On the cover: a view of downtown Dallas, used with permission from Fairmont.

Welcome to Dallas:
A Meeting Like None Other

Plus: MLA Announces Strategic Plan

Greetings,
The Board of Directors met in late September in Boston. One of the main items of business was the adoption of Strategic Plan 2011. MLA is at a crossroads. The association is in a strong position with a committed core of dedicated members. It has strong representation in important library organizations through the liaison program, at important national bibliographic committees, in the national legislative arena, and now a link to international music libraries as the United States branch of IAML. Through careful planning and management, our financial position is sound and has allowed us to deal with the difficult recent economic conditions without imperiling the activities of the association, and we have a good relationship with our business office and publisher.

The Strategic Planning Task Force has laid the ground work for us to envision a new type of MLA that embraces and anticipates change and looks forward. To do this requires new thinking and bold action within the next three to five years so that the association is in a leadership position rather than purely reacting to events. The plan identifies six key areas: organizational excellence, value of the profession, advocacy, membership, education, and technology. The plan is now on the website and efforts are underway to begin the implementation of the plan.

All of these areas are critical to the future of MLA, but membership stands out as a high priority for the coming years. Over the past ten years, membership in MLA has declined 28 percent overall: 8 percent for individual members and 49 percent for institutional members and subscribers. Reversing this trend is of paramount importance this year. If you have not yet renewed your membership, please take the time to do so now. If you know of someone who might be interested in MLA, please suggest that they join, invite them to attend the convention in Dallas, and introduce them to our website and to Notes.

There are some new developments from the Boston meeting to which I’d like to draw your attention. The Board is encouraging committees to document their procedures by drafting a handbook, and a template to assist in that process is available from the Planning Committee. Several searches for were initiated for a new Assistant Administrative Officer, Publicity and Outreach Officer, Assistant Convention Manager, and editors. These searches are being conducted this fall and the appointments will be announced at the convention. The Bibliographic Control Committee has established the RDA Music Implementation Task Force and the RDA Music Revisions Facilitation Task Force. Both of these groups will be making important decisions that will affect all of our libraries. Lastly, we reviewed the operating budget for 2010-2011, and MLA ended the year only $5,179 over budget. While we hoped to meet our budget, it is a smaller deficit than the previous year—definitely a trend in the right direction.

The annual meeting in Dallas in February is sure to be like no other. If you don’t believe it, see the announcement video for the meeting on the MLA website. (The video is surely like no other.) There are plenary sessions on the information universe and music in Dallas, the usual wide range of committee meetings and programs, and also a number of sessions proposed and led by MLA members. There is also the invaluable aspect of networking with other music library professionals. I hope to have the opportunity to see you there this year.

Jerry L. McBride
President

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Welcome to Dallas: A Meeting Like None Other

Tina Murdock and Michelle Hahn, Co-chairs, Local Arrangements Committee

Howdy folks! Welcome to Dallas! It’s been 41 years since we saw you last in 1971 when MLA met in conjunction with ALA, and 47 years since MLA met for the first time ever in Dallas in 1965. A lot has changed since then, though the Texan hospitality remains.

About Dallas
Within walking, trolley, and light-rail distance are several unique neighborhoods and districts. The West End Historic District, the site of John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination, is the location of several restaurants and shops, as well as the Dallas World Aquarium, the Sixth Floor Museum, and the Holocaust Museum, among others. Along the rails of the only existing streetcar currently in Dallas, you will find hundreds of unique shops and restaurants in the Uptown and West Village neighborhoods. Deep Ellum, named for the drawled pronunciation of the main thoroughfare, Elm St., presents an eclectic mix of studios, galleries, restaurants, and bars. This area was once a hotbed for jazz and blues in the South, frequented by cats such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, and Bessie Smith.

Several other areas of note include the Dallas Farmers Market, a large, outdoor market that is open daily year-round and the Main Street District where the flagship store of Neiman Marcus resides among high-end restaurants and clubs such as the #1 USDA Prime Steakhouse, Bob’s Steak and Chop House.

The Metroplex
Dallas is not alone in this area, though. Along with Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Irving, and over 200 suburbs, it comprises the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (DFW), one of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. While the entire Metroplex is known for its world-class art galleries and performance venues, each part has its own unique status in various circles. Fort Worth, also known as Cowtown for its prominence along the Chisolm Trail cattle drives and the gateway to the American West, has the honor of hosting the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The smaller city of Arlington, which splits the drive between Dallas and Fort Worth, is home to the 2010-2011 American League Champion Texas Rangers baseball team, as well as the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders in the new 80,000 seat Cowboys Stadium. Along with the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks, DFW became the first place to host the Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA Finals within 12 months of each other. The Six Flags theme park chain is also native to Arlington.

The Arts District
Dallas is now home to a 68-acre arts district, collocating all of the major arts venue in one spot in the heart of Dallas. The district was first conceptualized in 1978, and the first structure, the Dallas Museum of Art, opened in 1984. Since then, four more buildings have been built, two by Pritzker Prize-winning architects, and a number of existing venues surrounding the new structures have become the home of Dallas’ premier visual and performing arts groups. The Dallas Arts District even has its own arts high school, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

The Arts District is itself a work of art, the only place in the nation showcasing the talents of four Pritzker Prize-winning architects in a single block (soon to be joined by a fifth in nearby Victory Park).The AT&T Performing Arts Center (ATTPAC) includes the eye-catching Margot & Bill Winspear Opera House, the outdoor Annette Strauss Square performing venue, City Performance Hall, Elaine D. & Charles A. Sammons Park, and the Dee & Charles Wyly Theatre, which has a unique system to lift scenery and seating balconies out of sight for different stage configurations. The acoustically superb Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, designed by I.M. Pei, is the home of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the location of our Local Arrangements Reception and Concert. The Trammell Crow Center houses the Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, and sits near the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center.

Fairmont Hotel, Dallas
The Texas Chapter and Local Arrangements Committee eagerly await your arrival for a meeting like none other, and the perfect place for a shindig like this is the Fairmont hotel,downtown in the Dallas Arts District. The Fairmont opened in 1969 with an extravaganza featuring “uniformed trumpeters...seventy-five violinists...caviar by the ton...” and a dinner parade led by baby elephants. After the multi-course, lavish meal, the elephants returned carrying Robert Goulet for an after dinner concert. What a party! It just goes to show that everything is indeed bigger in Texas!

Though lavish in many ways, the Fairmont also employs a number of earth-conscious initiatives. Besides the sustainable gardens on top of the building, the hotel uses energy efficient bulbs in large spaces, water reclamation for garden irrigation, and corn fiber plasticware, saving hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and kilowatt hours of energy each year.

We think you will find the meeting spaces and common areas beautiful and inviting, and conducive to fraternizing with your colleagues. With all of our spaces on one floor, it will be easy to move from event to event, and catch up with a few friends in between!

Local Arrangements Events
The Local Arrangements Committee is offering three tours of interest to members: the Dallas Arts District, the Dallas Public Library & 508 Park Ave., and the Organ Crawl, all featuring an inside look at prominent buildings and locations in the city. The Local Arrangements Reception will be at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center on Friday evening, followed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Casual Friday concert where we have the best seats in the house (for a bunch of musicians and printed music curators!) reserved at a discounted price. Please join us for these unique tour and event offerings!

Welcome back to Texas, y’all! We can’t wait to show you around!

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MLA Announces Strategic Plan

Purpose
The purposes of the Association shall be to promote the establishment, growth, and use of music libraries; to encourage the collection of music and musical literature in libraries; to further studies in musical bibliography; to increase efficiency in music library service and administration; and to promote the profession of music librarianship. (MLA Constitution and Bylaws, Article II.A)

Mission
The Music Library Association provides a professional forum for librarians, archivists, and others who support and preserve the world’s musical heritage. To achieve this mission, we:

• provide leadership for the collection and preservation of music and information about music in libraries and archives;
• develop and deliver programs that promote continuing education and professional development in music librarianship;
• ensure and enhance intellectual access to music for all by contributing to the development and revision of national and international codes, formats, and other standards for the bibliographic control of music;
• promote legislation that strengthens music library services and universal access to music;
• foster information literacy and lifelong learning by promoting music reference services, library instruction programs, and publications; and,
• collaborate with other groups in the music and technology industries, government, and librarianship, to promote our mission and values. (Approved June 13, 2008)

Core Values
MLA is committed to:

Access - Music and information about music should be findable, accessible, and preserved.

Inclusivity - The Association welcomes members who work with all types of collections and all types of music in all types of settings, exclusive of organizational affiliation. We value diversity in our membership and the collections we manage.

Collaboration – The Association reaches out to and cooperates with individuals and institutions involved in music creation, publishing, and the dissemination chain.

Expertise - The Association fosters excellence in music librarianship through the professional development of its members.

Advancement of knowledge about music - The Association promotes research and scholarship by members and non-members on all topics pertaining to aspects of music.

Fairness and Transparency - The Association exercises fairness in its decision making and transparency in its operations.

MLA Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives

OVERARCHING PHILOSOPHY
MLA embraces the evolution of music librarianship, recognizing that the value of the services provided by its members transcends physical collections.

Goal Area: Organizational Excellence

Goal Statement: MLA’s operations are efficient, effective and transparent.

Objective 1: Develop and sustain the necessary resources to ensure the vitality of the Association, its programs and services.

Objective 2: Improve access to information by and about the Association to meet the needs of members and other interested parties.

Objective 3: Pursue joint ventures with other organizations that offer financial as well as professional opportunities and advantages.

Goal Area: Value of the Profession

Goal Statement: MLA’s activities are relevant to current issues in librarianship and music, and non-members understand the mission and goals of the Association.

Objective 1: Increase the visibility of MLA among library and music organizations, individual scholars, musicians and librarians.

Objective 2: Increase the visibility of MLA to media organizations and social media networks.

Objective 3: Use new technologies to build greater public awareness, understanding and support for the Association, music libraries and music librarianship.

Goal Area: Advocacy

Goal Statement: MLA promotes and supports the equitable and ethical use of music in learning, it participates in the evolution of scholarly communication, and its official positions on these issues are widely known and influential.

Objective 1: Develop and disseminate official positions on intellectual property, access, and scholarly communication issues.

Objective 2: Enable and encourage members’ individual advocacy efforts.

Objective 3: Publish open access content on the web.

Objective 4: Increase legislators’, publishers’ and vendors’ awareness of the Association’s official positions on intellectual property issues.

Objective 5: Promote and encourage the use of music in all disciplines.

Goal Area: Membership

Goal Statement: Membership in MLA is valued by and beneficial to a broad range of organizations and individuals, and membership reflects the broad diversity of musics and populations we serve.

Objective 1: Increase outreach efforts to members from underrepresented groups.

Objective 2: Increase outreach efforts to organizations that are underrepresented, including those whose holdings reflect many types of music.

Objective 3: Investigate opportunities to offer institutional members cooperative buying agreements that provide valuable resources at reasonable costs.

Goal Area: Education

Goal Statement: MLA’s professional development programs foster excellence in those who work with music collections.

Objective 1: Increase enrollment in MLA-sponsored training and professional development programs.

Objective 2: Use technology to provide training and professional development opportunities through webcasts and other web-based workshops.

Goal Area: Technology

Goal Statement: MLA makes effective use of technology to achieve its mission.

Objective 1: Develop a plan to improve and sustain the Association’s information technology infrastructure and expertise in order to better support the work of MLA officers and groups.

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Strategic Plan 2011 Implementation

The MLA Strategic Planning Task Force completed its work in August, and the plan was approved by the Board.The MLA Strategic Plan Steering Committee was formed and held its first meeting on September 20 to begin the implementation of the strategic plan.

The implementation plan calls for the establishment of six teams corresponding to the six major goal areas identified in the plan. These teams will develop short and long range action plans for each area. Each team will have a liaison from the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. The steering committee itself will be the team for organizational excellence with the President as the chair. The other teams and their liaisons are: Value of the Profession (Mark Puente), Advocacy (Terry Simpkins), Membership (Ruthann McTyre), Education (Phil Ponella), and Technology (Michael Rogan).

Each team of 3-4 members will communicate with committee and subcommittee chairs and the general membership of MLA. Members of the team are drawn from the committees and also widely from the MLA membership to represent a variety of viewpoints. Each team is charged to write action steps that are specific, measurable, and occur within a designated timeframe. Strategic Plan 2011 and supporting documents will be available on the MLA website so that any MLA member may read it and contribute suggestions.

The work of the strategic planning teams and suggestions from the general membership will be due to the steering committee by December 16, and the information will be consolidated into a single report to the Board in January in time for its February meeting at Dallas. The Hot Topics session at the Dallas meeting on February 18 will be another opportunity for members to make suggestions to the plan and to hear more specifics about the proposed action steps.

Following the Dallas meeting operational and financial plans will be drafted by the steering committee from the action steps gathered over the past six months from MLA members and presented to the Board for its June budget meeting. In August, all MLA committees will be asked to prepare their annual reports with goals for the following year based on the strategic plan.

The planning process depends on broad participation of the MLA membership for its success. If you have comments or ideas to propose, submit them through the website or by contacting one of the members of the steering committee.

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Sarah Alexander, Iowa City, IA
Jennifer Cunningham, Coralville, IA
Jason Michael Gottsacker, Oak Park, IL

Stacey Rebecca Hendren, Spring Lake, MN
Becky Smith, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Erika Voss, Lexington, KY

Get To Know Your Membership

In this issue, we get to know Bracken Klar, at Tulsa City County Library.

What is your job title at Tulsa City County Library? Can you describe what your work entails?

My current job title is Supervisor of Physical Processing.  I got this job in September, transferring from a library associate position in the Central Library’s Media Center.  I like my new job a lot and it gives me the opportunity to see the library from a different side, the support services, non-public side.  While a lot of the book processing is outsourced, my department processes all the media for the system, about 2,200 items per month.  I work in the only non-public building our system has.  TCCL has 25 branches and one of us, the Service Center.  The building houses Cataloging, Acquisitions, Physical Processing and Collection Development. 

I started applying for and being awarded trusted projects while I worked in the Media Center.  These projects have included selecting titles for purchase in various popular music genres.  In my new job I work directly with Collection Development and Cataloging on many special projects and on one-off titles, most of which are media items.  I’ve had some very rewarding challenges here at the public library.  My experience as a local live music booking agent/promoter/producer has given me quite a unique set of attributes that I have been happy to help out the library with.  I’ve worked with several committees, program directors, event coordinators, etc., at TCCL to help book talent.  I’ve helped several local acts get their music incorporated into the collection and I’ve identified community needs and seen to it that our collection met those needs. 

Do you enjoy working in a public library setting?

I very much like working at a public library.  It has provided me an opportunity to advocate for music’s place in a public collection.  Although media’s circulation—most of which is music and movies—makes up a little more than half of the system’s total circulation, many folks still feel like media doesn’t belong in a “real” library.  In that capacity, I helped design a “listeners’ advisory” class for the TCCL continuing education program.  Being involved in the local music and arts scene in Tulsa, I also liked to point out to my superiors when dancers, choreographers, professional musicians, etc., would come in and check out items on a theme, ostensibly for research, or at least, not all for leisure.  With some folks. there seemed to be a belief that entertainment was the only thing people were checking out music for, which, to me, is also a justifying reason for music’s place in a collection.  Most public libraries’ mission statements will say that a purpose of the collection is to provide leisure material for their patrons.  And, really, are Lahaye/Jenkins, Stephanie Meyers or Danielle Steele being used for research?  I like being an advocate for the music collection.

From your perspective as a relatively new member of MLA, can you describe how being a member has been helpful to you?

I’ve been a member for two years.  The annual meeting is a great place to meet other professionals in the field as well as to hear some great new ideas.  The seminars are quite focused and taught adeptly by some very smart people.  When I was a student, the MLA was a great place to mine for paper arguments or research topics.  As a professional, MLA has been a great way to keep abreast of emerging trends, locally through the chapters, nationally and internationally through the MLA itself.  The listserv is top-notch.   The job postings are also a big help.  While I am quite happy with the public library in general and TCCL specifically, my interest is in music.  I would eventually like to work on a team at a more music-oriented organization or department, so I do keep an eye on it.

Are there ways in which you think MLA could provide more support to newer members, and/or those still new to the profession?

I think the MLA does a bang-up job for new members.  The travel grant opportunities are great, the mentoring program at the annual meeting is executed very well and the job postings are quite nice.

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Jim Cassaro
MLA Development Officer

As always, many thanks to all of you who have donated generously during the dues renewal cycle this past June, and who also took advantage of joining our giving circles, the Orpheus Society and the Ostinato Club. Many more of you have also signed up as a MLA Soloist as an opportunity to blow your own horn in honor of MLA! The development agenda for MLA continues to grow and prosper, and of course, this success is due to the continued generosity of our members.

With the ARL/MLA DII Scholarship now in the process of identifying potential candidates who have applied to the graduate library school programs at the five partner institutions, we can begin to expand our development agenda to include external support. With the annual meeting venues moving across the country, and also with Helms Briscoe assisting in our convention management, we can begin to approach corporations to help sponsor various aspects of our conference. Some of these potential sponsors, like Ebsco and ProQuest, support other library organizations’ initiatives, especially at annual meetings. Others, like Google, Apple, or even Geico, take us into the realm of corporate sponsorship that is related to our work, but not at an always obvious level. While seeking this kind of support can be tricky—typically, it may take a few tries before any funding comes through—we must actively pursue these opportunities as other forms of support dwindle. Of course, the MLA membership’s support never seems to dwindle! We will again target several of our funds again this year as a way to wrap up active campaigns, and set our sights on larger pots of support. So, if you are itching to put your money where it will do the most good, think about a donation to any of these funds—O’Meara/Hill Publication Awards Fund, the Carol June Bradley Award Fund, the Lenore F. Coral IAML Travel Grant Fund, or the Neil Ratliff IAML Outreach Fund—either as a year-end gift, a donation when registering for the conference, or just out of the goodness of your heart.

Speaking of the annual conference in Dallas, we will again this year sponsor a drink ticket initiative during the conference registration period. The program works the same as it did at the San Diego conference. For every $25.00 donated to a MLA Fund when registering for the Dallas conference, the giver will receive one free drink ticket. A donation of $100.00 will receive five free drink tickets. This initiative was wildly successful in San Diego, and we hope that it will be bigger and better this year! As always, there will be a Silent Auction this year, the first $1000.00 of proceeds from which will fund the 2013 Carol June Bradley Award.

Important to some of our long-time members, information on legacy giving will soon appear on the MLA Website. MLA has given so many of us an opportunity to grow, to collaborate, and to form life-long friendships, that this form of donating will certainly give back in a substantial way, and allow the Association to continue its important work for generations to come.

Stay tuned for more exciting news to come!

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We appreciate our Corporate Patrons and Corporate Members and their support of MLA.  

Corporate Patrons
A-R Editions, Inc
Arkivmusic
Harrassowitz
J W Pepper & Son, Inc
OMI-Old Manuscripts & Incunabula
Theodore Front Musical Literature Inc

Corporate Members
aaa Music Hunter Distributing Company
Alexander Street Press
Broude Brothers Limited
G Schirmer Inc/Associated Music Publishers, Inc
New World Records
Yesterday Service Sheet Music Inc

Our hearty congratulations to all those pursuing new opportunities.

Josh Harris, Media Preservation Coordinator, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Anne Shelley, Multimedia Services and Music Librarian, Illinois State University

Atlantic Chapter (ATMLA)

Members of the Atlantic chapter gathered October 14-15 for our annual fall meeting on the campus of West Chester University. After a warm welcome from host Paul Emmons, our meeting began with Joe Clark (Kent State) discussing user-centered programming at the Kent State Performing Arts Library, and his experiences organizing an annual Open House, Open Mic Lunches, and a Colloquium Series. Lisa Woznicki (Towson State) presented her research on the songs of Alma Schindler Mahler that grew out of her work with the Mahler-Werfel Papers housed at the University of Pennsylvania. Laura Krulikowski (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) provided a wealth of practical tips on organizing a live music series at the Orendorff Music Library. Our last presentation of the afternoon was by Stephen Marvin, Librarian at West Chester University, who spoke about his activist approach to copyright and fair use.

On Saturday morning, we heard from two guest speakers from the faculty of West Chester University. Julian Onderdonk led us through close readings of several Vaughan Williams settings in The English Hymnal, with his “Folksong, English Hymnody, and Bach’s Chorales: Ralph Vaughan Williams and ‘the Greatest of All Musicians,’” illustrating how Vaughan Williams used similar methods that Bach used, reworking chorales with a popular orientation. Our last presentation was on West Chester’s favorite son, Samuel Barber. Patricia Powell gave a lecture recital, assisted by Tatyana Oksyuk, Kimberly Reighley, and Emily Bullock, on the collaborative works of Samuel Barber, which included performances of several of Barber’s works.

We ended with our business meeting, with reports from committees, a spirited discussion of how we can reach out to new members, and a hearty round of applause to Paul Emmons, our host. Darwin Scott announced plans for our next chapter meeting, which will be held at Princeton University, October 19-20, 2012.

Submitted by Linda Dempf, Chair, ATMLA Communications Committee
Image: Stephen Marvin and Paul Emmons hold their Occupy copyright sign.


Midwest Chapter (MWMLA)

Seventy attendees observed MWMLA's 70th anniversary from October 27-29, 2011 in Indianapolis, IN. This near-record attendance included a large contingent of students and first-time attendees. Sponsors included Ebsco, Butler University Library, IUPUI Libraries, and Theodore Front Musical Literature, Inc. Sheri stormes (Butler) chaired the local arrangements committee .

Three guest presentations provided local color about Indiana. Tom Akins, retired principal timpanist of the Indianpolis Symphony Orchestra, gave a marvelous history of the Indianapolis Symphony (held at Hilbert Circle Theatre, the Symphony's home).  Lisa Lobdell, Archivist for the Michael Feinstein Foundation, illuminated the Great American Songbook collection at the Michael Feinstein Initiative (housed in Carmel, IN).  Matt Pivec, Director of Jazz Studies at Butler University, gave a lively presentation on the rich (and often overlooked) history of Indiana jazz.

There were six member presentations. First, Jonathan Wert (Univ. of Iowa) presented findings from his “User Needs Study of the Rita Benton Music Library.” Jill King (DePaul) and Liz Berndt-Morris (Central Michigan) followed with their presentation “Music and the Information Commons.”  Lauren Parsons (Minnesota State-Mankato) shared her successes with the ANSCR classification system for sound recordings, then Bob Delvin (Illinois Wesleyan) and Ruthann McTyre (Univ. of Iowa) discussed “Discovery Layers and Music.”  Michael Duffy (Northern Illinois) gave an update of the coverage of indexes in music, and Joe Clark (Kent State) presented “A Study of Job Trends in Music Librarianship.”

After Friday's presentations, members were invited to receive a tour of the stunning Indianapolis Public Library and to eat cake to celebrate the chapter's anniversary.  Indianapolis Public Librarian Joe Cehovin talked a bit about the music collections, and he graciously let us stay past closing hours to tour the library. At the Saturday business meeting, Jennifer Matthews (Notre Dame) was announced as the new secretary/treasurer, taking over for Keith Cochran of Indiana University. The business meeting also recognized our Troutman and Retirees' Scholarships recipients.  Amanda Pence DuBose (Univ. of Missouri) and Jennifer Cunningham (Univ. of Iowa) were awarded the Troutman scholarships, while Mandi Goodsett (Univ. Illinois) and Taylor Greene (Indiana U) received Retirees scholarships. Further details about the meeting proceedings will be available in a forthcoming Midwest Notebook.

Submitted by Kirstin Dougan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Chair
Image: Grace Fitzgerald smiles as Bob Acker looks on, taken by Misti Shaw

New York State/Ontario Chapter (NYSO)
The New York State/Ontario Chapter (NYSO) met for their annual fall meeting on Friday, October 14, 2011 at Hamilton College, in Clinton, NY. The day was full of interesting presentations and discussion. 

Birgitta Johnson (Postdoctoral Fellow, Ethnomusicology, Syracuse University) began the meeting by presenting her work as the fieldwork project manager for the Gospel Archiving in Los Angeles project conducted by the UCLA Ethnomusicology. Gerry Szymanski (Eastman) gave a talk, “A Ride ‘On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,’” discussing the imagery of the song and its setting in the Judy Garland film “The Harvey Girls.” Catherine Crone, a junior at Hamilton College, gave the first of two presentations highlighting part of the Hamilton College Special Collections. Her talk reflected her research on items in the Robert Fraker Collection of 19th-Century Banjo Instruction Manuals and included highlighting the online exhibit she designed and live demonstrations of songs found in the collection. http://ulib.hamilton.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/banjo
Following a catered lunch, Edward Komara (SUNY Potsdam) presented his extensive research on blues musician Robert Johnson in his paper, “Diamond Dogs: 75 Years of Robert Johnson’s ‘Hell Hound On My Trail.’” Brian Dobreski (Syracuse University) gave a paper that updated attendees on the results of the 2010 U.S. Resource Description and Access (RDA) test and discussed some of the implications of RDA on music cataloging. Christian Goodwillie, Director of Special Collections at Hamilton College, gave the final formal presentation of the day with her paper, “Shaker Music Imprints and Manuscripts in the Hamilton College Collection.”

An end of the day “Hot Topics” session allowed chapter members the opportunity to discuss issues faced in their libraries. Time was spent discussing strategies for incorporating DVDs from a branch library into a main library and librarians’ membership in unions. The issue of music materials being stolen from libraries and then resold to unsuspecting libraries and possible ways to avoid this problem was discussed in great detail. A formal business meeting concluded the day.

2012 meetings for NYSO include a dinner meeting planned for the MLA 2012 Annual Meeting in Dallas, TX and a Fall 2012 meeting at Syracuse University.
Submitted by Lisa McFall

Southeast Chapter (SEMLA)
The Southeast Chapter’s annual meeting from October 20-22 offered members the special bonus of joining in celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the Music Library at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Sessions took place in the beautiful and historic Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library, home of the Music Library. Meeting sponsors were Theodore Front Musical Literature, Inc., MLSC and ArkivMusic.com, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries.

With a total registration of 58, the meeting may have set an all-time SEMLA record.  Among the 18 first-time attendees were two recipients of the chapter’s Pauline Shaw Bayne Travel Grant and quite a few graduate students from area schools.  Members were also delighted to welcome Ruthann McTyre, MLA Past-President and liaison to chapters, formerly a SEMLA member herself.

On Thursday afternoon, attendees were treated to a lovely reception and splendid display of treasures at the opening of the exhibition Curating Sound:  75 Years of Music Collections at UNC, prepared by Music Librarian Philip Vandermeer and his Wilson Library colleagues.  Anniversary observances continued with Professor Tim Carter’s fascinating keynote address and a concert highlighting works from the collections, from medieval to high baroque to Elvis.
The next two days offered a wealth of member presentations.  Lois Kuyper-Rushing spoke about her experiences in Paris researching Eugene Bozza, Sara Nodine reported on her successful use of music-bibliography students to provide quick reference, Sarah Cohen described training student assistants for technical services tasks, Amy Strickland discussed implementing Variations at the University of Miami, Philip Vandermeer provided a historical account of collections and significant acquisitions at the UNC Music Library, Sonia Archer-Capuzzo explained how valuable librarians can be to researchers involved in fieldwork, and David Hursh detailed his ethnographic study of users at East Carolina University.

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31 December 2011
DEADLINE for early MLA National Meeting
early registration

15-19 February 2012
MLA National Meeting in Dallas, TX
MLA Board meets

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