sacks Westminster Music Library’s five month programme of mindfulness workshops – Humming in Harmony – clearly demonstrates how true this statement is. These simple workshops, designed to improve mental health and beat isolation,…
At Hertfordshire Libraries: Performing Arts we are delighted to receive a 2016 IAML Excellence Award. One of 13 libraries to be recognised, the panel “noted the number of warm and kind comments from users of the service. The access to the service, including long opening hours and a one hour enquiry response was particularly commended. …
The Barbican Music Library team was thrilled to receive its 3rd IAML Excellence Award; in this era of uncertainty for public services it is heartwarming to receive recognition from colleagues who understand the challenges that we all face. We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Professor Jan Smaczny and the other panel members…
Library staff at the Royal Northern College of Music were delighted to win a third IAML (UK & Irl) award for Excellence in Music Libraries, as were other staff and students in the College who have congratulated the Library staff via e-mail or in person. It is very affirming to receive recognition from professional colleagues to…
The staff of the Gerald Coke Handel Collection at the Foundling Museum collected a IAML Excellence Award at the Annual Study weekend in Manchester recently. With only two part-time staff, and occasional volunteers, we look after the Gerald Coke Handel Collection of around 10,000 items from the eighteenth century to the present, and provide facilities for study…