Vol. 22, No. 3 - MLAMidwest.org!
Transcription
Vol. 22, No. 3 - MLAMidwest.org!
Midwest Note-Book Volume 22 Issue 3 Chapter Meeting >> 2 From the Chair >> 3 Member News >> 4 Technology Habitrail >> 5 In Praise of Our Past Chair >> 6 Business Meeting Minutes >> 7 January 2014 Session Summaries >> 8 Committee Reports >> 14 Speaking Our History: Tom Caw >> 16 Administrative Structure >> 27 Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 1 Chapter Meeting in Cleveland Midwest Chapter members came from far and wide to Cleveland, Ohio, last October 10-12. As you’ll read in the session summaries and committee updates in this issue, the meeting did, indeed, “rock.” The Cleveland Public Library went out of its way to accommodate committee meetings and conference sessions in both its stunning historic Main Library and the adjacent slick and modern Louis Stokes wing. And the Friday night reception, panel presentation, and behind-the-scenes tours at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s Library and Archives made that evening truly unforgettable. Outside of the excellent conference schedule, attendees had no shortage of activities to enjoy, including checking out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, touring Severance Hall, attending a performance by the Cleveland Orchestra, or rocking out to Andy Leach and his band The New Soft Shoe. The local arrangements committee, our generous meeting sponsors, the program committee, and the presenters really outdid themselves, and the 72nd annual Midwest Chapter meeting is one for the history books! —Anne Shelley, Illinois State University Midwest Note-Book The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association ISSN 1063-5327 VOL. 22, NO. 3 Published in May, September, and January Midwest Note-Book is available free of charge on the website of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association. Submissions and communication regarding Midwest Note-Book should be sent to the editor: Anne Shelley Milner Library Campus Box 8900 Illinois State University Normal, IL 61790-8900 anne.shelley@ilstu.edu Deadline for submissions is the 15th of the month preceding publication. Membership in the Midwest Chapter is $12 annually ($6 for students and retirees). Inquiries and renewals may be directed to the SecretaryTreasurer: James Procell Music Library University of Louisville 2301 S. 3rd St. Louisville, KY 40292 james.procell@louisville.edu The Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization. Statues outside the Cleveland Public Library. Photograph by Rebecca Littman. http://mlamidwest.org Cover photograph by Rebecca Littman Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 2 From the Chair Back home again in… Cleveland, Ohio! In spite of having lived in Indiana for over forty years, I will always call Cleveland my home. That’s why I am so grateful to Andy Leach, Joe Clark, Michael Dalby, Laurie Lake, and Laura Moody for hosting the Midwest Chapter’s 72nd Annual Meeting in downtown Cleveland. And what a memorable meeting it was! The accommodations in the Hyatt Regency at the Arcade were most comfortable and convenient and what a treat to meet in (and later to tour) the distinguished Cleveland Public Library. Thanks to the flexibility of our LAC and Program Committee, we were able to switch the night of our LAC reception to Friday so that on Thursday evening, interested attendees could take the RTA (for free—thank you, Greater Cleveland RTA!) to Severance Hall to hear the Cleveland Orchestra (at a discounted rate!) OR trek over to the Happy Dog to see and hear the very talented Andy Leach with The New Soft Shoe band. I heard several reports that Andy was really burnin’ up those guitar strings! (The show may have been free but the experience was priceless!) The Friday reception literally “rocked” as we met in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s Library and Archives and enjoyed delicious hors d’oeuvres (courtesy of the Rock Hall) while learning from the Rock Hall Library staff about the creation of this very special collection! With a little finessing of our committee meeting times, many also took advantage of free tours (courtesy of Christine Clark and Theodore Front) of the exquisitely renovated Severance Hall. And then, there were the presentations! What a delightful mix of timely topics covering both the technical and the traditional, from talk of digitization projects involving Mahler manuscripts and vintage sheet music and playbills to tales of the audio legacy of the Cleveland Orchestra to talks about graduate distance learning implications for the library and the use of QR codes to help patrons find library resources. There were also some practical sessions that provided us with excellent tips on how to engage faculty in collection development and how to Sheridan Stormes better market our collections and services. (Look for more detailed reports of all the sessions on page 8 of this issue of the Note-Book.) The meeting numbers were strong: among the sixty-three in attendance were fourteen first-time attendees. Sincere thanks to the LAC (led by the Pied Piper of Development, Andy Leach) for keeping the cost of this meeting extremely low! Thanks, too, for the great generosity shown us by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and by the Cleveland Public Library and its Friends group! A tip of the hat, also, to our ever-faithful friends at A-R Editions for printing the eye-catchingly colorful programs! Looking ahead, I hope to see many of you for our Chapter meeting in Atlanta late in February 2014, and I encourage you to begin shopping for some longjohns for our 73rd Annual Meeting in Minneapolis! (OK, I’m just kidding about the long-johns … I’m confident the Minneapolis meeting is really going to be “hot!”) —Sheri Stormes, Butler University Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 3 Member News and Announcements >> Richard Earl Jones, 69, of Granger, Indiana, died Saturday, November 16, 2013. A native of New Jersey, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Westminster College (B. Mus., New Wilmington, PA). He completed graduate studies in musicology (M.F.A., Ohio University) and Library Science (M.S., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill). Before becoming music librarian at the University of Notre Dame, a position from which he retired in 2006, he was associate librarian for collection management at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he had previously served as music librarian. He spent several years as readers’ advisor in music at Trenton State College (now the College of New Jersey), and was the first music librarian at Ohio University. He held various offices in the Music Library Association and the Midwest Chapter of that organization. --excerpt from obituary printed in South Bend Tribune, December 10, 2013 >> The Northwestern University Library is pleased to announce the John Cage Research Grant, an award established to promote the study of John Cage’s life, music, art, and ideas through the use of Northwestern’s John Cage Collection. This competitive grant, in an amount up to $3000, may be awarded to support expenses for transportation, accommodations, meals, and copying fees for one or more on-site visits to Northwestern University for the purpose of research using the John Cage Collection. Applications for the 2014-2015 academic year will be accepted until April 1, 2014. For further information, see: http://www.library.northwestern.edu/node/7001. >> Kirstin Dougan has published the article “Assessing Music Reference Services in an Age of Vanishing Reference Desks.” Fontes Artis Musicae 60, no. 3 (2013): 173–181. >> The following new members have joined the >> Editor’s Note: See the “Speaking Our History” article Midwest Chapter -- welcome!: featuring Rick Jones in Midwest Note-Book 16, no. 3: Joslyn Emmel, Music Volunteer, Pickens County http://mlamidwest.org/documents/notebook/16_3.pdf Library System Scholarships The MLA Midwest Chapter awarded three scholarships to help defray costs associated with attending the 2013 meeting in Cleveland. Eleanor Peterson (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and Laura Thompson (Indiana University) received the Retirees’ Scholarship, and the Troutman Scholarship was awarded to Karen Stafford (Indiana University). Congratulations! Andy Leach performs with The New Soft Shoe at the Happy Dog in Cleveland. Photograph by Rebecca Littman. Heather Fisher, Library Assistant, Grace A. Dow Memorial Library Janet Harper, Catalog Librarian, Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago Anne Lake, Student, Indiana University Katharine Lambaria, Student, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Bret McCandless, Student, Indiana University Jarod Ogler, Circulation & Media Services Supervisor, Ohio State University Kyle Shockey, Student, Indiana University Gregory Sigman, Library Specialist, Ohio University Karen Stafford, Circulation Supervisor/Stack Coordinator, Indiana University Jill Westen, Information Literacy Librarian, Wartburg College Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 4 Technology Habitrail by Laurie Lake A brief column dedicated to free or cheap technological wonders which either make our day easier or more complicated. Does technology create short attention spans or is it the other way around? In reviewing the three technological wonders I chose to discuss in this issue, it seems they are borne out of the necessity to be brief and to-thepoint for our multi-tasking world. We have Tumblrs to follow, Tweets to post, statuses (statusi?) to update. Onwards. Flowboard (https://flowboard.com/) Free and requires an iPad. Visually pleasing graphic interface for quick tutorials. Can embed live links. In an effort to find newer, flashier, and shorter methods to address the 18-to-22-year-old market, Flowboard is a nifty option for presentation software. It’s free, but requires an iPad to create. It has a high coolness factor with its varied templates. I chose to create my own Flowboards from scratch with their framework, made opening and closing frames with PowerPoint, and converted the slides to PNGs to add as images. I incorporated the school’s sanctioned colors and fonts for a consistent look. Example: https://flowboard.com/s/1yub/Find-a-score Plus: Free and easy (unlike this author) Minus: You need an iPad to create it, but not to view it iMovie (http://www.apple.com/mac/imovie/) $14.99 and a Mac. Free and clever trailer templates to create your own brief tutorials. I wish I could take credit for discovering this, but I learned about it at the 2012 Society of Ohio Archivists Annual Meeting from a presentation. Like most things Apple, this groovy little tool is user-friendly and easy to figure out. It offers fifteen different movie trailer templates complete with soundtrack. I used the FlipCam that belongs to our marketing department to film the action and am lucky enough to have two clever and hammy masters students working for me who jumped at the chance to showcase their acting skills. You can map out your plot using the script option. After a series of clicking and dragging the video segments and screen Photo by William Hook (Flickr) shots into the template, you simply upload the video to YouTube or Vimeo from within the iMovie program. I suppose from start to finish the project was one day’s work, but well worth it. Example: http://youtu.be/omFDkT10zYo Plus: Easy-peasy and super fun! Minus: Mac-dependent Poll Everywhere (http://www.polleverywhere.com/) Free. Text-message alternative to clickers. Clickers: love ‘em or hate ‘em. I was taken in by a few articles discussing the use of the little buggers in library instruction. I played with Poll Everywhere on my own for about a year wondering if I would be perceived as an even bigger geek for saying to my classes, “Hey, kids! Check out this cool new toy we’re going to play with today!” accompanied by sighs and rolling eyes from my student audience. Well, guess what? The students were TOTALLY into it. In the music bibliography course I teach, I used to do this round-robin procedure for answering a bunch of questions related to their studies. I always felt uncomfortable about putting individual students on the spot. So, this mass participation format seemed ideal. I’ve given you a link to a screen shot below as my example. You’ll see what the question is and where they text the answer code. Then, magically, the bar graph expands as answers are sent. There was always one kidder to texted the wrong answer on purpose which added to some levity. This strategy is a great way for students to get the point using something they use everyday all day long. Example: http://screencast.com/t/1kf5oVLdfuQx Plus: Free to up to 40 respondents Minus: Requires cell phones with unlimited text (don’t want my students racking up data charges for this) Laurie Lake is the Instructional Outreach Librarian and Technology Coordinator for the Robinson Music Library at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio. She doesn’t Tweet nor does she do the Facebook, but she does read books printed on paper from brick and mortar stores. Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 5 In Praise of Our Past Chair Throughout its history, the Midwest Chapter reports usually ahead of scheduled deadlines and lent has been blessed with an extraordinary number of dedicated, strong, and effective leaders. Many of our past chairs have gone on to distinguish themselves in leadership roles in the national MLA organization and IAML. We owe a debt of gratitude to all of these people for guiding and nurturing the growth of our chapter and making it the thriving organization that it is today. However, our current past chair, Kirstin Dougan, is one who is particularly deserving of special recognition and acknowledgment of her contributions. When one considers her résumé, it’s difficult to believe that Kirstin earned her MLS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as recently as 2001. She’s been the recipient of numerous grants and has been widely published in such journals as Fontes Artis Musicae, The Reference Librarian, Music Reference Services Quarterly, Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association, Libraries and the Academy, and The Journal of Web Librarianship. In addition, she has made many fine presentations at various professional conferences, including the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association, the Southeast Music Library Association Annual Meeting, the Annual Meeting of the Music Library Association, the Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians Annual Conference, the Illinois Library Association Annual Meeting, and the Annual Meeting of the International Association of Music Libraries. As chair of our chapter, Kirstin has been a conscientious, hard-working, gracious, and inspirational leader (and because she is currently past chair and continues to guide us, I use the present perfect tense!). Kirstin’s modesty and focus on things and people outside of herself have obscured for most of our members all that she has accomplished to nurture the growth and strength of the Midwest Chapter. Throughout her tenure, Kirstin demonstrated her ability to communicate effectively and thoroughly in her interactions with both the executive committee and the membership at large. She managed to submit thoughtful and thorough a sympathetic listening ear to members’ concerns. As a member of the executive committee, Kirstin has provided wise counsel to all of us from her experiences not only as a very active member of our chapter but also as a member of the national MLA organization and IAML. Kirstin served as a member of the MLA Board while simultaneously chairing the Midwest Chapter. As those of you who have been chapter chair and/ or a member of the MLA Board know, this is a huge commitment of time and energy to our profession. In addition, Kirstin has initiated several significant (and innovative) changes in an effort to help our organization run in a more transparent, even-handed, and efficient manner. Five initiatives are particularly noteworthy: (1) putting out an open call for presentations for the chapter meetings, (2) creating the MWMLA MetaLibGuide which provides links to research LibGuides at MWMLA-affiliated institutions, (3) creating an annual meeting evaluation form on Survey Monkey, (4) collecting relevant pieces of chapter documentation and making them readily available through the use of Dropbox, and (5) proposing the creation of a scholarship committee (which recently has been formed and charged with making recommendations relating to how many scholarships the chapter should offer and providing guidance in determining the amount of each as well as with drafting criteria for scholarship applications and applying those criteria to submitted applications). Just before stepping down as chapter chair, Kirstin had to manage the replacement of two key positions on the executive committee resulting from the resignation within just a couple months of each other. Without faltering, Kirstin calming and adeptly handled every situation presented to her. On behalf of the executive committee and the membership of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association, I hope that Kirstin will accept this sincere expression of gratitude for a job well done! With admiration and deep appreciation, —Sheri Stormes, MWMLA Chair Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 6 Minutes of the Business Meeting Saturday, October 12, 2013 • Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland, Ohio I. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:35 a.m. by Kirstin Dougan. II. Approval of the 2012 Meeting Minutes: The minutes of the 2012 meeting were printed in the January 2013 issue of Midwest Note-Book (vol. 21, no.3). A motion was made and seconded to approve the 2012 minutes. The motion passed. III. Secretary-Treasurer’s Report: As of October 5, 2013, our assets totaled $12,103.09. Currently the Retiree’s fund is $605.89 and the Troutman fund is $1,522.88. This year’s meeting was profitable for the chapter. The chapter remains in very good financial standing. IV. Recognition of LAC and our donors: Kirstin Dougan recognized the outstanding work of the local arrangements committee: Andy Leach (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library + Archives), Joe Clark (Kent State Univ.), Michael Dalby (Cleveland Public Library), Laurie Lake (Cleveland Institute of Music), and Laura Moody (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives). V. Scholarship Awards: Three scholarship recipients were recognized: Karen Stafford received the Troutman Scholarship, and Eleanor Peterson and Laura Thompson received the Retirees Scholarship. VI. First Time Attendees and New Members: Fourteen first-time attendees and new members were recognized. VII. Election Results: James Procell was elected to the position of secretary/treasurer. Elizabeth Cribbs was appointed to fill the web editor position recently vacated by Abbey Thompson. Members of this year’s nominating committee were recognized: Antoinette Powell, chair, Patricia Falk, and Liz Berndt-Morris. VIII. Scholarship Committee: Volunteers were solicited for a new committee that will handle scholarship matters. If interested, please let Sheri Stormes known before November 1, 2013. IX. Committee Reports Bylaws: Grace Fitzgerald reported that all proposed changes to the by-laws were passed. Cataloging: James Procell reported that the committee discussed various matters related to RDA, including RDA in bibliographic and authority records. In addition, the committee discussed Worldcat Local. There was discussion and support for the idea of forming a Midwest MLA Cataloging Committee listserv. Patty Falk will serve as the committee’s new chairperson. Membership: Jason Imbesi (Univ. of Michigan) presented the current membership profile: There are approximately 122 members in the Midwest Chapter. This includes those who have paid dues for 2013-2014, as well as those who paid dues for 20122013, but have not yet renewed. There are twenty-two student members representing seven universities. There are four retiree members. All states in the chapter are represented. Most members work in music libraries; only two members work in public libraries. Paraprofessionals remain an underrepresented group within the chapter. Eight new members have joined the chapter in the past year. Jason reported activities of the national membership committee to include a refer-a-friend type program. The new chairperson of the membership committee is Paula Hickner. Public Services: Rebecca Littman reported that the committee had a round-robin discussion about ways to better interact with students. Publications: John Wagstaff reported that the committee discussed the oral history project. Thirty interviews exist in the archive. Eight have been published in the Midwest Notebook. The book proposal has been submitted to A-R Editions. The book will not include full interviews published in their entirety, but rather will be “thematicised,” by pulling related topics from individual interviews and combining them into a single chapter. There will be an accompanying CD published with the book. Technology, Archives, Preservation, and Sound (TAPS): Emma Dederick reported that the committee’s guest speaker, Adam Wead, Systems and Digital Collections Librarian at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library & Archives, discussed incorporating EAD into Blacklight. Emma was re-elected chair of this committee. X. Old Business: None XI. New Business: On behalf of the Diversity in MLA and ARL/MLA Diversity Initiative, Jason Imbesi and Susannah Cleveland reported that there continues to be a lack of diversity, both within the chapter, as well as within the larger organization. MLA has identified Cincinnati, Ohio as its meeting location for 2016. Sheri Stormes (on behalf of Beth Christensen and Mary Huisman, co-chairs) invited attendees to Minneapolis for the 2014 Midwest Chapter meeting. The dates have not yet been confirmed, but the meeting will take place in downtown Minneapolis, as well as at St. Olaf College in Northfield, with bus transportation provided. City recommendations for future meetings were solicited and proposed. XII. Announcements: Laura Moody, mentoring program coordinator for MLA, encouraged “seasoned” MLA members to volunteer as mentors for the 2014 meeting in Atlanta. Elizabeth Cribbs offered membership brochures. Contact Anne Shelley if additional brochures are needed. XIII. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:15 a.m. Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 7 Session Summaries Friday, October 11, 2013 Continuation of the Reilly Digital Catalogue of Mahler’s Musical Manuscripts Stephen Toombs, Dr. Stephen Hefling, Roger Zender (Case Western Reserve University) 72nd Annual Chapter Meeting application of different access points for searching. Considering the importance of digital scholarship projects like the Reilly Digital Catalog of Mahler’s Musical Manuscripts, perhaps the most illuminating theme within the context of this presentation is the dynamic role that libraries can have in the dissemination of digital scholarship. (Laura Thompson, Indiana University) Immersed in the sounds of Mahler’s lied “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen” upon entering the main auditorium, the audience was aptly primed for the presentation by Stephen Toombs, Dr. Stephen Hefling, Dr. Stephen Hefling discusses the Reilly and Roger Zender. The trio from Case Western Reserve Digital Catalog of University kicked off the 2013 MWMLA conference Mahler’s musical with a presentation on the creation and implementation manuscripts. of the Reilly Digital Catalog of Mahler’s Musical Photograph by Manuscripts. Stephen Hefling began with some Rebecca Littman. background information about the genesis of the catalogue and the significance of Mahler’s musical manuscripts. He provided some telling examples about the types of information interested researchers could Mixing It Up: Faculty Engagement in Collection glean from the manuscripts of Mahler’s 7th symphony, Development Das Lied von der Erde, and the aforementioned lied. Andrea Beckendorf (Luther College) Roger Zender followed, providing information about A former double bass instructor, Dr. Andrea Beckendorf the library’s role within the process of coordinating the is an Associate Professor at Preus Library, Luther creation and maintenance of the digital catalogue. It College. She became the library’s music liaison librarian was important for the library to define three things: the in 2003. In her presentation, Andi described how she needs of researchers, the coordination and integration re-focused, prioritized, and energized the collection of service providers to support digital scholarship, and development of music resources at her institution by the library’s role within the process. Once these points actively and deliberately engaging and collaborating were laid out, Zander explained the three-stage process with her music faculty colleagues. Luther is a small for the library throughout the project, pinpointing its (2,400–2,500 students) liberal arts college in Decorah, vital role within the development and implementation Iowa. Its music program has long enjoyed a position of the digital catalogue. By participating in such a of strength and prominence on campus and has grown project, the library increased its visibility by engaging steadily in the past twenty years. Currently, Luther larger audiences, promoted collaboration between it and employs fifty-two music faculty members, twentyother departments, facilitated new forms of discovery seven of whom either have tenure or are on a tenure and scholarship, and created opportunities to generate track. Andi described the amount of researched writing more funding. required in the music history core as “limited.” When Stephen Toombs concluded the presentation with Andi became the library’s music liaison, she was faced technical information about the development of with several challenges, including an over-emphasis on the catalogue, discussing particular difficulties in collected works and print reference resources, limited its implementation in a digital format including the participation by faculty in development of the music creation of mock up records to assess usability, the collection, unnecessary standing orders, and differing use of uniform titles and authorized headings, and the opinions among the faculty of what the collection’s Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 8 Session Summaries continued priorities should be. Andi created a “Memo of Understanding,” or MOU, a kind of agreement between herself (as music liaison) and her faculty colleagues in the music department. Essentially, it was a statement of collection development priorities for music resources in the Preus Library at Luther. The MOU stated that future purchases would focus on 20th- and 21st-century scores and recordings, women in music, and world music and jazz and also provided parameters for selecting collected works. Andi also began a collaboration project with a faculty colleague in the music department that focused on the purchase of opera and musical scores and recordings, in an effort to make sure the library had pairs of scores and recordings for a core list of works. In addition, as part of a library-wide effort, unneeded standing orders were cancelled, and purchasing of collected works was done selectively. The music department was also provided with an annual expenditure report that showed a full picture of spending on the department, which included not only the annual allocation but monies spent on journals and electronic resources, as well. In addition, Andi took some initiatives that provided new direction for the music collection: she requested that orders be sent directly to her, focused on building a collection that centered on meeting students’ needs for lessons and research, began a more selective ordering of CHOICEreviewed materials, and encouraged students to submit requests for new library materials. Andi has initiated collaborations with additional music faculty members in the areas of contemporary music, history and composition, brass, vocal pedagogy and literature, and ethnomusicology. Last year, the faculty in the woodwind area approached Andi and eagerly volunteered to be the next collection development project on the list. The results of Andi’s refocusing and collaborative efforts have been very positive and rewarding. The “buzz” in the music department about the collaborations has promoted increased faculty interest and participation in building the library’s music resources, increased purchases of reference resources relating to instrumental music, and enhanced vendor relationships! (Sheridan Stormes, Butler University) Andi Beckendorf shares her strategies for engaging faculty in collection development. Photograph by Rebecca Littman. Dogs Not Bears: Marketing Your Music Collection Kathleen Abromeit (Oberlin College Conservatory) Promoting music library services requires knowledge of the primary user group of the library. Using statistics from sources such as the Pew Research Center, Abromeit examined behaviors of the 18- to 24-year-old undergraduate population and developed a diverse array of marketing techniques used at Oberlin to capture the attention of such a tech-savvy population. Not every marketing campaign has to focus on immediately increasing the number of patrons; rather, librarians can take the opportunity to brand the library as a positive place. Orientation tours including free promotional items are a good way to introduce students to the library, and appealing to the parents of new students at events like resource fairs may encourage parents to remind their students of library services. Closely tying the library to the school’s curriculum can also improve its visibility. At Oberlin, the library is involved with the Blackboard site for the first year music history classes by creating assignments, posting videos, and answering questions through a discussion board and e-mail. On the library website, Oberlin advertises online resources that are available 24/7, including a digital score collection. Additionally, student focus groups offer opinions about the website. Oberlin advertised in-person reference appointments and research workshops with postcards on student lockers. Postcards using images of dogs had more success than images of a wounded teddy bear. The admissions office noted that students often miss their pets while away at college, which might explain the appeal of dog images. A “Bibliorarities” display in the library highlights special collections, with one case Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 9 Session Summaries changing every month. The library also maintains a blog called “Guido’s Hand,” which includes postings on library projects, due dates, and more. Libraries offer services beyond the “product” that students could search online by themselves, so they should promote the personal delivery of those services. (Karen Stafford, Indiana University) Kathy Abromeit shares what worked for her in promoting collections and services. Photograph by Rebecca Littman. QR Codes: A Practical Process of Implementation and Use Elizabeth Berndt Morris (Central Michigan University) QR codes are digital images that can be scanned by a smartphone or tablet via a downloadable app which translates the code into a pre-determined website. It’s a great way to get information on the go without typing out an entire and sometimes unwieldy URL. Ms. Berndt Morris’ presentation discussed the implementation of these codes throughout Central Michigan University’s Charles V. Park Library. The project developed over the spring and summer months of 2013. It was decided the main topics for QR codes were instructions on printing in the library, book displays, library hours, reserve desk help, and Ask-a-Librarian. When questioned about those who do not have smart phones, Ms. Berndt Morris smartly responded with the statement that this particular audience is being well-served through other venues. Adding QR codes was merely a valueadded service. Implementation steps included: sign design, material and cost, choosing a code generator, and keeping statistics. The signs were color-coded and strategically placed on the end of visible stacks. It was important to make the signs look permanent which was continued done with the help of the library’s new graphic designer. The wall decal material left no residue and proved to be inexpensive. The chosen code generator also had a robust function for gathering statistics. Open source Microsoft Tag allowed for unlimited tags and categories. The library created videos to market their new service as well as a handy LibGuide (http://Libguides.cmich. edu/qrcodes). To inaugurate the service, they created a large QR code which was placed on the atrium floor in front of the main service desk. Ms. Berndt Morris ended her presentation by displaying the statistics generated by their chosen code generator. (Laurie Lake, Cleveland Institute of Music) Elizabeth Berndt Morris talks about enhancing library services with QR codes. Photograph by Rebecca Littman. Information-Seeking Behavior of Graduate Distance Education Students Joe Clark (Kent State University) Joe Clark’s presentation included the survey rationale, setting and background, methodology, demographics, findings, discussion, and conclusions for his study of student research behaviors. The survey was used to determine the needs of the graduate students in the Master of Music in Music Education (MMME) online degree and assess the current use by these students of services offered by the Kent State Performing Arts Library. The demographics included course completion by the students and age of the students. The methodology was a survey of 24 questions in Qualtrics and was administered in June of 2013. A drawing for Amazon gift cards was used as an incentive to participate in the study. The survey involved questions about in-person visits, website viewing, use and awareness of services offered, use of non-library web sites, comfort with e-resources, external web sites cited, library assistance Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 10 Session Summaries and tutorials, borrowing from other libraries, adequate instruction, and how the library might better help the students. Joe presented the statistics from the survey in graphs and pie charts. The results showed a few surprises, including the fact that not all gift cards were claimed and most library help venues were known by less than half of the students. Many students also went to Kent State’s main library web site page, rather than the performing arts library page. Some students wanted more access to electronic versions of textbooks and a few thought the website could have easier navigation. The majority of the students thought that articles were the most important offerings of the library. As a result of the study, Joe will continue to purchase targeted e-books in music education, collaborate more with the music education faculty, and look at the curriculum for adjustment. He is also considering a focus group with the MMME students and will try to determine additional needs and how to make resources easier to access. He plans to conduct the study again in two years. (Patty Falk, Bowling Green State University) Deborah Hefling chats with Keith Cochran after her presentation. Photograph by Rebecca Littman. The Audio Legacy of the Cleveland Orchestra Deborah Hefling (The Cleveland Orchestra) continued discs, 78s, pressings, DAT, CDs, and WAV files). The Cleveland Orchestra is featured on over 580 commercial recordings that were produced in various formats and labels under all seven conductors. Hefling shared some truly delightful treasures from the archive, such as a clip of the first recording the orchestra released (a fourminute version of the 1812 Overture, recorded in 1924); an audio clip of pianist Alfred Loesser performing the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1, immediately after which he was bussed off to serve in World War II; a photograph of the control room and studio in Severance Hall (the broadcast booth is now backstage and is still used today); an oral history interview with George Szell, the conductor credited with helping the orchestra to develop its “Cleveland Sound”; and even a “blooper” recording of a young James Levine that was captured in the broadcast booth. Hefling left no room for doubt by the audience members that the musical recordings are the heart of the Archives. Starting in 1918, the orchestra was featured Thursday evenings on national radio broadcasts; some acetate discs have survived from this period. Most public concerts have been recorded since 1965, leaving over 15,000 recordings to preserve. The Archives is currently finishing a phase of its Audio Legacy Project, with a goal of digitizing the recordings of the Archives. Hefling is seeking funding to complete the project, with a goal of finishing by the 2017/18 season when the orchestra celebrates its 100th anniversary. (Anne Shelley, Illinois State University) We Can Work it Out: Establishing the World’s First Rock and Roll Library Andy Leach, Laura Moody, Amanda Raab, Jennie Thomas, Adam Wead (Library and Archives, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum) In this panel session held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives, Andy Leach, Laura Moody, Deborah Hefling, Archivist for The Cleveland Orchestra, Amanda Raab, Jennie Thomas, and Adam Wead came shared the rich audio and visual legacy left by one of the together to talk about the challenges they faced and the finest orchestras in the world. She works to preserve the processes they used to create the Rock and Roll Hall of orchestra’s collection of program books, photographs, Fame’s Library and Archives. After a brief introduction performance history, architectural drawings and, by director Andy Leach, Greg Harris, the president and of course, commercial and non-commercial sound CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, recordings in various formats (source recordings, gave a welcome speech that namechecked Steve radio broadcasts, oral history interviews, transcription Landstreet and the Free Library of Philadelphia and Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 11 Session Summaries characterized the whole Rock and Roll Hall of Fame organization as “one big special collection.” Andy Leach returned to the podium and gave an overview of how the Library and Archives began and the mission and services currently offered before he turned the presentation over to each of the individual librarians responsible for specific services. JennieThomas, head archivist, spoke first about beginning the process of establishing the archival collection. She discussed moving the materials from multiple storage places into the Library and Archives building and creating the policies, procedures, and workflows for acquisition, intake, and processing materials. Thomas highlighted some of the many challenges she faced along the way, including establishing provenance for the items acquired, defining what materials would go to the library, archives, and museum, and deciding which content management system and standards should be used to process the archival collections. While the Library and Archives has made tremendous progress, she noted that many things remain on her todo list, including the establishment of a Museum-wide collecting policy, the digitization of priority items, and linking finding aids to digital objects. Adam Wead, systems and digital collections librarian, spoke next about the challenges of creating a set of systems for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archive’s unique needs. He began by observing that when he was hired, there was no ILS, no archival processing software, no preservation storage, and no digital initiative; all those systems had to be established for the Library and Archives. Furthermore, because the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame includes a library, archives, a digital collection with multiple formats, and a museum, multiple data types had to be able to coexist within the same larger system. Wead then discussed how the Library and Archives staff chose the systems and products that fit their needs best, and he noted the progress that the Library and Archives has made in digitizing video items. Wead also highlighted the importance that the Library and Archives metadata creators place on creating item-level content in as many records as possible so that the scholars using these particular collections can find what they need continued as quickly as possible. Future projects include image digitization workflow and processing, creating an institutional repository for the Rock Hall, and extending the capabilities of the ILS. Panel presentation and reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Library and Archives. Photograph by Rebecca Littman. Amanda Raab, catalog and metadata librarian, spoke about her goals of relocating, assessing, and prioritizing collections; creating cataloging policies, procedures, and workflows; and developing adequate tools for enhancing the metadata that goes into the Library and Archive’s catalog. She noted her many challenges, including the initial backlog of over 50,000 items, coordinating description standards between the library and archives, and establishing description policies that allow findability across five catalogs with three different schemas. Raab’s future plans include reassessing collection policies and updating the discovery interface to incorporate new content standards, digital items, crowdsourcing widgets, and aesthetic changes. Laura Moody, public services librarian, completed the panel by describing how she established the many different public services that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives provides. Moody discussed the collection development that she performed, including establishing subscriptions for databases, magazines, theses/dissertations, and audio/visual materials not already found in the collection. She then moved on to describe the many different venues and ways in which the Library and Archives performs instruction and educational outreach services. Moody then concluded with her future plans, including more outreach, Ask-aLibrarian, in-house instruction, and possible changes to the library collections and web presence. Andy Leach Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 12 Session Summaries continued wrapped up the session with a few closing remarks and an invitation to tour the Library and Archives. (Elizabeth Hille Cribbs, Northern Illinois University) pieces of sheet music dating from 1831 to 1964, along with an initiative to make the collection more visible using YouTube. Dickman noticed that college students go to YouTube in order to do their music homework, as listening assignments. She wanted to provide Saturday, October 12, 2013 such more access and presence for the digital collection. The project involves three parts: scanning scores to create Preserving and Sustaining Performing Arts a digital collection, playing and recording selected Collections from the 19th to the 21st Centuries: pieces, and then uploading corresponding audio and Three Illinois Projects image files to YouTube. Dickman played selected Kathleen Haefliger (Chicago State University) pieces on piano and recorded them, then each MP4 file Therese Dickman (Southern Illinois University, and the score image file was merged to make a YouTube Edwardsville) video. Through its YouTube connection, the digital Kathleen Harrison (Southern Illinois University, collection shows as a higher result on more search Carbondale) engines, allowing for higher web traffic. In the end, Dickman hopes this project encourages more musicians As digital collections are becoming an essential part to perform the music from the collection. of libraries, music librarians in Illinois are taking the ball and running with it! In this panel, attendees learned Finally, Kathleen Harrison presented “Development about three different digital collections that are being of a Digital Media Preservation Lab to Save Morris developed within Illinois music libraries. Kathleen Library’s At-Risk Audiovisual Collections.” To Haefliger began with her presentation “Chicago Theater musicians, sound technology dates as far back as wax Programs: 1900-1923: A Digital Odyssey.” This cylinders and ranges all the way up to born-digital project was conceived from one of Haefliger’s favorite recordings. No matter the technology, preservation of hobbies: antiquing. Haefliger likes searching for theater the musical content is essential. After conducting an programs in antique stores around the Midwest and assessment of the library’s audiovisual collections, she realized the amount of sociological and cultural Morris Library realized they did not have the equipment information that can be found within these programs, needed for preserving the Katherine Dunham Wax capturing theater life, advertisements and other tidbits Cylinders collection. The collection, created by a showing cultural aspects. Haefliger received an LSTA dancer and anthropologist, are field recordings of grant of $10,000 in 2004 to digitize Chicago theater Haitian Voodoo music. The conversion of the 200+ programs from cover to cover. The scanning was piece collection was sent elsewhere because of the outsourced to Luna Imaging in California, which was fragile state of the media. This project helped to spur expensive but saved valuable time in return. Luna the development of a digital media preservation lab at Imaging scanned each page as a TIF file and created SIU Carbondale. The library has faced problems with an MS Excel spreadsheet, documenting each scanned the storage of digitized audio. They are currently in a page and its physical condition. More than 600 pages storage debate with the university, but are storing it on (or around twenty-five programs) dating from 1902 to portable hard drives until a more permanent solution 1919 were scanned. Haefliger uses CONTENTdm as can be found. Throughout this process, Morris Library the basis for her digital library. CONTENTdm allows used the University of Illinois’s Audiovisual Selfher to input metadata that will help search by keyword Assessment Program (AvSAP) in order to help with and will facilitate browsing. The final project will be the assessment and inventory of the collection and to incorporated into the Illinois Digital Archives. prioritize which collections should be transferred via Next, in “Colket Illustrated Sheet Music Collection the content’s importance and fragility. Goes to YouTube,” Therese Dickman described a digital (Eleanor Peterson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) collection based on Gordon Colket’s collection of 120 Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 13 Committee Reports Publications Five members attended the Publications Committee meeting. The entire meeting was devoted to the topic of the Oral History Project, and especially to how our oral history archives might best be disseminated, e.g. via a print publication including a CD-ROM, or in a digital archive. Wagstaff had earlier sent a message to other Chapter chairs via MLA-L, to find out whether they too are undertaking oral history projects. He had received answers from Jennifer Hunt of the New England Chapter, who had sent information about NEMLA’s oral history project at: http://nemla.musiclibraryassoc. org/history.php [note: subsequent to the meeting, Joyce Clinkscales sent a message that SEMLA also has an oral history archive project, but that it is temporarily on hold; and Dick Griscom has reported no activity on the part of the Atlantic Chapter.] In regard to publishing a print volume with CD-ROM, one suggestion was that such a volume could be published in the MLA Technical Report series. As for content, it might be a good idea to include a reprint of Betty Olmsted’s Music Library Association Midwest Chapter: a Brief History (A-R Editions, 1978), and to bring the story up to date, perhaps by using material by Jean Geil (for 1978-97), and newly-commissioned material (for 1998-2013). Lynne Weber was suggested as someone who could take on the period 1998-2013. Dickman reminded the Committee that any proposed book would take a thematic approach to the oral history archive material – audio of the interviews themselves could certainly be included on the CD if the audio quality was good enough, but the idea was not to print all the interviews verbatim in the printed text, as some have already been in Midwest Notebook. Rather, material gathered using our standard interview template – for example, on music librarians’ career paths, or their philosophy of librarianship – would be grouped thematically. This will be time-consuming, and the idea of using text mining software was suggested – perhaps something like Textalyser (see textalyser.net). It was also suggested that Wagstaff should ask at the upcoming Business Meeting whether any Branch members had expertise in this area. [Note: this was done, but no-one has yet come forward.] Dickman also circulated a printed Excel spreadsheet showing the state of those interviews currently in our archive. It was agreed that we should try to get all the interviews to a publishable state, and to have all the audio transcribed and saved to gold CD. In the meantime, however, we should work with what we currently have and not worry too much about what we do not have. Harrison agreed to transcribe the interview of Olga Buth. It was also noted material relating to the archive, such as the original tapes and transcripts, should ultimately be maintained in the MLA Archives. This needs further work. Finally, it was noted that Committee member Rob Deland is now Chair of national MLA’s Oral History Committee [see http://www.musiclibraryassoc.org/members/group. aspx?id=119030]. We should draw on Rob for advice, and keep him up to date with our own project. The next oral history interview articles for the newsletter were also discussed. Misti Shaw and Tom Caw would be asked to consider preparing the next “Speaking Our History” articles. Other action items: (i) Wagstaff will contact the current editor of the MLA Technical Reports series with a view to proposing a book/CD of our oral history materials for publication. (ii) Dickman will try to locate materials on her spreadsheet whose whereabouts are not currently clear. (John Wagstaff, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign) Publications committee members meet in the historic Cleveland Public Library. Photograph by Therese Dickman. Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 14 Committee Reports continued Membership Cataloging Five members of the Membership Committee and one guest gathered to discuss an array of issues. We reviewed the 2012 Membership Committee report and Jason Imbesi reported on the chapter’s membership profile. Also, on behalf of the national association’s Membership Committee, Imbesi provided a summary of its activities in order to determine if any of its initiatives could possibly be applied on the chapter level and to identify opportunities to coordinate our efforts. Committee members also discussed their outreach activities since last year’s meeting as well as ways to add value to chapter membership and attract new members to the chapter. There were many ideas and suggestions including 1) creating a listserv for libraries and archives to post music-related internship opportunities in the Midwest that can be browsed by students, early career professionals and other interested parties, 2) establishing a refer-a-friend incentive program for current and potential members, 3) enhancing our chapter meeting program through the possible addition of a poster session and further exploration of potential Webcasting and Webinar opportunities, 4) hosting a joint meeting with another MLA chapter or regional chapter of a professional organization of overlapping interest, and 5) establishing mutually beneficial partnerships with other professional associations and fostering underserved populations (such as paraprofessionals and public librarians) by offering programs, resources and services covering overlapping areas of interest. We plan to refer these suggestions to both the Program and Executive Committees. Jason Imbesi will step down to past-chair after the 2014 meeting. Paula Hickner was selected to be the new chairperson for the committee. She will serve as chair-elect this year and chair after the 2014 meeting. (Jason Imbesi, University of Michigan) The committee discussed various aspects regarding the creation of RDA records, both bibliographic and authority, as well as successes and problems associated with the implementation of RDA at individual institutions. Grace Fitzgerald led a brief discussion on the use of RDA relationship designators. Mark Scharff discussed updates and inclusion of new MARC fields in RDA authority records. The committee also considered the creation of a Midwest MLA Catalogers listserv, so that we may share ideas and experiences in implementing RDA at our individual institutions. Patty Falk was selected as the new chair of the committee. (James Procell, University of Louisville) T.A.P.S. Periodicals at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Library and Archives. Photograph by Rebecca Littman. Public Services No report submitted. No report submitted. Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 15 Speaking Our History: Tom Caw Ninth in a Series in the Midwest Chapter Oral History Project Tom Caw and Misti Shaw became Tom Caw and Misti Shaw at DePauw University. Photo Courtesy of Misti Shaw. acquainted in 2007 at the suggestion of a mutual friend—a graduate student in percussion at the University of Hartford, where Tom was a music public services librarian. Tom soon realized that not only was this “Misti” a fellow music librarian, but also that she’d recently taken the helm at his alma mater, DePauw University. Tom rejoined the Music Library Association’s Midwest Chapter in 2008 when he took a job at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Tom and Misti met to conduct this interview for the Midwest Oral History Project in Dallas, Texas, at the Music Library Association’s annual meeting in February 2012. —Misti Shaw, DePauw University Beginnings Misti Shaw: Hello, I am Misti Shaw and it is February 15th, 2012. I am at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas during the Music Library Association conference in order to interview Tom Caw as part of the Music Library Association Oral History Project. Can you state your full name for the record? Tom Caw: Well my full name is Thomas Shepherd Caw, but I think Tom Caw is sufficient. MS: Thank you for that clarification. Well, Tom, let’s get started by talking about your education. You’ve had some pretty interesting educational pursuits, I’ve noticed. TC: I have had some, Misti. I took a circuitous route to the profession of Music Librarian. I did my undergraduate matriculation at DePauw University. MS: Oh, DePauw. TC: In Greencastle, Indiana. MS: Awesome. TC: I think you are familiar with it. MS: I am. TC: It’s not a dirty secret because everyone knows it, [but] while at DePauw I was involved in vocal music, performing, and I took some music classes but I chose not to major in music. MS: Despite Stan Irwin. TC: Despite Dr. Stanley Irwin [1941–2008] and his amazing voice instruction and choral direction, I decided to do something with a better future I thought. So I got a Bachelor of Arts degree in English composition. I graduated there in 1990. A couple of years later I decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing and I went to the University of Pittsburgh. I realized halfway through that program that I really didn’t want to earn that degree nor did I want to teach, which was what I thought I wanted to do. I thought I wanted to teach writing. So I did not complete that program, and there I was in Pittsburgh. I could have gone to library school, could have pursued it there, [but] didn’t realize it. Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 16 A couple years later I decided to pursue audio engineering. I went to the recording workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1995 and completed the music engineering and music production program as well as their studio maintenance and troubleshooting program. It wasn’t a degree, but with that certificate of completion I returned to Pittsburgh, and I didn’t end up working as an audio engineer. I ended up living in Milwaukee. I worked various jobs for many years. I worked as a copy editor, as a proof reader. I did all sorts of jobs. I worked for a number of years managing a record store. I worked in a book store; I’ve worked in a couple of book stores in various points of my socalled adult life, and when I was in Milwaukee I spent time in a book store. Then I went back to working in an office doing editing and I realized that I just had to be back in academia. So I ended up going to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, earning a Master of Library and Information Science at the same time as a Master of Music in history & literature. I finished my work there in 2005. That was when the degrees were conferred. “I worked in an editorial job while spending an awful lot of time in the Espresso Royale coffee shop, right next to the School of Music and the Library School, and could have realized my destiny to music librarianship then, but I didn’t.” MS: And, if I’m not mistaken, you specialized in popular music? Do I have that right? TC: That is correct. As far as my focus in musicology in my master’s thesis, that is correct. MS: What was the title of your master’s thesis? TC: Gender Troubled Girl: The Disrupted Work of Kim Gordon. I wrote it about Kim Gordon, a musician, visual artist, performer, and most famously of the group Sonic Youth. MS: Interesting, and you touched on this a little bit already, but you’ve had a similarly interesting path of employment. Can you talk about that in more detail? TC: Well, as I mentioned, I worked many different types of jobs. Actually, out of undergraduate school I worked in book publishing for a year at Harper Collins Publishers in New York, and I was an editorial assistant in children’s books. MS: Wow. TC: Yeah, I tried to get into Adult Trade, into the fiction, but there was an opening in Children’s Books and I was eager to be employed, so I took that position. After a year, I ended up living in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, without going to school there. I had friends from undergraduate school who were living there. I worked in an editorial job there while spending an awful lot of time in the Espresso Royale coffee shop, right next to the School of Music and the Library School across from the Krannert Center for Performing Arts, and could have realized my path, my destiny to music librarianship then, but I didn’t. “I was quite keen to go learn all that I could under [Linda Blotner’s] tutelage.” MS: Well, tell us about your first job as a music librarian. TC: Well, after I left UW-Milwaukee, I went to Connecticut to the University of Hartford. I was the Public Services Librarian at the Allen Memorial Library, and serving the Hartt School at University of Hartford. Linda [Solow] Blotner was the head of the library at that time. MS: She has a Citation Award. TC: She is an MLA Citation Award winner [in 2009], and a living legend of the profession. I was quite keen to go learn all that I could under her tutelage. I knew her most recently, at that point, as the editor of Notes. I was the first public services librarian they had at Allen Memorial Library, and it’s a library where a lot of other folks have worked. Phil Ponella—who is now the head at Indiana University’s Music Library—once worked there. Various other people have passed through there as student employees. They [had] never had a public services librarian, but Linda Blotner really wanted that to be part of the outreach instruction program for the Hartt School faculty and students. So she created the position, and I went there and worked, and she retired. I realized things were in transition there, Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 17 and I was eager to move on, perhaps to work at some place that had more of a musicology track, which was lacking at the Hartt School. A position opened at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mills Music Library, as music public services librarian. I interviewed and was hired, and started there in the fall of 2008. That’s where I still am doing what I do: helping to satisfy music information needs, and giving instruction, reference service, doing promotion outreach for the library to not only the School of Music, but [also] to other schools, departments, professors, all across campus, to make sure they realize that we have resources and services that could benefit them and their students. So that’s where I am now, Mills Music Library, in Madison, back in the Midwest. MS: The Midwest is the best. TC: The Midwest is the best. “The Midwest is the best.” MS: Well, we’re going to discuss your activities within MLA and MLA Midwest a little bit later, but I am wondering if you can discuss any of your other professional activities. I think you’re pretty involved in popular music. Can you talk about that? TC: Okay. Well, Misti, when I was a graduate student at UW-Milwaukee, I was conducting research for a paper in library school about subject-specialty libraries. Like a lot of us, I think, I tried to steer some of my library school classwork toward music librarianship topics. I wanted to find out how academic music libraries were meeting or not meeting the information needs of popular music studies scholars. So I starting contacting various practitioners at other institutions. I wound up contacting Gary Burns at Northern Illinois University. He liked the idea of what I was working on so much, he requested to see the paper. When it was finished, I sent it back to him. He liked it. He wanted to publish it, and he did publish it in the journal that he’s the editor of: Popular Music and Society. He also then invited me to present at a conference [of] The Midwest Popular Culture Association (MPCA). That’s a Midwest chapter of a national organization, Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association. That was in 2002. I presented a paper at the MPCA meeting, and ended up with my graduate school class assignment published in the journal. MS: That’s impressive. TC: I wasn’t angling for that at all, it just happened, and I felt very fortunate for that. So I’ve continued to be an area chair for libraries, museums, and collecting within the Midwest Popular Culture Association for these past ten years. I also am a member of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, the “I-ASPM” as it’s so cleverly acronymed. Specifically IASPM-US. This is an international group, similar to the way IAML is an international association for music librarians. So those are two other acronymic organizations that I am professionally involved in. I have presented at a IASPM-US Conference and presented at IASPMCanada across the border back in 2008. Not being disloyal to the United States of America of course, I wanted to see what it was like in Canada, and it was metric (laughter). “I love talking about books and music and books about music. I love helping people.” Entering the Profession MS: Okay. Let’s shift gears a bit. I’m wondering: what led you to become a music librarian? What were the circumstances that led to you choosing that as a profession? TC: All right. Well, I was working in an office, in a cubicle world, as I like to call it. Just doing copying of telephone directory advertising. MS: Sounds intriguing. TC: It was brutal. The one thing that I did find palatable about that job was that my bosses at this location in Milwaukee would let me bring music— CDs—to work and play the music “quietly” in my cubicle, quietly enough so I wouldn’t disturb anyone else from doing their detailed work. That kept me sane and kept my spirits up through the long days of copy-editing telephone directory advertising. My favorite part of any day was when my co-workers would drift by my cubicle and stop to say, “What are you listening to?” (laughter) I could then put aside my copy-editing and talk to Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 18 them about the music and tell them about it. The more that kept happening, the more I thought, “Ah, I miss that interaction with people talking about music, sharing information about music, sharing my passion for music,” that I was able to do on a daily basis when I worked, say, in record stores, or when I was in the bookstore even. I could talk about books—because I love all kinds of writing as well—and talking about books and music and books about music. I loved doing that. I loved helping people, even in that strange way in my cubicle, helping to expose them or tell them something that maybe they didn’t know. Not in a braggart kind of way... I just wanted to share when they asked me about the music I was listening to. “I went on the Internet, Misti, and I typed in some search terms and I found out that there was such a thing as ‘music librarianship.’” I realized at that point that my mother-inlaw had gone to library school late in life. She had decided she wanted to be a children’s librarian and do children’s story hour at a public library. So she pursued a degree—she had always told me she thought I should go into librarianship. Of course, because she’s my mother-in-law, I thought, “Uh, Mom, I don’t know… that’s a nice idea, but maybe not for me.” But I went and I looked into it. I went on the Internet, Misti, and I typed in some search terms and I found out that there was such a thing as “music librarianship,” and I found my way to the MLA website. I had never thought of that, really, even though in my undergraduate days at DePauw I had spent a fair amount of time at the music library, which as you well know has since been completely redone and made into a spectacular, gleaming castle in which you are the queen currently. I did spend time in the music library, but it didn’t occur to me that, “Oh, you can become a music librarian.” So when I looked at the MLA site, and I read the “Music Librarianship: Is It For You?” [guide] and I looked at the directory of schools where you could go, and I realized UW-Milwaukee, which was 15 blocks away from where I lived at the time, had this dual-degree program, I looked up whom to contact. I found Rebecca Littman’s name. She is still there as the music librarian at UW-Milwaukee. So I contacted Rebecca, set up an interview, and went in to talk to her. She was enthusiastic about the profession, to put it mildly. She was quite eager to tell me about what a great profession it is and all of the opportunities there were, depending on whether I was interested in public services or technical services, or large academic libraries, small libraries, conservatory libraries, orchestral libraries, working with radio, [or] working in public libraries, big or small. She literally was the one who told me what it was, what it meant, and what it meant to her. I think before I left her office, it was almost as if she had decided that I had to become a music librarian. And I started to think, “Well, maybe I should become a music librarian.” “I quit my job. I enrolled in classes immediately... I just couldn’t wait to get started in the profession.” I also went and talked to the School of Music faculty—the head of the graduate program there— and explained my unusual circumstances of being interested in a master’s degree program in music, and lacking a bachelor’s in music. Luckily, I met with Mitchell Brauner. He was sympathetic to my plight because he had been a history major—not a music history major—in his undergraduate days, but eventually went on to get a master’s and a Ph.D. in music history and musicology. So somehow that day I decided, “I am done with a cubicle world. I’m not going back to cubicle world.” I quit my job. I enrolled in classes immediately as a special student before I could be a degree candidate, so I could start right away and do some remedial coursework in music. I just couldn’t wait to get started in the profession. So I would say Rebecca Littman definitely was the inspiration, the oracle, the one who told me what it was all about and advocated strongly that I consider the profession. Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 19 Philosophy MS: Well, you’ve been a librarian for several years now. What is being a librarian to you? What is your philosophy of librarianship? TC: My philosophy of librarianship. Well, I think after having worked in record stores and book stores for many years; watching the inventory come and go; never being certain of what was going to be available at any given time; and realizing that it was subject to the whims of the marketplace... I’ve always loved libraries. But when I started to think about librarianship as a profession, I realized that I was greatly drawn to the dual-pronged philosophy of preservation and access. That underpins everything we do as librarians. I love that notion of gathering, assembling, and curating, if you will. I know some people bristle at that term and I do most of the time. But it is a sort-of curation when you’re doing collection development to decide what you’re going to collect, what you’re going to acquire, and then preserve, and make sure it’s on hand in your library and accessible to your current patrons and will be there, in theory at least, for the patrons 10 years, 20, 50, 100, however many years into the future. So, I know it sounds corny or hokey to sing the praises of preservation and access—providing access to all—but really, that’s what keeps me going, keeps me excited about the profession. Despite all the on-going changes in technology, formats, and issues that we face in terms of budgets, I still think it’s a great and noble thing that we do. In terms of my philosophy of being a public services librarian, it’s definitely to put the patron first, always—to do whatever I can to literally serve the public, whether it’s the public who are my colleagues in the library, the first year student, the dissertator, the tenured professor, the adjunct instructor, anyone who has a musical information need, or someone I think I can help and I want to help—that’s what I’m driven by. I do fully believe that is my philosophy: to do whatever I can to help anyone with information needs. MS: You mentioned earlier that Rebecca Littman was convinced that you needed to pursue music librarianship. Do you think she saw ideal qualifications in you? Do you think there are ideal qualifications for music librarianship? TC: I don’t know how I feel about “idealizing” qualifications or the profession of librarianship. I think there are so many different ways to be a librarian; [though] there are definitely desirable qualities for a public services librarian: to be outgoing, and to be comfortable talking to a wide variety of people no matter their age or background. At the University Wisconsin-Madison, we have a large international student contingency. I realize I have to constantly be adjusting my sense of what is culturally okay or normal or known even in terms of tacit knowledge about things when I’m helping someone from Singapore who has maybe only been in the U.S. for a year or two, who is technically amazing as a musician, and has virtuosity to spare, but is completely flummoxed by how to enter a simple keyword search in the online catalog to find a score and to determine whether that score has the parts necessary (laughter). You know, really simple things. “I’ve always loved libraries. But when I started to think about librarianship as a profession, I realized that I was greatly drawn to the dual-pronged philosophy of preservation and access.” I think [for] somebody who really wants to be a top-notch cataloger, the qualifications for that type of librarian [are] totally different. It’s fine if they don’t have the greatest ease with standing up in front of a room full of students or faculty or just anybody and telling them how to make use of periodical databases (laughter)... you know, the sort of thing that I do all the time and I wish I did more of. I can’t get enough of that performance aspect of librarianship. But [for] some people that’s just not their thing. I get that. I think ultimately you have to care about information, about preserving it and making it accessible. I guess that does span both public services and technical services. Somebody who really cares, and they’re not just in it for the big bucks and the lavish conferences and the vacations... I think that they care is the ideal qualification. Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 20 Preparing for the Future MS: Do you feel like you know what the future of music librarianship holds? TC: (Laughter) No, I don’t. I do feel [though] in the face of all of the panicked voices saying, “Everything’s going digital, everything’s electronic!” [that] it has to go that way. I think there will still be a role to be played by music librarians and libraries in terms of the gathering of materials, cataloging them, making them accessible, retrievable, usable, and understandable—no matter what technological shifts occur. I think we will be expected, as music librarians, both in academia and public libraries, to be much more willing and able to [practice] a wide variety of skills. I, like you, was not interested in cataloging so much. I don’t know what will happen with cataloging. I wonder sometimes if it will all get centralized and not just within a university or within an institution, but if there’ll just be outsourced campuses of catalogers, or if OCLC will somehow add a wing for every subject, and we’ll all just take whatever they sell us (laughter). They won’t give it to us. They’ll sell it or license it to us. We’ll be licensees. “I get a lot of joy in seeing someone gain newfound knowledge and skills and self-reliance in the library.” But I can’t really imagine a future where music isn’t published, printed on paper, in terms of scores. I can’t imagine a future where people stop writing about music or musicians, in terms of the histories or biographies and the musicology. I can’t imagine people will stop performing music or recording it, no matter what sort of media develops. Who knows if there’ll even be a physical medium by the end of our careers? Who knows, we might just be curating the air or something (laughter). I don’t know. Everyone now talks about the cloud— all information, data, being stored in “the cloud.” I wonder how long before “there are no clouds” and it’s just air (laughter), or it’s just uploading and downloading (laughter) information from oxygen. I don’t know what the future holds. I’m not a futurist. I just try to be in the present moment and go forward. MS: Well, I bet you do have some personal goals, though, when it comes to your career. Can you describe those? TC: It’s a funny thing, Misti: I am not someone who really sets goals so much. I have over-arching goals. Or I have that sense of qualitative approach to my profession, to be always helpful and to be as understandable in my instruction as I can be, to help make sure the people I am working with in the library or working with from afar, you know online or over the phone… get what it is that they’re looking for, or that I helped them. I put them onto the path and helped them develop the skills [they need] to help themselves. “I think that [libraries] will continue to have to pay a lot of money to a lot of different people to get a lot of different types of content.” I remember in library school that the expression was “Our goal is to create selfsufficient, self-reliant bibliographic users.” [That] always made me think [that] it sounds like we’re trying to do such a good job that we’re going to make ourselves obsolete, or we’re going to make it so patrons are so skilled and so talented that they won’t need us. But I think it’s more nuanced than that. I think you would agree with me. I get a lot of joy in seeing someone gain newfound knowledge and skills and self-reliance in the library. MS: Yes, indeed. TC: So, I think if I can continue to be able to do what I do now, for however long I am physically and mentally able to do it, that would be great, because I am never going to stop being passionate about music and information about music. I’m not much of a quantitative person. I’m more of a qualitative person. MS: Quality! TC: Yeah! Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 21 Technological Innovations MS: Well, I seem to recall that you’ve been one of the music librarians involved in discussions surrounding music that is only published online or in MP3 format; streaming music, as opposed to CD. I’m wondering if you can talk about how technological developments have affected the profession and will continue to affect the profession. TC: Well, there’s no one way to measure how much we’ve been affected by technological innovations, even in the brief time that you and I have been in the profession. However, I think the trend of storing information in the cloud, as I was just going on about, will certainly continue. And I think in terms of distribution models for both sound recordings and journal content, newspaper, serial publications... I think a lot of that is going to continue to move into more concentrated ownership hands, [with] companies that will create license agreements for us. So far the licensing agreements aren’t really working so well for academia. They’re so focused on the end consumer, the individual consumer model. It’s undeniable that the iTunes store platform, in terms of selling/distributing recorded music and video performances, has been successful, but it doesn’t take into account the preservation and the sustained access to all of that content. “Because I decided I wanted to be a librarian but I had never worked in a library before, it seemed like something I should probably do.” I don’t know... I’m glad when I have a front row seat, and I’m glad that I have a job in the profession, but I don’t know how it’s going to play out. I think that we will continue, as I said, to have to pay a lot of money to a lot of different people to get a lot of different types of content. At the same time, even with e-books coming along in the last few years and rising in popularity... At the University Wisconsin-Madison we have more and more e-books all the time appearing in our catalog, many of which I don’t even order. [Monographs are] part of my collection development responsibility at University of Wisconsin-Madison. There are many e-books that just appear through various vendors in our online catalog on a regular basis. I’m always surprised to see them there because I’m not requesting them. I keep getting told “Well, it’s part of a pilot project.” I always bristle at that expression of “pilot project,” just for the record in the oral history (laughter). While I’m at it, I loathe “best practices” as well. But the pilot project... I don’t know who is piloting it, and I don’t know how long these e-books that appear in our catalog are going to be available. I’ve done what I can to promote them to people, and I haven’t received a lot of positive feedback from either students or faculty. Will e-books continue? Of course they will. Actual printed-bound—will the codex endure as graphical user interface? Yeah, I think it will. It stuck around for however many centuries now, and I think it will continue to be put on shelves. Now I don’t even know what you asked me, it was about technological innovation... Midwest Chapter MS: It’s okay, because the next part of our interview is a lot less murky, and it’s the best part of the interview, which concerns the MLA Midwest Chapter. (TC: Ohhh yeahhh.) What were the circumstances that led you to become a member of the Midwest Chapter, or did MLA come first? TC: Well, again this goes back to Rebecca Littman. When I enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she immediately got me a job in the music library there, right from the start. Because I decided I wanted to be a librarian but I had never worked in a library before, it seemed like something I should probably do. So I started working in the library. Rebecca was the webmaster for the MLA Midwest Chapter [at that point]. So of course she’s the one who told me about the chapter. She’s the one who said, “Oh! You have to go to the chapter meeting. It’s usually a lot of fun. It’s informative. You get to meet people from the region.” So I actually went to my first MLA Midwest Chapter meeting with Rebecca. I drove my boss, mentor, and inspiration to the meeting, [which] was in 2002 in Bloomington, Illinois, at Illinois Wesleyan University. Bob Delvin hosted, chaired, ran that meeting. Then my first MLA Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 22 meeting was the following February, 2003 in Austin, Texas. So I went to an MLA Midwest [meeting] before I went to my first MLA national meeting. Those were the circumstances. I was a student up in Milwaukee. My boss was a member and webmaster, she needed a ride, and she told me I was going to go to the chapter meeting. MS: You were ensnared. TC: Yeah. Well, and she also encouraged me to apply to be a recipient of what at that point was still known as the Retiree’s Scholarship, which helped to defray the expense of my conference attendance for the MLA Midwest. I was a Retiree’s Scholarship recipient. MS: Congratulations!! TC: Thank you, Misti. MS: And then you returned to the Midwest Chapter. I’m interested if you can describe what’s distinctive about the Midwest Chapter as compared to the New England chapter. TC: Well, MLA Midwest, as I discovered right away at that first meeting in 2002, is full of what we in MLA like to call “luminaries.” Not that any chapter is lacking in luminaries, but there were quite a few luminaries when I first went to MLA Midwest. To meet all these people who I only knew as names from the MLA-L [Listserv] prior to that was pretty amazing. To discover that they were all incredibly friendly, and outgoing, and interested in what I was interested in, and wanting to know why I was there, and really showing concern for me professionally, personally. “MLA Midwest, as I discovered right away at [my] first meeting in 2002, is full of what we in MLA like to call ‘luminaries.’” “I think the Midwest Chapter—all the chapters—play the role of providing that social network, a safety net, if you will, of people in similar locales.” MS: What has been a particularly memorable experience in the Midwest chapter? TC: Well, it’s funny. I think back now to those first couple of years while I was a student member and I wasn’t sure what to do. I remember going to the meeting of TAPS [Technology, Archives, Preservation, Sound]. I didn’t become a member then of TAPS as I recall, but I was certainly interested in TAPS. Don Widmer was chair at that point. I’m sort of ashamed to admit [that] I didn’t get heavily involved in the chapter in terms of committee work at that point. I later became involved in working on the Public Services Committee within the MLA Midwest Chapter. I have been on that for several years now, and I’ve contributed to various endeavors, and been part of the discussion before, during, and after the MLA Midwest Chapter meeting. We’ve had pretty good online discussions about public services issues, and how to address them, how they’re being addressed in the Midwest Chapter. MS: So I think I’ve got this right: you were a member of the Midwest Chapter, and then moved to Hartford and [were] a member of the New England Chapter. TC: Yes. In my mind the Midwest is probably more like the Middle West, what gets dubbed “the plains” in our parlance of MLA. But the Midwest is so far-reaching to go from parts of Kentucky, and up to Minnesota, and all the way over to Missouri—or Missour“ah” if you prefer. The people came from all over the place and it was such a large and raucous group, who seemed to know how to have a good time and get down to business and discuss serious matters of librarianship. New England is such a small land mass. It’s different there in that there are two meetings every year in the New England Chapter. In Midwest we have the one, big meeting in the fall that runs usually Thursday to Saturday. In the New England Chapter it’s a one day affair, and they expect everybody to just get there somehow, and drive from all over New England to wherever it is. [You] spend all day and have accomplished everything you need to have accomplished by 5 p.m. so everybody can get back on the road and get home. I found that that led to some decent professional development in the session that would happen, but there was far less activity in committees and certainly far less activity in the socializing and the camaraderie of the mutual support network that we all get, I think, Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 23 out of being members of the [Midwest] chapter. So it was a very different experience to be in the New England chapter as opposed to the Midwest Chapter. MS: I think what I just heard you say was that the Midwest is the best. TC: Well, the Midwest, I would say, is the better of the two to my liking. MS: What is your concept of the role of the Midwest Chapter when it comes to the Music Library Association as a whole? TC: I think the Midwest Chapter—all the chapters—play the role of providing that social network, a safety net if you will, of people in similar locales, maybe similar climates. I guess we do span a couple time zones, Eastern and Central, so there’s diversity in the Midwest. But I think the role is that it allows us to come together, have a big meeting, get things done and blow off steam, and vent in person every fall, in a handsome, attractive locale, and enjoy the fall foliage. And yeah, I think [it gives] us that identity that says when we come to MLA, “Oh we’re all from the Midwest, and we all like to have a good time.” I think it’s an identity thing. I think there are some people who are only members at the chapter level who don’t come to MLA. So for them [the chapter] also plays that role of providing instruction to them when either they wouldn’t be able to afford to come to MLA or maybe not have the time. “I was so excited to hear [Andy Leach] talk about some music that I was fond of. I went up and talked to him afterwards and was quite giddy. I probably scared him actually, with my excitement.” MS: Tom, I’m dying to hear you describe your first chapter meeting! Is that the one that had the hay ride? TC: No, Misti. The hay ride was actually in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2005. My first meeting was an eye-opening experience for me, getting to meet all these people who were just names on the Listserv to me before. My first night we were staying at the Chateau Hotel in Bloomington. I don’t even know if this place is still in business. It was teetering on the line of charming and dilapidated, more charming than dilapidated. It had a nice bar, and we all sat down at the bar on our first night in booths. Ralph Papakhian sat down next to me. I couldn’t believe that was Ralph, you know? We had drinks, and talked, and laughed, and I immediately felt welcomed. It was incredible. “[Richard LeSueur] told me to seek out Sarah Dorsey, [and that] I would recognize her by her laughter. [I was] to go into the exhibit hall, find this woman who was laughing, and introduce myself.” One of the things I really came to like about the MLA Midwest were all the people who were just characters. [During that] meeting at Bloomington there was [a session that] I thought was kind of silly. I walked out at one point to go to the restroom and there was this whole cluster of librarians who had already walked out of the presentation and were sitting in a room outside having a grand time chatting with each other. I stopped and chatted with them. Steve Wright—who has ascended into the higher echelons of the administration but at that point was a music librarian at Northern Illinois—was sitting there talking with I think Beth Christensen from St. Olaf and Leslie Troutman from the University of Illinois. I remember Steve congratulating me on escaping the session that was going on, and I said “Oh wow, okay.” So I ended up sitting out there with them and talking. It stuck with me that it’s okay to walk out of things if you’re just not… MS: Interested? TC: Yeah. You can be yourself here. That was [also] my first introduction to hearing all these people talk and give instruction and presentations. Andy Leach—who at that point was at the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago—did a reference refresher on bluegrass and old time music. I was so excited that somebody was talking about music that wasn’t just classical, Western art music, and Andy was young, a lot younger than I am. I was so excited to hear him talk about some music that I was fond of. I went up and Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 24 talked to him afterwards and was quite giddy. I probably scared him actually, with my excitement. And there was a guest performer there, the organist Ann Marie Rigler, who played a recital of Baroque and contemporary works at Evelyn Chapel at Illinois Wesleyan. At that point she was the acting music librarian at Penn State, and had been a member of the Midwest Chapter earlier. She was an amazing performer, an amazing organist, and I had a great time chatting with her and it turned out that she knew Dr. Timothy Noonan, who was one of my music history professors at the time at UW-Milwaukee and it just made me feel like “Oh! This is all connecting. People know other people from other places.” And it all started to seem interconnected in a way that I liked. “To this day I can’t believe that at my first chapter meeting I just happened to sit next to Dena Epstein and she was so welcoming and interested in what I had to talk about.” The chair at that point of MLA Midwest was the amazing Richard LeSueur, Ann Arbor Public Library, and meeting him there certainly stands out in my mind. He would then go on to change my professional life in MLA to a greater extent when I would go to the Austin meeting in 2003. He called out my name one day as I was walking down the stairs into the exhibitor/vendor hall. I turned around and he said “Come here!” He told me he thought I should get involved on the Membership Committee for MLA, not just the chapter. He told me to seek out Sarah Dorsey, [and that] I would recognize her by her laughter. I [was to] go into the exhibit hall, find this woman who was laughing, and introduce myself because he apparently had already dropped my name to her. He thought it was time that a grad student be part of the Membership Committee. What could I say? I said “Okay. Sure.” So Richard LeSueur pointed me literally in the direction to get involved in MLA and set me on my course. Now he might say he regrets it, but we have a good joking rapport, he and I. So meeting Richard LeSueur there obviously did great things for me in my career arc. MS: Do you have any other stories or recollections that stand out, either from the chapter or from MLA that you’d like to share? TC: Yeah, actually I just remembered something else from that first chapter meeting in 2002. Because I was a Retiree’s Scholarship winner, I was at the luncheon when they make the presentations of the awards. Rebecca Littman didn’t orchestrate this. It just happened. I sat down next to Dena Epstein who was there attending the meeting. I couldn’t believe it. “Oh! Dena Epstein!” I knew of her already. She was legendary and had an [MLA] award named after her. She was the sweetest woman. She loved the fact that I was living in Milwaukee because she was from Milwaukee originally. We had an amazing chat and to this day I can’t believe that [at] my first chapter meeting I just happened to sit next to Dena Epstein. She was so welcoming and interested in what I had to talk about. I can tell stories ‘til the sun comes up... “What I’m proudest of is if I go home at the end of the day and I can say, ‘You know, I helped some people today.’” MS: As a matter of fact, I’m not gonna let us move on until you talk a little bit about the hay ride. TC: Oh yeah! Two things about the MLA Midwest Chapter meeting in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2005 really stand out in my mind: the copious amounts and varieties of bourbon that were available to consume, and the fact that we went to the Kentucky Horse Park. It was funny because the whole place was basically deserted, and we were the only party crew there. They took us on a hayride across the whole grounds. So [there was] this amazing cluster of music librarians on hay bales getting dragged by a tractor all over the place looking at beautiful pastures, meadows, fences, and some horses. We ended up going back to the welcome center and having some of that bourbon and some delicious food. Then some dance group came and performed for us. It was at first scary, then it was surreal and then it was delightful. They started dragging us up to square dance with them, and I ended up square [dancing]. I don’t know whether it was the bourbon, the music, or the costumes of the dancers, but it Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 25 was a good time. It was a very good time. MS: Well, before we conclude the interview, I would like it if you could talk about what you’re most proud of achieving so far in your career as a music librarian. TC: See, this brings me back to my not being a quantitative person but being a qualitative person. There are a million little moments—actually, there’s probably one moment that recurs in librarianship as a public services librarian: that moment of having someone approach you in some state of need, whether it’s panic, last minute, or the start of a research project, curiosity, or they just want some specific edition. That moment of helping them through their anxiety, their unease... helping to the point where their need is satisfied; every time I do that, that’s the thing I’m proudest of, every time that happens. I mean, I have all these grandiose dreams and plans and schemes for programs I’m going to implement or new ways I’m going to do information literacy instruction, or new models of collection development that are gonna be unlike anything anybody’s ever done before to make it streamlined and cost efficient. I think we all just kind of muddle through as best we can. I think as long as I am alert to the needs of the Tom Caw. Photo Courtesy of Misti Shaw. patrons, the public, and I meet those [needs] more often than I don’t, that’s really what I’m in it for. What I’m proudest of is if I go home at the end of the day and I can say, “You know, I helped some people today,” and I feel like they appreciate it. MS: Tom, it was truly a delight. Thank you so much for participating in this interview. TC: You’re welcome, Misti. Editor’s Note: Readers of this oral history should keep in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that the interviewer, narrator, and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Music Library Association, Midwest Chapter is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein; these elements are for the reader to judge. The manuscript may be read, quoted, and cited freely. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the Music Library Association, Midwest Chapter. Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 26 Administrative Structure Executive Committee Chair: Sheridan Stormes (Butler University), 2014 Past-Chair: Kirstin Dougan (University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign), 2014 Secretary-Treasurer: James Procell (University of Louisville), 2014 Newsletter Editor: Anne Shelley (Illinois State University), 2014 Web Editor: Elizabeth Hille Cribbs (Northern Illinois University), 2014 Standing Committees Bylaws (One-year terms; members may be reappointed) Beth Christensen (St. Olaf College), Chair, 2014 Grace Fitzgerald (University of Iowa), 2014 Paula Hickner (University of Kentucky), 2014 Membership (Three-year terms; members may be reappointed; Chair serves year as Chair-Elect, two years as Chair, one year as Past-Chair) Jason Imbesi (University of Michigan), Chair, 2014 Paula Hickner (University of Kentucky), Chair-Elect, 2017 Michael J. Duffy (Northern Illinois University), 2015 Jack Knapp (Oberlin College and Conservatory), 2016 Richard LeSueur (Ann Arbor, MI), 2016 Rebecca Littman (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), 2015 Sheridan Stormes (Butler University), 2015 Lynne Weber (Minnesota State University, Mankato), 2015 Carla Williams (Indiana University), 2016 Program (One-year terms; members may be reappointed) Sheridan Stormes (Butler University), Chair, 2014 Beth Christensen (St. Olaf College), 2014 Mary Huisman (University of Minnesota), 2014 Publications (Three-year terms; members may be reappointed; Chair serves one year as Chair-Elect, two years as Chair, one year as Past-Chair) John Wagstaff (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Interim Chair, 2015 Rob Deland (Vandercook College of Music), 2015 Therese Dickman (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville), 2015 Michael J. Duffy (Northern Illinois University), 2016 Greg Fitzgerald (Western Michigan University), 2014 Kathleen Haefliger (Chicago State University), 2016 Kathleen Harrison (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale), 2014 Ruth Inman (Kennedy-King College), 2015 Amy Pennington (Saint Louis University), 2015 Anne Shelley (Illinois State University), 2015 Wendy Sistrunk (University of Missouri-Kansas City), 2014 Lynne Weber (Minnesota State University, Mankato), 2014 Special Committees Cataloging (Three-year terms; members may be reappointed; Chair serves one year as Chair-Elect, two years as Chair, one year as Past-Chair) James Procell (University of Louisville), Chair, 2014 Patty Falk (Bowling Green State University), Chair-Elect, 2016 Kerri Baunach (University of Kentucky), 2015 Elizabeth Hille Cribbs (Northern Illinois University), 2017 Grace Fitzgerald (University of Iowa), 2015 Mary Huisman (University of Minnesota), 2016 Jason Imbesi (University of Michigan), 2016 Kevin Kishimoto (University of Chicago), 2016 Nicole Long (Wheaton College), 2016 Deborah Morris (Roosevelt University), 2015 Chuck Peters (Indiana University), 2016 Sandy Rodriguez (University of Missouri-Kansas City), 2016 Mark Scharff (Washington University), 2015 Janet Scott (Indiana University), 2016 Wendy Sistrunk (University of Missouri-Kansas City), 2016 Sue Stancu (Indiana University), 2016 Public Services (Three-year terms; members may be reappointed; Chair serves one year as Chair-Elect, two years as Chair, one year as Past-Chair) Rebecca Littman (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Chair, 2014 Tom Caw (University of Wisconsin-Madison), 2015 Liz Berndt Morris (Central Michigan University), 2015 Robert Delvin (Illinois Wesleyan University), 2014 Kirstin Dougan (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), 2014 Jill King (DePaul University), 2015 Technology, Archives, Preservation, and Sound (T.A.P.S.) (Three-year terms; members may be reappointed; Chair serves one year as Chair-Elect, two years as Chair, one year as Past-Chair) Emma Dederick (Indiana University), Chair, 2016 Susannah Cleveland (Bowling Green State University), 2015 Kathleen Harrison (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale), 2014 Sandy Rodriguez (University of Missouri-Kansas City), 2014 Misti Shaw (DePauw University), 2015 Peter Szabo (Ohio Wesleyan University), 2014 Terms expire in October of the year indicated. This version of the administrative structure should reflect changes made at the 2013 chapter meeting. Please report errors and omissions to the editor (anne.shelley@ilstu.edu). Midwest Note-Book: The Publication of the Midwest Chapter of the Music Library Association 27