Identifying Uniform Core Journal Titles for Music Libraries: A Dissertation Citation Study

In an attempt to create a new tool to aid librarians in choosing music journals, citations from music dissertation bibliographies submitted in 1993 from across the United States were gathered and analyzed. Core lists of journals were developed and then compared to lists compiled by analyzing doctoral dissertation bibliographies in the field of music from a single institution. The journal lists from a national study differed from those derived from the study of journals used at a single institution. Also, newly published journals are used regularly by doctoral students in mu sic, and several are on the lists of core journals compiled. piraling subscription costs have forced libraries to review existing journal subscriptions, to cancel titles deemed least es sential by faculty, students, and other us ers, and to add new subscriptions whe

Music Libraries: Centralization versus Decentralization

Branch libraries, in general, and music libraries, in particular, have struggled with the decision concerning centralization for more than a hundred years. Decentralized collections, those located in the music school or department, are favored by some because of their proximity to the classroom and the private lesson studio. However, proponents of a centralized location (where the collection is held in the main library facility) point out that the collection can be cared for more effectively if it is located in the main library. For this study, the Association of Research Libraries was surveyed concerning the location of their music libraries. Possible motivations for choosing one location or the other were explored, including degrees offered, size of the music collection, and overall budget of the music library.</jats:p