While I return to gardening, grilling, and sitting on the porch in the evening, MLA continues to move into the season as well. As you know, spring (and early summer) marks the beginning of membership renewal season. By the time you read this, the first renewal mailing should have arrived in your mailboxes. Please take a moment to verify your contact information and renew your membership early. Prompt renewals save time and expense for our business office, which results in savings for the association.

Nancy Nuzzo, our Treasurer/Executive Secretary, has sent me the quarterly donations spreadsheet. I am pleased to report that donations during January–March 2005 exceeded $4,300.00. Thanks to those of you who contributed to MLA’s various funds, many of the contributions made in honor or memory of our colleagues. I also have heard from Laurel Whisler, who is in charge of fundraising for the 75^th anniversary commission and also for Memphis Local Arrangements. Laurel’s work, with the assistance of a number of SEMLA members, has also been successful, both at the chapter level and nationally: SEMLA is nearly halfway to their goal! If anyone is interested in more information or in contributing to the anniversary efforts, please contact either Laurel (laurel.whisler@furman.edu), Allie Goudy, Development Committee Chair (a-goudy@wiu.edu) or me (bboettc@bgnet.bgsu.edu).

All of MLA’s chapters are an important facet of the association, and this issue of the newsletter will present a number of chapter annual reports. Although I am sure that each of you is well aware of the work of your own chapter, take time to read what other chapters are doing. I am amazed at the quantity and quality of work represented in these reports. Links to chapter newsletters are found on the MLA web site; if you are interested in more detail about anything you read in a chapter’s annual report, check out their newsletter, or contact one of their officers.

The Board will be meeting in Middleton, Wisconsin from 3–6 June. Once again, A-R Editions, also our business office, is allowing us to overrun their space. Among the many items on the Board’s plate for this meeting is preparing and adopting the 2005-06 budget. We also will be receiving updates from all committees, and learning about progress toward planning the 75^th anniversary celebration. And, we will be reviewing and deciding on funding chapter grant proposals.

Even though the Board will be inside a building, our meeting space will have windows and we will be able to watch early summer in Wisconsin. I hope that each of you will have time to enjoy the season and the potential for relaxation that it offers. While you are relaxing, take time to think about MLA and know that those who have been elected or appointed to leadership positions are doing their best to make your association the best it can be!

As in the past, the sessions covered a broad spectrum of topics but common threads created a sense of cohesiveness between the sessions and the themes heard throughout the week. Technological advances were the impetus for the majority of the sessions that covered everything from creative use of blogs to online OPAC tutorials. Reorganization of library services was a topic of discussion in plenaries and committee presentations and the Poster Sessions were right there, with one session covering the reorganization of an entire library and another the changing of access from closed to open stack access of AV materials. On the technical services side, non-traditional materials were the order of the day, with cataloging non-music audio and music 'zines' catching the eye of many session visitors.

Once again, we had many more submissions than could be accommodated and the Education Committee hopes that in the future the number can be increased to provide more people the opportunity to present.

Here is the final list of sessions, which differs slightly from the list in the program because one presenter had to withdraw and an alternate was selected to take his slot.

Anderies, John (Haverford College)
Blogging Across the Quad, Or, How I Became a Virtual Supervisor

Scannell, Kerri A. (Univ. of Kentucky)
When Teams Don’t Work: Reorganizing a Library Structure for the Future

    
Poster sessions were a hit with conference attendees
(Photos: Leonard Bertrand)

The existing three categories will remain unchanged, and the Education Committee will consider applications in all categories. The existing three categories are:

• Recently completed research
• New and innovative library or music library projects
• Imaginative, systematic efforts at resolving library or music library problems

Information on how to submit a proposal will be published in upcoming issues of the newsletter.

For more information, contact:
Greg MacAyeal
Poster Session Coordinator, MLA Education Committee
gmacayea@roosevelt.edu

At the MLA Annual Meeting in Vancouver, the 2005 publications and research award recipients were announced:

A list of Music Library Association award descriptions and application requirements is available under "Awards & Grants" on the MLA website ( http://www.musiclibraryassoc.org ).

One thing that was learned from the 2003 Town Meeting in Austin, Texas, was that the members of the Music Library Association were frustrated by some aspects of the annual conference program. Town Meeting attendees described two scenarios that seemed to be at odds with each other: first, that there were multiple programs that dealt with similar topics and second, that there were so many overlapping programs that members felt they had to miss valuable sessions.

In an attempt to ameliorate this situation, the program chair for 2006 has been charged with making changes in the process of program building. One change is that a program committee has been appointed to help the program chair. Another, and probably the most important change, is that committees and roundtables are now required to submit program proposals. The program committee will evaluate these submissions (the deadline for which was May 31). While some will be accepted as proposed, the committee will ask groups submitting similar proposals to work together on a single program rather than have several that are similar. Proposals will also be evaluated against a set of criteria that were publicized earlier and distributed to all committee chairs and roundtable coordinators and to all those subscribed to MLA-L.

The program chair is Lois Kuyper-Rushing of Louisiana State University (lkuyper@lsu.edu). The voting committee members include Neil Hughes, University of Georgia (nhughes@uga.edu), representing the special committees; Peter Hirsch, New York Public Library (phirsch@nypl.org), representing round tables; Ned Quist (Edwin_Quist@brown.edu), member at large; and Mark McKnight (mmcknigh@library.unt.edu), program chair for the 2007 MLA annual conference program. If there are questions, please contact anyone on the committee.

Lenore Coral (1939–2005), librarian of the Sidney Cox Library of Music and Dance at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, passed away on 8 March 2005 after a valiant struggle with cancer. She was 66 at the time of her passing.

Lenore was born in Detroit, Michigan, 30 January 1939, and after graduating from Cass Technical High School, attended the University of Chicago from which she received the B.A. in music (1961), and also the Masters of Library Science (1965). Her M.A. thesis, An Historical Survey of Thematic Catalogs: With Special Reference to the Instrumental Works of Antonio Vivaldi was later expanded into A Concordance of the Thematic Indexes to the Instrumental Works of Antonio Vivaldi (MLA index series, no. 4 [Ann Arbor, MI.: Music Library Association, 1965; 2d ed., 1972]), an essential early tool to assuage the multiple thematic catalogue numbers assigned by various editors to the composer’s works. From 1965–67, on a Fulbright-Hays research fellowship she studied at King's College, University of London. Under the direction of Thurston Dart at King’s, her dissertation on music in British auction catalogues, Music in English Auction Sales, 1676–1750, was completed, and she was granted the Ph.D. in Musicology in 1974.

She continued her research in this area throughout her career, culminating in several important studies, among them Catalogue of Some of the Sale Catalogues Formerly in the Possession of S. de Ricci and now Belonging to the Bibliothèque Nationale (London, 1969), List of Phillips Sales Containing Books, 1797–1834 in the Archives of the Firm at the Wallace Collection, London (London, 1969), List of Christies’ Sales Containing Books, Mostly from 1801 to 1837 (London, 1969), and British Book Sale Catalogues, 1676–1800: A Union List (with A. N. L. Munby [London: Mansell, 1977]).

In 1967, at the impetus of H. Colin Slim, then chair of the music department at the University of California, Irvine, Lenore became the Fine Arts Librarian at that institution, and was responsible for music, dance, drama, and art. She began building the music collection at Irvine that today remains a lasting testament to her vast abilities in collection development. In 1972, she began her tenure as the first full-time librarian of the Mills Music Library at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a position she held until 1982. She returned to London in 1976–77 and 1979–80 on research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to continue her research. In 1982, she became the music librarian and professor of music at Cornell University, until her untimely death.

Lenore was visible in many scholarly and library organizations, among them the Music Library Association (MLA), the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres (IAML), the American Musicological Society (AMS), the Royal Musical Association (RMA), the Sonneck Society for American Music (now the Society for American Music; SAM), and the Music OCLC Users Group (MOUG), of which she was a founding member.

Within MLA, Lenore served in many capacities, as member-at-large on the Board of Directors (1973–75), as its President (1987–89), as editor of its Technical Reports series (1976–82), and for many years as the chair of its Legislation Committee. Her efforts in U.S. copyright legislation guided the Association in the often murky and complex laws governing the fair use of music and audiovisual materials. Lenore was also the Association’s representative to the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). In 1995, she was given the MLA Special Achievement Award for her work in establishing and implementing the International Standard Music Number (ISMN). MLA honored Lenore with its highest award, the MLA Citation in 1991 for her lifelong dedication to the goals and mission of the Association.

Highly active within IAML, Lenore served as secretary of its Cataloguing Commission (1979–83), and as its chair (1983–1990). Her undying commitment to international library standards and projects resulted in her election to the IAML Board of Directors as vice-president for two, three-year terms (1991–94; 1994–97). Lenore’s involvement in the workings of the various “R” projects (RILM, RISM, RIDiM, RIPM), resources fundamental to research in music, lead to the founding in 1984 of the U.S. RILM Office under her direction at Cornell University. Lenore and her merry band of volunteer abstractors have contributed several thousand abstracts each year to RILM, increasing the coverage of U.S. publications tremendously. In the early 1980s, Lenore served on the RIPM Commission for Indexing Norms, helping to develop the indexing system it has used and developed since that time. In addition to all of these other activities, Lenore presided over the organizing committee for the 2002 IAML meeting in Berkeley, CA. In July 2001, Lenore was given the Honorary Member citation at IAML’s 50th anniversary meeting in Perigueux, France by then President, Pamela Thompson.

IAML was not, of course, the only international arena in which Lenore was active and influential. As chair of the ISBD (NBM) working group of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), she, along with Lucia Rather, saw the publication of a 1987-revised edition of these rules for bibliographically describing non-book materials to finally include sound recordings.

One of Lenore’s greatest strengths was an uncanny ability to bridge the gap between the needs of the scholarly and library communities. Highly visible and active within AMS helped her to achieve her goals in this area. She served on the AMS Council (1975–77; 1982–84) and as a director-at-large on its Board (2001–03). A constant presence at AMS meetings, Lenore was always prepared to help graduate students make their way in the Society, give scholars the benefit of her wise counsel on a myriad of topics, and to assist music librarians in being more visible within the organization.

On a personal note, Lenore was incredibly influential in my career as both a scholar and a librarian, as she was to so many others, even those who did not work directly with her. There isn’t a day that goes by that I do not invoke something that she taught me. As a mentor to a whole generation of librarians and scholars she is unparalleled. I shall miss her passion, her dedication, her wise counsel, and her undying friendship. She gave to others unselfishly, and with a tremendously warm heart under that crusty exterior. Her smile and laughter would fill the entire room, and the stories she could tell were truly amazing!

Lenore was such a constant force in so many areas that it is difficult to believe she is gone. Her tenacity, vision, passion, and wit have inspired many in both the fields of musicology and music librarianship. Her legacy lives on in our libraries, our daily teaching, and in the vast world of musical knowledge and understanding to which she had so generously given of her time and energy.

When, at the 1938 MLA meeting held in conjunction with ALA the “Committee on Employment Information” (hastily put together since October of the previous year) chaired by Julia Lawton gave its report, MLA placement activities were launched. Of the seven recommendations Ms. Lawton presented at that 1938 meeting, a few today would prompt a raise of the eyebrow. For example, it was felt that “candidates should have a personal interview with several members of the committee.” Although the secretariat was then at New York Public, the fact that Ms. Lawton planned to have a committee composed of “a Mid-Western and a Far-Western member” would mean that “candidates” would have much traveling to do for a personal interview. Also, a $5.00 registration fee was deemed desirable (this at a time when the hotel rate at the meeting was a mere $2.50!). Finally, and most ambitiously, it was decided that a letter be sent to five hundred libraries in the U.S. to “inquire about their needs” for a music librarian.

The basic goals of the service as described in the article have remained relatively constant over the years: “advising interested music librarians of openings in the field, creating in employers an awareness of the availability of qualified music librarians, and advising interested library school students on matters related to their personal entrance into the field.”

With the advent of email and listservs like MLA-L, we are all connected between meetings in a way that was unheard of in the not-so-distant past. One attempt to improve communication between librarians was a newsletter column called “The Rapping Post” (later called “The Forum”). First appearing in July 1971, it was “a step-child of the Open Forum for New Librarians,” an “invitation to members to present their problems for consideration and their achievements for the betterment of everyone.” Among the questions presented in that first column were these that sound familiar still:

With the February 1971 issue of the Schwann Record & Tape Guide came the demise of the monaural recordings. Many of these pressings, as yet, have not been reissued on stereophonic discs. Some have only been issued on tape cartridge. Others may never be reissued. Has your library made plans to tape potentially unavailable monaural recordings? Is it considering the possibility of a similar descent of the stereophonic recording? Is this a feasible projection, too premature, or what else?

“The award allowed me to study the records of the Martin and Morris Music Company, a pioneering gospel music publishing business in Chicago between 1940 and 1980. The company records are held in the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Business partners Sallie Martin and Kenneth Morris are considered the “Mother of Gospel Music” and “Dean of Black Gospel Music Publishing,” respectively.”

Why should I be a Sustaining Member of MLA?
Laura Gayle Green, Music/Media Librarian at the University of Missouri—Kansas City:

“At the 2005 MLA meeting, I referred to a Sustaining Membership as upgrading to MLA 2.0. Think of it as further sustaining the work MLA members perform for the profession through our beloved association. I was Treasurer/Executive Secretary for MLA during a financially difficult time for the organization, and when I saw our members send in sustaining memberships, I was so thankful that these folks recognized how their sustaining membership would help MLA’s operating budget demands. Consider MLA’s outreach efforts, the great representation and advocacy from BCC folks, and the many wonderful publications in our various monographic series. Your sustaining membership contributes more resources for these initiatives and so much more—benefits for not only MLA members, but for librarians and musicians everywhere. When you receive your dues renewal, I hope you’ll consider upgrading your membership to MLA 2.0 and become a sustaining member of MLA. You’ll be glad you did.”

The grant will be awarded to support costs associated with the research process. These may include travel, lodging, meals, supplies, and photocopy or microfilm reproduction of source material. There are no restrictions as to applicant's age, nationality, profession, or institutional affiliation. All proposals will be reviewed entirely on the basis of merit.

1. A summary of the project
2. A preliminary budget
3. A current vita
4. The names of three references

The deadline for receipt of applications is June 15, 2005. Applications received after that date will be considered for funding in 2006. Recipients will be notified by October 15, 2005 and announced at the MLA annual meeting in Memphis, TN, February, 2006.

Applications should be submitted to:

For more information, please contact the chair via email at jep4f@virginia.edu.

A grant may be awarded to support research in archives or libraries (both nationally and internationally) on any aspect of American music. There are no restrictions as to applicant's age, nationality, profession, or institutional affiliation. All proposals will be reviewed entirely based on merit.

Applicants must submit the following documents:

1. A brief research proposal (under 10 pages) that includes:
   1. a description of the project
   2. a detailed budget for the project, indicating:
      1. the amount of funding requested (capital purchases such as computer equipment and furniture are ineligible.)
      2. justification for the funding
      3. additional sources of funding
   3. a demonstration of how the applicant's research will contribute to the study and understanding of American music.
2. A curriculum vitae of the applicant.
3. Three letters of support from librarians and/or scholars knowledgeable about American music.

Submit applications to:

The deadline for receipt of applications and letters of support is July 1, 2005.

Please send the following information to the address below:

1. A description of the project and a statement about its significance.
2. A detailed total budget, specifying the amount of funding requested from MLA (to a maximum of $1,000) and its purpose (capital purchases are not eligible.) Indicate any other sources of funding you may have already secured.
3. Two letters of recommendation—one for the project and one for yourself.
4. A curriculum vitae that also names additional references.

The applicant must be a member of the Music Library Association and be in the first three years of his/her professional career, a graduate student in library school (by the time of the conference in February 2006) aspiring to become a music librarian, or a recent graduate (within one year of degree) of a graduate program in librarianship seeking a professional position as a music librarian. The applicant must not have attended an MLA annual meeting prior to applying for the grant. Previous applicants who still qualify are welcome to reapply.

Applicants must submit the following by July 15, 2005:

1. A letter of application with an explanation of the reasons for attending the MLA annual meeting, a justification of financial need, and a budget
2. A current vita
3. Two letters of support under separate cover (email is acceptable)

Mail application and supporting materials to:

Please clearly mark the envelope “Freeman Travel Grant Application.”

For more information, contact the chair via email: alicias@csus.edu
Recipients will be notified by October 15, 2005 and announced at the MLA annual meeting in Memphis, TN, February 2006.

Thank you for your patronage!

As a part of the project, 110 pieces of Nebraska-produced or related sheet music were digitized. These pieces are found in the catalog through title, composer or lyricist, subject, and thumbnail indexes. The annotated author index provides brief biographical entries on the composers and lyricists represented in the project. A history section provides historical and cultural context for the pieces. Lesson plans offer ideas for educational uses of this material.

This project is supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Nebraska Library Commission. Additional funding has been provided by the Lincoln City Libraries, and the Swanson Biggs Adams Family Foundation donated funds for the writing of the lesson plans. We are extremely grateful to all of these organizations for making this project possible.

In other news, the Polley Music Library has been awarded a 2005 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant through the Nebraska Library Commission. This grant is for the digitization of various archival material in the Polley collections, especially that relating to the life of Lillian Helms Polley (1881-1978) and her role in the musical, cultural and intellectual life of Lincoln, Nebraska. Items to be digitized include historic programs, scrap books, correspondence, writings and photographs. All items digitized will be included in the Nebraska Library Commission’s Nebraska Memories digital library project.

The Nebraska Library Commission also awarded a supplementary grant for additional materials to be included in The Music of Old Nebraska sheet music digitization project. A dozen pieces of sheet music, as well as sound files of selected pieces will be added to the Polley Music Library project, and also to Nebraska Memories digital library.

Michael Andrew Doherty, Denver, CO

ejazzlines.com, Saratoga Springs, NY

Foster Grimm, Video Artist Institution, Pleasentville, NY

Ethan Andrew Henderson, Columbia, MO

Amy Jo Hunsaker, University of Las Vegas Music Library

William F. Johnson, Mamaroneck, NY

Adam Matthew Kubik, Clayton College & State University

Lauren Noel, Columbia College

Cassidy Rose Pratt, Chapel Hill, NC

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The e-mail survey regarding MLA marketing merchandise was most helpful and gratitude was expressed to those MLA members who took the time to complete the survey.

The Silent Auction and the MLA Shop were great hits at the MLA conference again. Many thanks to Erica Patillo and Mary Du Mont for their work on the Silent Auction, Carolyn Johnson for scheduling the many wonderful MLA volunteers who worked the tables, and of course, thank you to the many MLA members, corporate patrons and members and the exhibitors who donated items, bought items, and made this year’s MLA Shop and Silent Auction a success. MLA members can look forward to more exciting and new offerings at the 2006 MLA meeting in Memphis.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library that serves as both the San José State University Library and the main branch of the San José Public Library opened in August 2003. The administrators of this unique library consider it a “marriage” as the two library units maintain their own identities while occupying the same building. Planning for this $178-million facility began in 1996 when the mayor of San José and the president of San José State University met to begin planning this joint library that would contain 1.5 million volumes and serve a population of 2 million. A lengthy “pre-nuptial” agreement that detailed all aspects of library operations was prepared by teams consisting of staff from both libraries.

Some of the decisions made in the operating agreement were controversial and worrisome to some of the potential clientele. While some of the collections have been merged and others are shelved separately, all patrons with a library card have equal access to all materials. Some services have been merged, such as Reference and Periodicals. The Technical Services departments share a workspace but remain separate. Remote databases have controlled access as to which library patrons can use them.

Patricia participated in the music subject team planning group. Both the public library and the San José State Library had large collections of scores and sound recordings. The music collections are now separated on different floors of the library. The sound recordings are on open shelves and may be borrowed by both the university and public library users. No listening stations were originally planned for this new building, but some reading carrels and group study rooms have now been fitted for audio use.

The Beethoven Center is a tenant of the library, as their operating budget comes from the School of Humanities. The center shares an exhibit hall with two other special collections departments, and has a moveable wall that opens into a program room for recitals and lectures.

Patricia believes it is a moderately successful "marriage” but a worthwhile effort. The number of visitors to the library has increased, and staff workloads have changed and sometimes increased. It should be noted that this library, the only co-managed city–academic library in the nation, won the Gale/Library Journal 2004 Library of the Year Award.

Alicia Hansen and Laurie Phillips Gibson reported on their move from a music library housed in the Music Department to a space in Loyola’s main library which had been built in 1999. More than two years of very careful planning preceded their move. In preparation for moving, in addition to hiring a new music librarian, they studied peer institutions and worked very closely with both students and faculty to develop a plan for the services and layout of their new department.

They reclassified and added 3M security strips to their sound recording collection during the time that they were preparing for their move so that the recordings could be found more easily when they were placed on open shelving. Circulation statistics for recordings have gone up with this change.

At the end of the planning phase, materials in the main library were moved to make room for the music collections. It was decided that the ML’s and MT’s would not be integrated into the main book collection. They were kept with the M’s and the rest of the music materials. A group listening room is a new feature of their services, one that is used frequently.

Both Alicia and Laurie were very positive about their change from a branch to an integrated library. They are doing more library instruction, reference questions have increased, and the non-music reference librarians are more confident with their skills in dealing with music-related questions.

John Roberts described the new music library at the University of California, Berkeley. The UC Berkeley music library had long ago outgrown its space in Morrison Hall which it had occupied since 1958. Planning that began in 1993 to expand Morrison Hall and remodel the former library did not come to fruition. In 1995 architects suggested that a free-standing music library would better serve their 33,000 students, many area musicians, 190,000 volumes and 50,000 recordings.

Financing a separate building was their challenge. Jean Gray Hargrove, a 1935 alumna of the Music Department, offered them $4 million as their lead gift. More donations were obtained and by 1998 the firm of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects of Atlanta was hired to design the building.

The three-story building, which contains 23,227 assignable square feet, opened in July 2004. It is constructed so that its ground floor is adjacent to a playing field, and its middle floor opens onto a plaza. The exterior of the building is covered with slate tiles that are usually used on roofs and floors. Windows are scattered around the building giving significant natural light to the interior and allowing a feeling of openness and airiness with views of the campus.

Some highlights of John’s photo tour of the library included the circulation desk, reference area, and reading room with their dark cherry wood interior finishes and custom made study tables, carrels and chairs. A closed, climate-controlled area was built on the second floor to hold their large special collections. They have a comfortable staff lounge, several roomy conference and group study rooms, space to display all of their current periodicals, and stacks that are currently half full. The floors in certain areas have been built to easily accommodate compact shelving should it be needed in the future.

John said they are very pleased with the building. They’ve received favorable attention from the campus, the community, and architecture publications.

The three presentations we heard described very different projects, all of which have had successful outcomes as a result of the exceptional planning done at all three institutions.

At the business meeting of the Facilities Subcommittee, we thanked John Druesedow and, in absentia, Bruce Wilson, both of whom served on the subcommittee for the past four years and have now completed their terms. We also welcomed three new members: Drew Beisswenger (Southwest Missouri State University), Janet Bochin (California State Univ., Fresno), and Deborah Campana (Oberlin). Deborah has agreed to serve as editor of a new annual newsletter column sponsored by the subcommittee, to begin with the September-October 2005 issue and feature a new music library building, renovation, or expansion in each column. In the coming year, the subcommittee will continue revising the format of its Facilities Register in order to make information gathered on new construction projects more readily accessible to the MLA membership. (Report by Janet Bochin)

The Statistics Subcommittee met for a business meeting during the Vancouver meeting on February 17 at 3:30 pm. In attendance at the meeting were: outgoing co-chairs David Hursh (East Carolina University) and Diane Napert (Hartt School); incoming co-chairs Bruce Evans (Baylor University) and Steve Luttmann (University of Northern Colorado); and committee members Antonio Calvo (University of California, Northridge), John Brower (Seattle Public), Kirstin Dougan (Duke University), Guy Leach (Georgia State University). Outgoing Administration Committee Chair, Robert Acker (DePaul University) and incoming Administration Committee Chair, Paula Elliot, also attended a portion of the meeting.

The meeting opened with a discussion of the 2002-03 survey. We received 118 responses to the survey this year. As was the case last year, this is down from the previous year and while there are new respondents, the number of repeat respondents is down as well. Our discussion centered on how we might encourage respondents to participate on a recurring basis. We decided that we would identify those who had only responded once and have committee members contact them in order to encourage them to respond before the analysis of this year’s data takes place. We would also ask for their input on changes that might increase the likelihood of repeat responses from them in the future. Other options discussed included having the MLA Board support the survey from the first announcement (even going so far as to have the MLA president announce the survey) and a poster session at next year’s meeting which would present an overview of the three (and possibly four) years worth of data that we have collected in the hope that the membership will see the value of participating. The need for the committee’s charge to be revisited and amended was also discussed and the decision made to take this to our parent committee. The meeting concluded with a discussion of the possibility of opening the survey to Canadian music libraries, an action prompted by a request made from a Canadian music librarian. The decision was made to take this to the MLA Board via our parent committee. The remainder of the scheduled time was used to initiate the training of the incoming co-chairs.

Our 2005 meeting began with an introduction of Jennifer Hunt, Library Director of the Boston Conservatory. Jennifer replaces Richard Vallone as coordinator of the roundtable.

Keeping to the original intent of roundtables, our twenty-three attendees held an informal discussion of topics as suggested by conservatory staff members. We first talked about our annual survey. This survey includes such things as number of enrolled students, budget, staff, available equipment, size of collection, etc. Participants consider the survey to be invaluable in planning budgets and writing administrative reports and comparisons between similar institutions. One possible question to be added would have been the number of hits our library websites receive, but none of us collect such data. There was agreement, though, that the vast majority of people logging onto our institutions’ sites do so for the purpose of using library resources. A query that will be added to the survey is to state the number of public access workstations in our libraries, and if they are limited to library tasks only or are also available for such activities as e-mail and word processing. As an addendum to listing what material types we collect, it was suggested also to specify which of these circulate. Depending on the outcome of ongoing e-mail discussions within the group, this survey might be continued on a bi-annual basis, although some members expressed the fact that the annual update of these figures is preferable.

We continued with a quick explanation of the tightening of future meeting programs and the roles of committees and roundtables within the program schedule. Members were asked to send ideas to Jennifer about a focus for next year’s meeting. Paul Cary (Baldwin-Wallace College) suggested that binding and preservation be considered as our topic for 2006.

Our first functional item was if we are mounting electronic reserves and streaming audio. The general response of the group was that it was not being done yet. Ed Scarcelle (Mannes) stated that they use Classical.com and Naxos. They’ve received positive feedback, but unfortunately, there are no smart classrooms on campus in which to use these resources. Classrooms there do not even have central media equipment. However, off-campus access to these products is offered, but none are yet being used for reserves. Barbara Walzer (Sarah Lawrence College) had a thirty-day trial of Naxos. It was introduced to faculty and got no response at all. She realized that she should have presented it first to the students, who would have been more enthusiastic. Peter Caleb (Manhattan School) concurred that they, too, had no response from faculty concerning their Naxos trial. Everyone agreed that such products are best offered to students, who then will recommend their use to faculty: the reverse of trickle-down theory. Janet Winzenburger (Cleveland) has had Naxos since August and set up playlists. Usage statistics are low but understandable, considering the product is not available for use in the library. Kathy Abromeit (Oberlin) added that these resources are better for general and non performer-specific classes. She also put forth the idea that if the products were integrated seamlessly with our collections, they probably would be used for reserves. Currently though, faculty do not want their students to need to go to multiple sites. If the available recordings could be found in the catalog during a routine search, these resources would be much more accessible and used more often.

Those of us in geographical areas that sometimes receive enough snowfall so our institutions close were wondering how libraries are handled in these situations. Do we also close, or should we remain open as a gathering place for those students who might be on campus? Should administrators require professional staff members and student staff to be present, although it might be too inconvenient or dangerous for the rest of the institution’s workers to come in? Both Jennifer Hunt (Boston Conservatory) and Richard Vallone (New England Conservatory) have had to deal with this situation recently. Bob Follet (Peabody) told us that although his library is in the dormitory and student aids easily can come to work, their library closes if Peabody is closed. Janet Winzenburger said that CIM simply does not close for inclement weather. According to Paul Cary, Baldwin-Wallace rarely closes so this problem has not needed consideration. Ed Scarcelle stated that at Mannes, everything closes. The situation at Sarah Lawrence is that the library stays open with student staff. The institution is a boarding school and, therefore, student aids are already on campus. Other attendees felt that the responsibility of the decision should be with the library, not the school’s administration, as we know the traveling situations of our workers and can balance that with the students’ need for a place to study on campus.

Is your library responsible for handling large ensemble music? Do you have an ensemble librarian? Kenton Meyer (Curtis) told us that ensemble music is handled by a different department. It is the same at N.E. Conservatory, Oberlin, and Peabody. Jennifer Hunt is responsible for the management of the collection, but a part-time staff member distributes it. Longy’s Roy Rudolph is completely responsible for everything. Janet Winzenburger also is responsible for everything, but the materials are provided from the large ensemble department’s budget. At San Francisco Conservatory, Deborah Smith said the collection is maintained off-site, but is searchable in the library’s catalog.

We next discussed the Orchestral Musicians’ CD-ROM Library. Paul Cary just bought them for in-house use only. However, printing from them is free in the library, and as they are public domain editions, copyright is not a factor. They are originally published in book form, but Paul has removed them from the original bindings and placed them in vinyl sleeves. Cleveland also has them, and because the product can be used throughout their careers, Janet encourages students to buy their own copies. Roy Rudolph has purchased the editions for wind parts, but might continue to collect the whole set if his budget allows.

Paul then told us about the subscription database called Schubertline.com . The description on this website is: “The Internet's largest transposable online library of opera arias, German lieder, French mélodies, English songs by great composers…” The editions here are also public domain. Roy described a similar product that includes instrumental music, and is called Everynote.com .

Is noise an issue in your library? How do you discourage the use of cell phones? All members agreed that vigilance is a necessity with all staff members, including student aids, participating. Particular areas of the library seem to attract socializing, namely photocopiers, public access terminals, and circulation desks. Sometimes, as is the case at Longy during their preparatory school on Saturdays, distinct problems arise during particular times.

We then began a discussion on how we handle bindings. Oberlin does nothing in-house while Cleveland does everything, with the rest of the group spread across this spectrum. We decided to table this topic in view of the fact that MLA’s Preservation Committee is in the process of conducting their bindery survey.

Our next item concerned approval plans. What are the pros and cons? Few libraries use them. For the Manhattan School, Harrassowitz was a “disaster.” Peabody uses Yankee for its books, but as the plan has been including too many popular titles, they’ve been rejecting more than they accept. They don’t use any plan for scores. Cleveland has had a good experience with Theodore Front. Attendees agreed, though, that because music is so idiosyncratic, libraries prefer to micromanage their collections and personally review available editions before purchase.

We conducted a quick survey of how many institutions charge for printing from computers, either in the library or in computer labs. Seven schools currently charge. However, as students now are using online products more than photocopying paper sources, many others are thinking about instituting fee-based computer printing.

Janet Winzenburger asked us how we acquire hard-to-get scores, especially those that are rental only and by living composers. One suggestion was to request a copy from Boosey & Hawkes’ publishing on demand service. Another was to ask the composers to contact their own publishers. This is most effective if the composer is on the faculty at your institution.

We concluded our meeting with a problem posed by Kathy Abromeit, which was how we police the attire of student workers. While it is difficult to impose dress codes, keeping a standard of public acceptance is required.

The PNW/MLA Chapter spent a glorious weekend in Seattle, Washington, enjoying unusually nice weather—and taking in many of the “library-approved” sites of the city.

The meeting, hosted by John Brower and Sheila Knutsen (Seattle Public Library) at the new Seattle Public Library, took place Friday, April 22nd and Saturday, April 23rd. Talks and presentations included a special session by Judy Tsou (University of Washington) comparing the new and old editions of Flower Drum Song, by Rodgers & Hammerstein, with emphasis on the portrayal of Chinese stereotypes in the old version and the remedies given in the new edition by David Hwang. Deborah Pierce (University of Washington) shared her expertise in preserving and cataloging the University of Washington’s Dewey score collection, using grants that the UW libraries received from Paul Allen. Friday night’s dinner was hosted by UW’s Cathy Gearhart, with vocal and piano sing-along led by the Seattle Public Library members of PNW/MLA.

Other events included a discussion on the commercial digital audio resources available now, a presentation of “Songs of the Sea” by Leslie Bennett (University of Oregon), a “share your favorite reference source” session that highlighted members’ digital projects, and a business meeting at which the new chapter officers were announced. Leslie Bennett is the incoming Chair; Betty Woerner (Reed College) is the Vice Chair/Chair Elect; and Beverly Stafford (Multnomah Public Library) is the re-elected Secretary/Treasurer. Terry Horner (University of British Columbia) is the continuing Newsletter Editor.

Tours of the Seattle Public Library were led by John and Sheila, and as a special ending to the meeting, the Experience Music Project’s Jasen Emmons gave a guided tour of Paul Allen’s rock and roll museum, featuring exhibits about Bob Dylan; the Beatles’ first tour of the U.S. (both of which were curated by our host), and, of course, Seattle’s Jimi Hendrix memorabilia. The Beatles exhibit includes a section on their fans, which includes a letter our chapter chair, Laurel Sercombe, wrote to George Harrison, and his mother’s reply. Many pictures were taken and, although the group was tempted by the hands-on resources of the museum, no new EMP-produced compact disc of the PNW/MLA’ers will be gracing your airwaves soon!

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2006 Music OCLC Users Group (MOUG) Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes and honors someone who has made significant professional contributions to music users of OCLC. The MOUG Executive Board selects a recipient based on nominations received from the MOUG membership.

Eligibility for nomination is as follows:

• Nominees must have made professional contributions which significantly address the needs and concerns of music-oriented users of OCLC's products and services.
• Nominees may be MOUG members, but membership in the organization is not a requirement.
• The nomination must be accompanied by a statement that provides supporting evidence of the nominee's qualifications.

The award recipient will receive an engraved plaque containing an inscription recognizing his or her special contribution to the field, complimentary registration for the MOUG meeting at which the award is being presented, and a lifetime complimentary membership to MOUG.

Past recipients of this award are Ralph Papakhian and Sue Stancu (joint recipients, 2005; Indiana University), Jay Weitz (2004; OCLC, Inc.), Judy Weidow (2003; University of Texas), and Kay Burnett (2002; Smith College).

For more information about MOUG, please visit http://www.musicoclcusers.org/ . Questions and nominations can be sent to:

Neil R. Hughes
MOUG Vice Chair/Chair-Elect
Head, Music Cataloging
Cataloging Department
University of Georgia Libraries
Athens, GA 30602-1641
nhughes@uga.edu
voice: (706) 542-1554; fax: (706) 542-4144

Daniel Boomhower, Head of the Music Library and Librarian for the Performing Arts, Kent State University

Lee Barrett Bryars, Catalog Librarian, Berklee College of Music

Elizabeth J. Cox, Special Formats Catalogers, Southern Illinois University

Joseph Hafner, Music Scores Cataloguer, McGill University

Huber, George K., will retire as Music Librarian at Swarthmore College at the end of June. He has worked there for 40 years (although the Music Library itself did not come into existence till 1973.)

Adam Kubik, Catalog Librarian, Clayton College & State University

Nara Newcomer, Assistant Music Librarian, East Carolina University

Janet Weaver, Catalog Librarian, Manhattan School of Music

Tom Caw, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, was awarded the Friends of the Library/Janet and Carl Moebius UWM Libraries Outstanding Achievement Award for Student Employee of the Year at a ceremony on February 3, 2005.
Steven K. Gerber, University at Buffalo, saw the first performance of his new edition of William Henry Fry’s The Dying Soldier (ca 1863) at Lippes Concert Hall, March 8, 2005 by the University at Buffalo Symphony Orchestra.

Atlantic Chapter
Submitted by Stephen Landstreet

Standing Committees:
Communications Committee: John Anderies (Haverford College), Chair and Blog-Newsletter; Linda Dempf (Web site); Alice LaSota (Chapter Listserv).
Membership Committee: Anne Harlow (Temple University), Chair; Steve Landstreet (Free Library of Philadelphia), and Alice LaSota (University of Maryland)

Meetings:
Apart from the chapter meeting in Crystal City during the 2004 National Meeting, we met at West Virginia University, in Morgantown, WV, on October 22-23.

Future Meetings:
Fall 2005: Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, MD. Program: Robert Follet (Peabody Conservatory), Steve Landstreet (Free Library of Philadelphia).
Fall 2006: Marine Band Library, Washington, D.C. Jane Cross, Local Arrangements.

Grants:
The $850 grant from MLA for chapter meeting travel support went unused at our fall meeting. We are now offering up to four grants of $250 each to help newer members attend the Vancouver meeting. Any unused grant money will be rolled over for future grant offers to the chapter membership.

Projects:
Nothing cooking in particular at this moment beyond what’s in the new initiatives section below. However, we soon start LAC planning for the 2007 national meeting in Pittsburgh.

New initiatives:
Anne Harlow raised the idea of a formal mentoring program to benefit library school students in our chapter area. In the universities which have MLS programs in our area, there are a number of potential mentors from our chapter who are nearby and would likely be willing to mentor a student. Anne is looking further into developing the idea and will report on it at the Vancouver chapter meeting.

Web site: http://www.tcnj.edu/~atlantic; Linda Dempf (College of New Jersey), Editor

Electronic Mail Distribution List:
To subscribe: LISTSERV@listserv.umd.edu
Web interface: http://www.listserv.umd.edu/archives/atmla-l.html
Alice LaSota (University of Maryland), List Owner

Web-Blog-Newsletter: John Anderies (Haverford College), Chair

Members: 44

Dues: $12.00 (librarian); $7.00 (student/paraprofessional)

How to Join:
Membership application linked from our Web site at: http://www.tcnj.edu/~atlantic/Atlantic%20chapter%20membership_renewal%20form.doc

Greater New York Chapter

No Report Submitted

Midwest Chapter
Submitted by Bob Delvin

Chapter Meetings:
St. Louis (October 7-9, 2004), Lexington (October 20-22, 2005) Milwaukee (2006), Indianapolis (2007)

Chapter Projects:
Membership recruitment (ongoing). Publications Committee is 1) undertaking a chapter membership handbook, 2) completing a new edition of the Directory of Automation Projects, and 3) coordinating a chapter oral history project to coincide with the chapter's 70th anniversary in 2006.
TAPS (Technology, Archives, Preservation, Sound) has created a webpage link from the chapter Web site: http://www.mlamidwest.org/tapsHome.htm

Awards Recipients (2004):
Midwest Chapter, MLA Retiree’s Scholarship for Student Members: Katharine Chandler (UIUC), Adriana Cuervos (UIUC), Thomas Pease (Indiana University).

New Scholarship:
“The Leslie Anne Troutman Scholarship for Library Para-professionals and Support Staff” provides support for attendance at chapter meetings by library para-professionals and support staff employed by a library within the Midwest Chapter region of the Music Library Association.

Chapter Web site: http://www.mlamidwest.org

Members: 146 regular members; 30 student members

Annual dues: $8.00

Mountain/Plains Chapter
Submitted by Stephen Luttmann

Officers (to May 2005):
Stephen Luttmann (University of Northern Colorado), Chair
Cheryl Taranto (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Vice Chair/Chair Elect
Janet Bradford (Brigham Young University), Past Chair
Daryll Stevens (Colorado College), Secretary/Treasurer
Rachel Crane (Wichita State University), Member-at-Large
Laurie Eagleson (University of Arizona), Chapter Archivist
Laurie Eagleson (University of Arizona), Chapter Webmaster

Newsletter: Conventional Title, 2 issues per year. Jean Jensen, Editor.

Chapter Web site:
http://www.library.arizona.edu/mpmla/welcome.html

Electronic Discussion List:
MPMLA-L@du.edu   Listserv manager: Suzanne Moulton-Gertig

Meetings:
May 21-22, 2004, Tempe, Arizona, Brian Doherty (Arizona State University), host. (See full report in MLA Newsletter, No. 138, September/October 2004.) Rick Anderson (University of Nevada, Reno) will host the 2005 meeting at his home institution next May.

Best of Chapter:
Members voted to submit two MPMLA papers for Best of Chapter nominations: Myrna Layton’s “Who Is That Mild-Mannered Musician?” (an audio-visual life of composer Leroy Anderson) and Stephen Luttmann’s “The Quest for Teodonno: A Tale of Three Denver Liszt Organizations.”

Chapter Project:
We are surveying the MPMLA region, by state, for librarians who have music responsibilities and would benefit from MPMLA membership.

Chapter Grant:
Grant money (received in 1998 for a purpose that is now obsolete) has been re-purposed for travel grants to our regional meetings in an effort to boost attendance. The first award was to Carole Goebes (University of Nebraska, Lincoln).

Members: 40

Dues: $10.00

New England Chapter
Submitted by Roy Rudolph

Officers:
Roy Rudolph (Longy School of Music), Chair (through May 2005)
Patricia Fisken (Dartmouth College), Vice-Chair/Chair Elect
Diane Napert (Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford), Past Chair (through May 2005)
Richard Vallone (New England Conservatory), Secretary-Treasurer (through May 2005)
Beth Sweeney (Boston College), Member-At-Large (through May 2006)

Chapter Web site:
http://www.wesleyan.edu/nemla/
Alec McLane (Wesleyan University), Web Page Editor

Members: 95 personal members; 3 institutional members. For current list of members, see http://www.wesleyan.edu/nemla/members.htm

Dues: $12.00 (regular), $6.00 (student/retired), $16.00 (institutional); Three-year option for regular members: $36.00

New York State-Ontario Chapter
Submitted by Carole Vidali

Officers Officers (until the Oct 2004 meeting):
Carole Vidali, Chair
Dale Vargason, Vice Chair/Chair Elect
Ed Komara, Past Chair
David Peter Coppen, Secretary-Treasurer
Gerry Szymanski, Newsletter Editor

Officers Officers (after October 2004 meeting):
Dale Vargason (dvargason@esm.rochester.edu), Chair
James Farrington (jfarrington@esm.rochester.edu), Vice Chair/Chair-Elect
Carole Vidali (cfvidali@syr.edu), Past Chair
Sandy Lemmon (slemmon@esm.rochester.edu), Secretary Treasurer
Gerry Szymanski (gszymanski@esm.rochester.edu), Newsletter Editor

Chapter Meetings:
October 22-23, 2004 at Eastman School of Music, Sibley Music Library (part of the 100th anniversary ceremonies)

Award Recipients:
Two travel grants approved for the chapter; not awarded this year due to lack of applicants.

Members: No remaining Canadian members

Dues: $10 regular membership; $5 student membership

Northern California Chapter

No report submitted.

Officers (2004-2005):
Laurel Sercombe (University of Washington), Chair
Leslie Bennett (University of Oregon), Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
Carolyn Shandler (Surrey Public Library), Past Chair
Beverly Stafford (Multnomah County Library), Secretary/Treasurer
Terry Horner (University of British Columbia), Newsletter Editor

Chapter Projects: Initiative underway to form an interest group for ORBIS/CASCADE music librarians (the ORBIS/CASCADE consortium includes Oregon and Washington academic libraries)

New Initiatives/Events:
The chapter is providing assistance to Kirsten Walsh and Terry Horner, Local Arrangements Co-Chairs for MLA 2005, in the form of fund-raising and volunteering for various tasks.

Chapter Web site:
http://www.lib.washington.edu/music/pnwmla/pnwmla.html.

Members: 32

10-15 July 2005
IAML Annual Conference
Warsaw, Poland

15 August 2005
Deadline for Submissions
MLA Newsletter no. 142