dutch issue || the study centre for music and record libraries
TRANSCRIPT
The Study Centre for Music and Record LibrariesAuthor(s): CHARLOTTE VAN DER POTSource: Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 21, No. 3, DUTCH ISSUE (1974 September-Dezember), pp. 96-100Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres(IAML)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23506774 .
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96 CH. V. D. POT: STUDY CENTRE FOR MUSIC AND RECORD LIBRARIES
Improved Situation
Now that the music libraries, especially thanks to the Study Centre, have emerged
from their isolation to become institutions which satisfy modern requirements, the
financial situation has improved and staff is trained in library techniques. Expert serv
ice is thus ensured; and that is the best guarantee for a steady growth of music
libraries which can satisfy the high standards of people interested in music.
Public
The public that makes use of the library today is completely different from the
public of 60 years ago. Anyone with a feeling for music nowadays has the opportunity
of making his own music. Popular concerts and music schools have vastly enlarged
the practical possibilities. Concerts are no longer only for the élite, and radio, television
and gramophone mean that no-one is barred from enjoying music.
Even if at first music was thought to be unsuitable material for borrowing from a
library, the fact now is that music libraries are a very good way of extending a player's
repertory. This applies to the professional as well as to the amateur. It is cheering to
see that young people are far in the majority.
We must be careful and vigilant when making our selection, but we must especially
take into account the requirements of the public. This means that we must check
our personal, historically-formed critical faculty. The educative idea, which was once
so important for the work of selecting, can only be permitted today with extreme
mistrust. The danger is that we are too hasty in excluding new genres which are
of essential importance for the younger generation. Standards change greatly, often
to disappear completely. Even the concept of taste being spoiled is no longer generally
valid. We still remember the piano arrangement of 'Shéhérazade' being borrowed for the
accompaniment of silent films. That period is definitely finished. The heavily-charged
veiled romanticism in the slow tempo of those days has given way to straightforward directness in form, in sound and in colour. We must adapt ourselves to this and make
an effective choice. Happily, this need not be unromantic either!
CHARLOTTE VAN DER POT (AMSTERDAM)*
The Study Centre for Music and Record Libraries
History 'To me, the most encouraging sign of growth in the organization of IAML during
the last year or two has been the establishment of the national branches.' This was
written by Richard Hill (president of IAML 1951—55) in the first issue of Fontes, 1954. It is with a certain degree of chauvinistic pride that we are able to state that the
Dutch IAML group, the Study Centre for music and record libraries (Studiecentrum) was one of the first national groups, being the same age as IAML itself (1951). At the
* Charlotte van der Pot, Music Librarian, Public Music Library, Amsterdam (1956—1970 Secretary of the Study Centre).
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CH. V. D. POT: STUDY CENTRE FOR MUSIC AND RECORD LIBRARIES 97
1954 annual IAML meeting at Paris, the Study Centre was officially recognized as
groupe néerlandais.
It may sound incredible, but even in a small country like ours there was little
or no contact among 'music librarians' until 1951. Those in charge of music collections
came, in the case of music research libraries, from the circle of professional musicians
and musicologists; public music libraries were generally run by assistants from public libraries who happened to be interested in music. There was no such thing as a
special training for music librarians in those days. Once contact had been made, especially with colleagues from other types of music
libraries, it had a stimulating effect. It was at last possible for experiences to be
exchanged, for us to help one another solve the problems involved in music library work and to set up new music libraries. Since the birth of the Study Centre meetings
have been held regularly (once or twice a year). They consist of a general meeting, followed if possible by a discussion or hearing on a special problem, a visit to a music
library or institute, a lecture or a concert. At present (1.1. 74) the Study Centre has a
membership of 125, consisting of music and record librarians working in public, research
and special music and record libraries. In terms of organization the Study Centre
(known since 1972 as the Section for Music and Record Libraries—Sektie Muziek
bibliotheken/Fonotheken) comes under the competency of the Nederlands Bibliotheek
en Lectuur Centrum (NBLC) (Dutch Library and Reading Centre), the master-organi
zation for public libraries in the Netherlands. Committee work — the most important object of the Study Centre—has always
been launched by librarians from public music libraries. Time and again, however, we see that the sterling professional knowledge of librarians from research and special
music libraries is indispensible, regardless of whether publications such as basic lists,
reports or rules for cataloguing are concerned.
Activities 1951-1974
One of the Study Centre's first tasks was to compile a central catalogue of music
available in public music libraries. This central catalogue (CCM) has been kept at the
public music library at The Hague since 1960, but lack of staff and space have
unfortunately made it difficult to keep it up-to-date in recent years. Still, the CCM is
consulted daily in connection with the heavy inter-library loan system. The Study
Centre is working on a better solution to the problem of keeping this indispensible
apparatus functioning properly. In 1954 the Study Centre drew up a plan for training music library assistants. This
'training course' consisted before 1970 of a kind of 'intern' system by which the trainee
attended one of the four big music libraries once a week (the course lasted about
10 months). The advantage of this system was that the trainees could carry on with
their normal job and do practical work in the meantime (usually in a public library); the disadvantage was that trainees were very dissimilar, so that it was generally a
matter of self-tuition; and also that guiding them put an extra burden on the music
librarian in charge. A committee from the Study Centre was also called upon to prepare
a specialized training course at the Frederik Muller Akademie, the Library School at Amsterdam (see the Report of the Planning Commission below, and the article on
Training).
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98 CH. V. D. POT: STUDY CENTRE FOR MUSIC AND RECORD LIBRARIES
Three board-members of the Study Centre formed a committee charged with
organizing the Dutch contribution to RISM. The central place for this was the Institute
of Musicology at Utrecht.
In 1959 the Study Centre was asked to draw up the minimum requirements which
a music department of a public library ought to satisfy in order to qualify for an extra
government subsidy, e.g. one-fifth of the subsidy received by the main library. The
requirements, still in force today, include: a collection of at least 2,000 music volumes,
opening hours of at least 8 hours a week and administration by a qualified music
library assistant. These minimum requirements will shortly have to be revised in
connection with the Public Library Act (see Introduction).
The compilation of the above-mentioned collection of 2,000 volumes of music was
governed by 'directives' in the Standard Catalogue of Music (1962). At the IAML annual
meeting at Stockholm that same year, the opinion was that this list could be used
as the basis for an international standard catalogue in view of the fact that the Dutch
list is pre-eminently oriented towards music from other countries . . . Supplements of categories not, or inadequately, dealt with in the catalogue (including guitar, recorder,
pop) now appear as loose appendices.
Not until 1966 did the Rules for Cataloguing and Classifying (practical) Music appear (rev. ed. 1970). Prior to that, each public music library had catalogued in its
own fashion, which occasionally caused problems of disharmony when people trained
in different places were being examined.
The Cataloguing and Classification of Gramophone Records (in record lending
libraries) also required rules which would apply all over the country (1970). Experience had shown that the rules for cataloguing music could not always be applied to records,
partly because of the different type of material. These record rules were drawn up
by a work-group for gramophone records, whose task it was to deal with the various
problems involved in the work done in record libraries (see also the Report of the
record lending libraries, below; and the article on public record libraries). Record
lending libraries did not get off to a good start in the Netherlands until the sixties
(number of record libraries in 1963: 3, in 1974: 22, plus dozens of affiliated ones in
the Provinces), which is why the Study Centre deemed it necessary in 1965 to add
the words 'and Record Libraries' to its title. The situation of music libraries in the
Netherlands was not so bright in the meantime, as the Report of the Planning Com mission for Music Libraries (1967) showed. Originally asked to make a plan for
training music and record librarians at the Librarians' School (Bibliotheekschool) at
Amsterdam, a special committee felt impelled at the same time to demand attention
for 'the deplorable state of facilities in music libraries': the pitiful financial position, bad accommodation, poor prospects for future qualified librarians; in short, things were quite far behind other activities such as children's and old-age pensioner library facilities, and the distribution of branch libraries. Strangely enough, there was no official reaction to this Report, which, with its plan for a better distribution of music libraries in the Netherlands and a key programme for training music librarians, is the first official document concerning the music library in Dutch cultural life. Of course, opinions have changed somewhat since then. Gramophone record library experts objected to the summary treatment of record library work in the Report. Not enough experience had been acquired at that time of course, and consequently the work of the record library was lumped together with that of the music libraries. The Gramophone
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CH. V. D. POT: STUDY CENTRE FOR MUSIC AND RECORD LIBRARIES 99
Record Library Report appeared in 1973, partly as a supplement to this planning report. The gramophone record report includes chapters on standardization (these had already been published in 1969 at the request of the government commission for standardization),
the planning of record libraries, staff and a plea that services be centralized to as great
an extent as possible. The first central service had already begun in 1969, however:
the gramophone record information service, giving all long-playing records produced
in Holland, card-indexed by the Amsterdam record lending library, the cards supply
ing the title, an appraisal and the price. This same committee, the Record Library
Work-Group, held a national inquiry in November 1973 among record library users
(see also the article on public record libraries).
In 1972 the Standard Catalogue of Books on Music appeared for the use of public
music and record libraries. It is a list of approximately 500 titles of books, most of
which are available in bookshops, and is intended to be a guide to public music librarians in forming a collection of literature about music. A revised edition of this
list is being prepared at present.
An annotated directory of public, research and special music and record libraries
was published in 1972: the Guide to Music and Record Libraries in the Netherlands. The address, opening hours, size of collection (as of 1.1. 71), specialities of the collection
of 51 music libraries and 22 record libraries—most of them open to the public—are
listed alphabetically according to the names of the towns where they are situated.
Registers supply a survey of the various types of music and record libraries, and of
categories which are represented to an important degree either qualitatively or
quantitatively in a particular music library (e.g. electronic, brass-band, jazz or computer
music). Supplementary pages appear each year with changes of address, telephone
number, etc.
A first attempt to put something down on paper about the work of music libraries
in the Netherlands was made in a special issue of De Openbare Bibliotheek in
November 1963. So many changes seemed to have taken place during the ensuing
10 years that a new publication about the work of music and record libraries was
justified in every respect. It appeared in Open, a monthly magazine for librarians,
archivists and documentalists, in March 1973, and more articles than had been the
case in 1963 were devoted to research and special libraries, furthermore to the now
much-improved training facilities, to the information work done in a public music
library, and to IAML.
A task description of a music/record librarian, together with a representation of
rank, salary and promotion chances of qualified staff, appeared in a report in 1974.
For several years the conservatory libraries have been in a particularly critical position.
Librarians of these institutes are a more or less separate group in the Study Centre.
Their colleagues from other music libraries support their cause in applications to the
Ministry of Education, and give them advice if necessary (see also the article on
conservatory libraries).
At present a committee is preparing a plan for the classification of literature about
music; this is being done in such a way that it can fit into the generally accepted
classification system used in Dutch public libraries. A Directory of Music Publishers was published in 1974 to facilitate direct orders from publishers abroad.
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100 D. AELBERTS-VAN DE VEN, C. VAN HEES: TRAINING LIBRARIANS
One of the most recently formed committees is drawing up a standardization for
public music libraries, which is important in connection with the introduction of the
Public Libraries Act (planning, layout, equipment, collection, budget, staff). One of the plans to be realized in the near future is the organization of a sort of
'follow-up' training in the form of study courses lasting a few days for qualified music
and record librarians, and also for other interested parties working in music or other
libraries, for directors of public libraries who intend to start a music and/or record
department at some time, etc. Among the subjects which could be studied at such a
course are: planning a collection, deleting, technical equipment, audio-visual apparatus.
During recent years in particular there has been an increasing need for the central
ization of all public music library activities: central purchasing of music, literature
on music and records, central cataloguing, central documentation, even central in
formation. A functionary specially employed for this purpose would be charged with
organizing this type of 'service centre', giving advice where required in setting up new music and record libraries, and he would also be in charge of the Study Centre's
secretarial office. Needless to say, he would have to be very experienced, inventive
and a good organizer. An advertisement recently appeared in Dutch professional journals
seeking a musical centipede of that calibre ...
It only remains for me to name a few desiderata (on my own responsibility) :
1) a perfectly functioning central catalogue of music works.
2) a central catalogue which includes the collection of literature on music at the
Gemeentemuseum at The Hague, the Institute of Musicology at Utrecht and (perhaps a selection of) the collections of some of the bigger public music libraries (N. B. the
Central Catalogue is at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek at The Hague). 3) a central catalogue of periodicals including music periodicals at the said libraries.
The last of these requests is being dealt with—albeit partially; the music periodicals in all public libraries are going to appear in one list.
DULE AELBERTS-VAN DE VEN, CATHAR1NA VAN HEES (AMSTERDAM)*
Training Music I Gramophone Record Librarians
The training of music/record librarians, compared with other kinds of librarian
training in the Netherlands, is a fairly recent phenomenon which did not take on a
definitive form until 1972. From 1955 to 1970 training was limited to a period of practical work at a number
of fairly large music libraries where students were initiated into the secrets, primarily of a technical nature, of this special branch of library work. By the end of these
fifteen years the conviction had grown that this type of training had gradually become
out of date, and that it would be better off at one of the schools of librarianship that had been in operation since 1964. In such a school it became possible for more attention
* Dule Aelberts-van de Ven, Director of Studies, Training Course in Music/Record Librarianship 1970-1972. Catharina van Hees, ditto 1972 —
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