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Draft:UCLA Music Library

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Rubsamen Music Library at UCLA
Schoenberg Music Building, from Sunken Gardens, UCLA (2007)
LocationLos Angeles, California
Typeacademic library
Established1942 (82 years ago) (1942)
Branch ofUCLA Library
Collection
Size80,000 books, 115,000 scores, over 200,000 sound recordings
Access and use
Circulation35,000
Population served100,000
Other information
Websitewww.library.ucla.edu/visit/locations/music-library/

The Rubsamen Music Library is one of nine branch libraries at the University of California, Los Angeles. It serves the Herb Alpert School of Music and is housed within the Schoenberg Music Building.[1]

History

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Beginnings

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The music library began in an east-west corridor of Powell Library in 1942. The starting collection consisted of roughly 8,000 orchestral and choral scores inherited from the Federal Music Project as well as 3,000 books and scores transferred from the main University Library.[2] The collection was first managed by Leon Strashun, who took a special interest in binding and maintaining the collection's music scores until his retirement in 1946.[3] In 1947, Ruth Doxsee took over as music librarian.[4] Doxsee helped to host weekly concerts of recorded music for library staff.[5] She also served on an interdepartmental committee dedicated to handling the "many special technical challenges" that arose while cataloging the music collection.[6] When the music collection's corridor was needed for transit to the library's new east wing, the music collection was moved to a room at the south end of the library's west wing. As the collection grew, this space was increasingly cramped, and the Department of Music quickly developed a need for a dedicated music library space.[3]

The New Music Library

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In 1956, the music collection moved from its wing in Powell Library to a newly-built space in the music building. The new space featured two levels of stacks (estimated to hold 25,000 volumes, with room for future expansion), a dedicated service counter and catalog, and ten listening rooms equipped with sound systems.[3] When the new music library opened its doors, the collection was numbered at roughly 36,000. By 2021, that number had grown to 400,000 items.[7]

On February 27, 1976, the library was named after Walter H. Rubsamen, professor emeritus of the UCLA Department of Music.[8] Rubsamen was an important figure in developing the collection at the music library, taking a special interest in cultivating a ballad opera collection and bringing English music materials to the Clark Library.[9]

Collections

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The music library's collection has grown in conjunction with the music program at UCLA, and in particular the departments of musicology and ethnomusicology. In 1980, the collection's main focus was on music from the 13th to 17th centuries to suit the needs of a musicology faculty with a focus on historical methods. As the Musicology and Ethnomusicology Departments became more interested in cultural critiques of music in many genres and traditions, the collection focused on popular music materials in order to meet students' research needs in classes like "Gay and Lesbian Perspectives in Pop Music," "History of Electronic Dance Music", and "Cultural History of Rap."[10]

Contemporary Music Score Collection

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Developed by music librarian Matthew Vest in 2020, the Contemporary Music Score Collection consists of digital open access scores published as part of the Contemporary Score Edition series, the first open access new music series published by a library.[11][12] The collection includes music by UCLA students, faculty, and scores commissioned by the Hugo and Christine Davise Fund.[13]

Ella Fitzgerald Collection

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The Ella Fitzgerald Collection consists of roughly 46,000 pieces of sheet music from Fitzgerald's personal collection, as well as related correspondence.[14] It is now housed in UCLA Performing Arts Special Collections.[15]

Other Collections

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The music library has acquired various smaller collections over time. The Donovan Meher Collection focuses on rock music over a thirty year span, from roughly 1980-2010. Music librarian Callie Holmes helped curate The Southern California Punk Collection and the Los Angeles Hip Hop Collection, which include late 20th century popular music materials from the Southern California area.[16] Other rare items, including facsimiles, manuscript fragments, and sound recordings, are kept in the music library reading room cabinet.[17]

Outreach and Events

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In 1973, the music library began taking on interns from UCLA's new Master's of Library & Information Science degree program, allowing students to gain on-the-job training by completing a large scale project in the music library over the span of several months.[18]

The Rubsamen Music Library is known for hosting community events such as conferences, classes, and concerts, including an ongoing series of Jam Sessions in collaboration with students from the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.[19] In 2012, music librarian David Gilbert began using the Hugo and Christine Davise Fund to support free admission for concerts by new music artists and organizations like the Lyris Quartet,[20] Gloria Cheng,[21] Piano Spheres,[21] and wild Up.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Russell, Maureen (13 Sep 2022). "The UCLA Music Library and COVID-19". Music Reference Services Quarterly. 25 (4): 138–146. doi:10.1080/10588167.2022.2123600.
  2. ^ Fry, Stephen M. (March–April 1978). "The Music Library". UCLA Librarian. XXXI (3–4): 13. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "The New Music Library". UCLA Librarian. 9 (13): 79–80. March 23, 1956.
  4. ^ Philip B. Bantin, Dan Luckenbill, Dennis Bitterlich, Ida L. Rascol, Tom Philo, and Katharine A. Lawrie (November 1982). "Finding Aid: Library. Special Collections. Administrative files.". Prepared for the UCLA Library Special Collections, Los Angeles, California. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  5. ^ "Music for the Staff". UCLA Librarian. 3 (3): 3. November 10, 1949.
  6. ^ "Committee on Cataloging the Music Library". UCLA Librarian. 1 (1): 1–2. October 16, 1947.
  7. ^ Guise, Janneka (May 31, 2021). "Report on the Music Collection Assessment Summit". CAML Review. 49 (1): 44–48. doi:10.25071/1708-6701.40394.
  8. ^ "Walter H. Rubsamen Music Library Dedication" (PDF). SCMLA Newsletter (13). 1976.
  9. ^ "Walter H. Rubsamen Music Library at UCLA" (PDF). Music Library Association Newsletter. No. 27. November–December 1976. p. 2. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Theil, Gordon (2003). "The Challenge of Supporting Current Music Research and Instruction". Fontes Artis Musicae. 50 (2): 106–113. JSTOR 23510652.
  11. ^ "Contemporary Music Score Collection". eScholarship.
  12. ^ Vest, Matthew (June 2020). "Notes for Notes". Notes. 76 (4): 577–578. doi:10.1353/not.2020.0046. JSTOR 27079694 – via JSTOR.
  13. ^ "Hugo and Christine Davise Fund for Contemporary Music". UCLA Library.
  14. ^ "Notes for Notes". Notes. 55 (1): 68–70. September 1998. JSTOR 900347 – via JSTOR.
  15. ^ "Ella Fitzgerald collection of sheet music, 1897-1991". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  16. ^ White, Sara (2019). "Best of Chapters Competition" (PDF). Music Library Association News Letter (202): 12.
  17. ^ "Music Library Collections | UCLA Library". www.library.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  18. ^ Berman, Marsha (1984). "New Eyes: The Intern in the Music Library". Fontes Artis Musicae. 31 (1): 65–68. JSTOR 23505519.
  19. ^ Ramsey, Will (2018-02-14). "Hancock Institute of Jazz". Hancock Institute of Jazz. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  20. ^ "Jacaranda Presents Free Concert With Lyris Quartet | Culture Spot LA". culturespotla.com. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  21. ^ a b Swed, Mark (2013-05-02). "Piano Spheres to pay tribute to Leonard Stein with a free concert". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  22. ^ "Wild Up ensemble to host concert, feature top student composition". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
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