Teaching Online Reference for Music Librarians

Teaching Online Reference for Music LibrariansAuthor(s): Mary Kay DugganSource: Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 34, No. 1 (Januar-März 1987), pp. 44-53Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres(IAML)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23507352 .

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44 M. K. Duggan: Teaching Online Reference for Music Librarians

music must be available in order to be performed. It is our mutual concern to insure its avail

ability and its performance with as few impediments as possible.

Teaching Online Reference for Music Librarians'

Mary Kay Duggan (Berkeley, California) '

Curricula for training professionals in library and information studies have integrated the

use of online information sources as they have grown in quantity and quality. Courses in cata

loging, the organization of information and the distribution of information to patrons have

been redesigned to familiarize students with MARC format and online bibliographic systems,

library catalogues, and reference databases. To support such training, library schools have

established computer laboratories to provide access to large bibliographic systems for captu

ring and creating cataloging, and microcomputers for preparation of models of indexing and

circulation systems, as well as accessing online periodical indexes and local and union catalo

gues for reference and collection development exercises. The computer laboratory has become

an important component of library schools and is a resource available to those involved in

teaching future music librarians. It provides access to reference tools covering music books,

scores, recordings, and periodical indexes, as well as authority files on composers, dates, opus

numbers, performers, performance groups, and record labels. Where access to online tools is

convenient and without extra cost to music librarians, reference service can rely heavily on on

line information.1 Studies suggest that online use of RILM {Répertoire Internationale de Litté

rature Musicale) has had little growth, while other online resources - local, regional, and nation

al - have become increasingly important to music librarians who have terminals on or near

their desks.

Online reference tools specific to music are still minimal, but the holdings of more general online tools have gradually grown in the area of music to become major resources. A number

of periodical indexes provide access to journals of use to music librarians, especially in the

areas of broad searches in the humanities, popular music, education, performance and record

reviews, and coverage of the chronological period not yet available through RILM. A more im

portant development for music librarians is the growth and availability of online local cata

logues, regional union catalogues, and national bibliographic systems. For some years music li

brarians have utilized online systems to input cataloging in MARC format and, in 1986, the Li

brary of Congress began contributing tapes of its MARC music cataloging to national biblio

graphic systems (see Table l,p 50). The product of years of cataloging is now available in online

bibliographic tools for music reference. Online authority files are a new rival to dictionaries

for verification of names, dates, and titles. Courses in music bibliography can develop an aware

ness in future professionals of the capabilities of such online tools for reference service, their

relation to printed sources (ancillary or substitute, first or last resort), and the importance of as

sociated thesaurae and search guides. Exercises in music bibliography can be designed in con

junction with terminals or microcomputers in computer laboratories. Physical proximity of on

line access to the reference librarian can be presented as a matter for serious consideration, similar to the physical proximity of selected printed reference tools. The class provides a fo

* Paper given at the IAML Congress in Stockholm, August 1986, at a session of the IAML Commission on Service and Training. ** Mary Kay Duggan is Assistant Professor at the School of Library & Information Studies, University of California. 1 Joyce Falk, Survey ofOnline Searching in the Humanities in Four-Year College and University Libraries (ERIC Document 261, 287,1985), p. 13-14.



M. K. Duggan: Teaching Online Reference for Music Librarians 45

rum for discussion of recent developments such as the explosion this year of optical disk stor

age of databases. Currently available optical disks are not specific to music, but they do include

some of the large general databases used by music librarians which can facilitate training music

library professionals by providing relatively unlimited access for familiarization with databases

and search languages.

While one week of a semester course on music bibliography and librarianship might be al

lotted to online information sources, use of online systems and offline extensions of online

systems can permeate the course. Ideally, a specialized bibliography course in music would

come after the conclusion of a core course in which students had been introduced to MARC

cataloging on bibliographic systems such as OCLC and RLIN, to search strategy and thesaurus

use for a general database such as ERIC via DIALOG, to an online catalogue of the library

holdings of the institution, and to an end user database on laser or compact disk. An as

signment on online techniques in music reference would focus on (1) the capabilities of gen

eral systems available at no additional cost in the Computer Laboratory, (2) systems that have

resources for music reference available without charge elsewhere at the institution, (3) the

developmemt of search strategy and the use of thesaurae in databases particularly appropriate

to music, accessed at a fee through telecommunications lines from the Computer Laboratory,

and (4) a limited evaluation of the use and cost of reference databases not specific to music that

may be valuable tools.

A list of resources available in the Computer Laboratory to achieve those goals includes the

following: [see Table 1 and Diagram 1, p. 50]. The Laboratory emulates the environment of the

reference librarian by providing easy access to important tools and controlled access to expen

sive and infrequently used databases. Bibliographic systems such as OCLC and RLIN on dedi

cated terminals are available continually in the Computer Laboratory with minimal supervi

sion at no cost to the student. Local online catalogues such as MELVYL and GLADIS at the

University of California are available in the Laboratory as well as in campus libraries and other

campus locations such as faculty offices and student dormitories. Reference databases can be

made available with supervision at a budgeted cost per student for limited time in half-hour or

hour segments. Access to DIALOG and BRS at educational rates of $ 15/hour (DIALOG) and

$ 15.50/hour (BRS) is provided through terminals and models plus a printer, or through per

sonal computers capable of downloading information from databases for editing as bibliogra

phies. At the University of California, Berkeley, laserdiscs and CD-ROMs are currently avail

able at no cost to the user in selected branch libraries. Thesaurae and search manuals are avail

able in the library of the Computer Laboratory to aid in the preparation of a written search

strategy before going online. Students in a music bibliography course are encouraged to use

the Laboratory regularly for assignments and receive one hour of online time on DIALOG and

BRS for special assignments on R1LM and Arts and Humanities Search as well as on appropriate

databases for a final bibliography on a subject of their choice. They use a microcomputer to

download searches on a floppy disc, edit it, and print the bibliography, thus avoiding time-con

suming typing and introduction of errors.

Instruction in the classroom on online services for music may focus on type of music refer

ence questions suitable for online searching in different types of tools, search strategies and

thesaurus vocabulary of music's RILM, A and H Search, and Humanities Index, and an intro

duction to the capabilities and limitations of other online resources for the music librarian. Be

fore the assignment, students are asked to view a short videotape2 to acquaint them with the

location of computer facilities and materials. A discussion of types of reference questions suit

able for online searching begins with emphasis on the necessity of learning printed tools first

and recognizing the advantage of browsing in printed books and card catalogues. Verification

of specific or incomplete citations of names and titles is likely the most frequent search done

2 Online Reference for Music Libraries. Produced by the author through the University of California, Berkeley, Educa

tional TV Office, 1986.11 minutes.




by the reference librarian online in authority files that have grown to be extremely valuable

sources. Verification of information in union catalogues of other libraries or in bibliographic

systems often leads to location of copies outside the site; the librarian who uses such tools

regularly is providing access to a national music collection and must expect increased recourse

to interlibrary loan. Of course, online bibliographic systems and union catalogues are the tool

of first resort for location of copies not available on site. New or unusual terminology prompts an online search to link the word to standard subject headings through title word searches. Very

recent titles can be accessed in an up-to-date online tool. Titles from before the seventies are

less often retrievable in online tools but research covering a long time span may be most effi

ciently begun in a cumulated online resource covering a long time span, for example, Disserta

tion Abstracts. Production of bibliographies and discographies may be expedited by appropri ate online tools, ideally with access to editing capabilities and a printer. Music for specific per

formance combinations, (for example, string trio or woodwind quintet) can be found quickly

through classification number, searchable on RLIN. While OCLC's search capabilities may in

hibit reference work, the size of the database encourages attempts by search keys based on

exact name or title, for example, performance group or corporate entity accessed through the

corporate author index. RILM's thesaurus provides multilingual search terms. A& H Search

provides access to titles of compositions and cited authors. ERIC provides access to materials

by specific educational levels. INFOTRAC is up-to-date on popular music groups and activi

ties.

An exercise of about ten items introduces students to the capabilities and shortcomings of

selected systems and the importance of printed versions of indexes for certain items. Accom

panying the assignment is a bibliography of selected articles (see below) and sample searches

done on the assigned databases. Students begin the assignment by preparing written search

strategies in conjunction with search manuals for systems, information sheets for databases, and printed thesaurae. The next step is a visit to the computer laboratory for unlimited practice on free systems, and one hour of connect time on DIALOG and BRS. For those who already have some facility with software for small computers, the use of a personal computer for down

loading a search to a floppy disk was the preferred technique. Instructions were provided on

loading communications software before dialing DIALOG or MELVYL, entering a search and, when desired, downloading the results in digital data, and logging off. The later use of downloa

ded data with word processing software may eliminate undesired citations, delete portions of

the format, or alphabetize citations by author (see example). The assignment to download a

search is popular with students since mastery of the technique simplifies research and prepara tion of assignments throughout their academic career.

Student evaluation of a class on online tools for music reference includes the expected com

ments on lack of adequate resources for music and the poor currency of R1LM. Search results

of concentrated online assignments have not been uniformly impressive, but the exercise pro vides encouragement to those students who wish to devote extra time to the technique and de

velops in all an awareness of the resources available.

Selected Readings

Beitran, Ann Bristow. Use of InfoTrac in a University Library, in: Database 9:3:63-66 (June 1986).

Charnassé, Hélène. Les bases de données en musicologie, in: Fontes Artis Musicae 31:153-59 (July-Sep tember 1984).

Connolly, Bruce. Laserdisk Directory - Part I, in: Database 9:3:15-26 (June 1986); Laserdisk Directory -

Part 2, in: Online 10:4:98-99 (July 1986).

Garman, Nancy. Downloading... Still a Live Issue? ASurvey ofDatabase Producer Policies for Both Online Services and Laserdisks, in: Online 10:4:15-25.




Heck, Thomas F. The Relevance of the 'Arts and Humanities'Data Base to Musicological Research, in: Fon

tes Artis Musicae 28:81-87 (January-June 1981).

O'Leary, Mick. WILSONLINE: Online Power for Every Library, in: Database 9:2:102-07 (April 1986).

Ossenkop, David. Computerized Bibliographic Retrieval of Music Literature: A Bibliography, in: Cum No

tis Variorum, no. 96:11-17, October 1985.

Smiraglia, R. R, and A. R. Papakhian. Music in the OCLC Online Union Catalog: A Review, in: Notes,

38:257-74, 1981.

Steinberger, Naomi. Selected Problems in Searching the RILM Database, in: National Online Meeting Pro

ceedings, 2nd, New York, March 24-26,1981. Compiled by Martha E. Williams and Thomas H. Hogan.

Medford, N.J.: Learned Information, 1981, p. 455-60.

The library of materials supporting computer applications. Computer Labora

tory, SLIS, UCB.




aJ 1

5J

J#

J*#

Use of a CD-ROM database in the Computer Laboratory, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Cali

fornia, Berkeley. The database in the illustration is Dialog's ERIC; the computer is an IBM-PC/AT and the compact disk playeris a Philips 100.




OCLC and RLIN dedicated terminals. Computer Laboratory, S LIS, UCB.

The Computer Laboratory, SLIS, UCB.




Library School Computer Library

HARDWARE REFERENCE TOOLS

Smart M <f~ —

Terminal 0 1 1 V D fr~ —

E M t

Personal M Computer 0

D E M I

J'

Local Library Catalogue —

^Regional Union Catalogue

— > Bibliographic Systems

^ Reference Databases

^ ^Local Databases

Added Software: Communications Word Processing

Downloading and Editing

A •Is

CD-ROM Player ^

Compact Disc Reference Databases

TABLE 1

Online Reference Tools for Music Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHIC SYSTEMS AND LIBRARY CATALOGS * OCLC (Online Computer Library Center). 16,000,000 records. * RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network). Scores: 271,048; sound recordings: 138,871. * MELVYL (University of California Online Catalog). Cataloging of nine University of California campuses since 1977; retrospective conversion. Holdings: 4,500,000. Books: 2,433,386; scores and

recordings from summer, 1986. Includes * CALLS (California Academic Libraries List of Serials). Serials: 564,390. * GLADIS (University of Calif., Berkeley, Online Catalog). 1,500,000 records.

REFERENCE DATABASES BY VENDOR * DIALOG (Dialog Information Services, Inc.)

* ERIC (Education Resources Information Center). 1966-present. Books, articles and reports: 583,000; journal titles: 700+.

Corresponds to Resources in Education and Current Index to Journals in Education. *

Magazine Index. 1959-March 1970; 1973-present. Articles: 1,700,000; journal titles: 435+. * LC MARC. 1968 to present. 2,000,000 records. * REMARC (LC shelflist). 1897-1980. Records: 3,360,000. * RILM (Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale). 1971-August 1980. Records: 56,150; journal titles: 300+.

* BRS (BRS Information Technologies) * Arts & Humanities Search (ISI, Institute for Scientific Information). 1980-present. Reviews of re cordings, music performances. * OCLC EASI (Electronic Access to Subject Information). 1,000,000 citations from the previous four years. Search by subject.




* WILSONLINE (H. W. Wilson) * Humanities Index. February 1984-present. * Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. October 1983-present. * Book Review Digest. April 1983-present.

LASERDISCS AND CDROMS ON MICROCOMPUTER *

Infotrac. 12" laser disc. January 1982-present.

Publications indexed: 1,000+. * ERIC (Silver Platter; Dialog). 1966-present. Periodicals: 700+. Both user-friendly menu searches

and DIALOG 2. * Books-In-Print (Bowker). Available October 1986. * Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature (H. W. Wilson). Available December 1986. * Dissertation Abstracts (University Microfilms, Inc.). 900,000 citations, 200,000 recent abstracts.

Available Fall, 1986.

DIALOG SEARCH, RILM

File 97:RILM - 70-80/DEC

Set Items Description ?ss opera(w)Italy/DE and (17 or 17th or seventeenth or 1600:1699)

51 2196 OPERA/DE

52 1083 ITALY/DE

53 57 OPE RA/ DE(W)ITALY/ DE

54 608 17

55 1594 17TH

56 130 SEVENTEENTH

57 3141 1600 : 1699

58 24 OPERA(W)ITALY/DE AND (17 OR 17TH OR SEVENTEENTH OR 1600:1699)

?type 8/3/all

8/3/1

7802571 78/2655ap25

"Quelle bazzicature poetiche, appellate ariette". Poetic forms in early

Italian opera (1600-40)

"Quelle bazzicature poetiche, appellate ariette". Dichtungsformen in frühen italienischen Opern

(1600-1640) LEOPOLD, Silke

Berlin, BRD

Hamburger Jb. für Mw. III (1978) 101-41.

8/3/2

7701754 77/1795bm77

Baroque scenography in Rome

Den romerska barockens scenografi

BJURSTROM, Per

Stockholm, S

Svenskahumanistiskaforbundet 88 (Nyhamnslage: Svenskahumanisti forbundet, 1977) 141 p.Kr40.

Illus., bibliog.




8/3/3

7700503 77/525bm26

The slow introduction. Its origins and its construction in Haydn Mozart

Die langsame Einleitung. Ihre Herkunft und ihr Bau bei Haydn und Mozart

DANCKWARDT, Marianne

München, BRD

Münchner Veröffentlichungen zur Musikgeschichte 25 (Tutzing: Schneider, 1977) 2 v. 322 p. Music,

bibliog., index.

EDITED SEARCH

BJURSTROM, Per

Baroque scenography in Rome

Den romerska barockens scenografi Svenskahumanistiska forbundet 88 (Nyhamnslage: Svenska humanisti forbundet, 1977) 141 p. Kr 40.

Illus., bibliog.

DANCKWARDT, Marianne

The slow introduction. Its origins and its construction in Haydn Mozart

Die langsame Einleitung. Ihre Herkunft und ihr Bau bei Haydn und Mozart

Münchner Veröffentlichungen zur Musikgeschichte 25 (Tutzing: Schneider, 1977) 2 v. 322 p. Music,

bibliog., index.

MURATA, Margaret The Roman Carnival under Clement IX (Rospigliosi) Il Carnevale a Roma sotto Clemente IX Rospigliosi R Italiana Musicol XII/1 (1977) 83-99.

Tandis que la quantité et la qualité de sources d'information par accès direct se sont élargies, elles

sont devenues une part intégrale du curriculum vitae de la formation des professionnels de bibliothè

que et de science d'information. Les cours de catalogue, l'organisation de l'information et sa distribu tion aux habitués demandent des étudiants de devenir familiés avec les réseaux bibliographiques, les

catalogues à accès direct, et les services des banques de données. Les services à accès direct spécifiques à la musicologie sont encore minimaux, mais les contenus de matériaux généraux pouraccès direct ont

graduellement grandis dans le domaine de la musique jusqu' à ce qu'il y aient maintenant des sources d'information majeures sur les livres, les partitions et les enregistrements.

L'instruction de référence musicologique par accès direct peut se concentrer sur les possibilités des

systèmes généraux des musicothèques ayant déjà les resources de problèmes musicologiques (catalo gues à accès direct, OCLC, RLIN). La concentration peut aussi se faire dans les banques de données

commerciales, particulièrement appropriée à la musique et le challenge du bibliothécaire de musicolo

gie à utiliser les disques à laser et les disques compacts CDROM de banques de données non spécifi ques à la musique se situant en dehors de leurs bibliothèques. Les discussions de cours se concentrent sur l'importance des sources imprimées et sur l'évaluation des questions de référence appropriées à la recherche par accès direct (par example : vérification, repérage de copies, les liens de terminologies nou velles ou inhabituelles de la norme des listes de sujets, et finalement la préparatiom de listes, de pe tite ou grande quantité, de partitions, d'enregistrements ou de livres).

La tâche de la classe fait appel au dévelopement des stratégies de recherche pour RILM et A & H

Search, à la comparaison de recherches par accès direct ou de recherches imprimées des banques de données sélectives, de l'usage des réseaux bibliographiques pour la vérification et la preparation de

bibliographies, de l'évaluation de disques à laseret de disques compacts CDROM des banques de don nées avec le but d'éliminer les utilisateurs et les bibliothécaires de musicologie, et finalement le transfert des résultats d'une recherche sur un micro-ordinateur, afin que l'information digitale soit cor

rigée et imprimée comme une bibliographie (avec bande vidéo d'instruction informatique).



W. Krueger: Online-bibliographieren ... 53

Datenbanken sind entsprechend ihrer Quantität und Qualität ein integrierterTeil des Lehrplanes für

Bibliothekare und Informationsspezialisten geworden. Kurse in der Katalogisierung, der Organisation von Information und deren Weitergabe an die Bibliotheksbenutzer nötigen die Studenten, sich mit bib

liographischen Netzen und eingespeicherten Systemen und Datenbanken vertraut zu machen. Es gibt bis jetzt nur wenige Datenbanken auf dem Gebiete der Musik, doch sind die diesbezüglichen einge speicherten Referenzquellen in der Anzahl so gestiegen, daß sie zu erstrangigen Quellen für Bücher, Partituren und Tonträger geworden sind.

Unterricht in eingespeicherten Datenbanken für Musik sollte sich auf bereits bestehende Systeme

konzentrieren, wie OCLC oder RLIN, die schon heute gute Quellen für Musik sind. Nicht zu vergessen sind die kommerziellen Datenbanken, die entweder schon für Musik geeignet sind oder zumindest

eine gute potentielle Voraussetzung für den Gebrauch in Musikbibliotheken bilden, obwohl sie noch

nicht Eingang in die Bibliotheken gefunden haben, wie Laserund CDROM. Diskussionen im Klassen

unterricht sollten auch die Bedeutung der gedruckten Nachschlagwerke hervorheben.

Der Unterricht erfordert die Formulierung von Suchstrategien für „RILM and A & H Search", den

Vergleich von eingespeicherten und gedruckten Suchstrategien in dafür ausgewählten Datenbanken, den Gebrauch von bibliographischen Netzen für die Verifikation und Zusammenstellung von Biblio

graphien, die Beurteilung von Laserplatten und CDROM Datenbanken im Hinblick auf die Endbenut

zer und Musikbibliothekare und die Überführung (downloading) der Ergebnisse der Suchstrategie auf

einen kleinen Computer, so daß die digitale Information bearbeitet und gedruckt werden kann.

Online-bibliographieren in der zukünftigen musikbibliothekarischen Ausbildung in Deutschland'

Wolfgang Krueger (Stuttgart)1

Einleitung: Notwendigkeit der verbesserten Informationsvermittlung in Musikbibliotheken

Musikbibliotheken sind als Teil der allgemeinen öffentlichen oder wissenschaftlichen Bi

bliotheken wie diese selbst verpflichtet, sich den ständigen Veränderungen als Serviceeinrich

tung zu unterwerfen. Diese Veränderungen beziehen sich vor allem auf den technologischen

Bereich, der sowohl die innerbetriebliche Ablauforganisation betrifft als auch Benutzererwar

tungen meint, die zunehmend an die Musikbibliotheken herangetragen werden. Benutzerbe

dürfnisse: d. h. schnelle und optimale Informationsvermittlung und Dienstleistungen bereit

halten, wie sie nur noch mit Hilfe der neuen Technologien geleistet werden können. Die allge

meinen Bibliotheken haben diese Erwartungen längst erkannt und sich zunehmend auf die

sich verändernden Markteinflüsse einzustellen versucht, auch mit Hilfe staatlicher Subventio

nen beim Aufbau von Informationsvermittlungsstellen oder aufgrund des Drucks privatwirt

schaftlicher Informationsangebote. Musikbibliotheken haben sich dieser Verpflichtung - je denfalls in Deutschland - noch nicht gestellt oder sind sich ihrer Möglichkeiten für eine verbes

serte Informationsvermittlung mit Hilfe eines Datenbankangebots neben den konventionel

len Hilfsmitteln noch nicht in ausreichendem Maße bewußt geworden. Hier hat die Ausbil

dung an den Ausbildungsstätten neue Wege zu weisen; denn Ausbildung bedeutet ja nicht nur,

den derzeitigen musikbibliothekarischen Wissensstand für die Praxis vermitteln, sondern sie

soll zusätzlich die Absolventen in die Lage versetzen, mit neuen Technologien bei der Informa

tionsvermittlung umgehen und entscheiden zu können, wenn sie nutzbringender gegenüber

* Paper given at the IAML Congress in Stockholm, August 1986 at a session of the IAML Commission on Service and

Training. ** Wolfgang Krueger is at the Fachhochschule für Bibliothekswesen, Stuttgart (Federal Republic of Germany).



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Teaching Online Reference for Music Librarians