Subject Commission: service and training.
Davidson, Mary Wallace
On Wednesday, 4 July, the Commission on Service and Training,
chaired by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Krueger (Hochschule der Medien in
Stuttgart) offered two different panels that in fact reinforced many of
the similar ideas presented by each. Fifty-three people were in
attendance.
The first was a joint paper entitled, "An Online Guide to How
to Find Music," by IAML's new Treasurer, Kathy Adamson (Royal
Academy of Music), and by former president Pam Thompson (Royal College
of Music).
IAML-UK prides itself on trying to reach musically illiterate
librarians through seminar days, offering minimal training in various
aspects of music librarianship. Since 2003, and drawing on ideas from
last year's IAML meeting on Goteborg, IAML-UK has been trying to
design a nationwide Web site, gleaned from, but not confined to various
existing institutional sites that are geographically focused. The
national site would help users find specific targets for their research,
but also help generalists and others who do not know what they are
looking for.
Broadening the topic to address how music libraries might serve
wider communities, Kathy announced that IAML-UK will soon have an award
for service, in an effort to demonstrate the value of music librarians
in libraries whose budgets are being cut. Nominations for the award
would come from patrons, not librarians.
Pam wondered aloud whether in trying through library policies to
achieve what is best for our users we have perhaps driven many away. For
example, we have catalogs we think are better, but only about 50% of our
collections are cataloged.
With respect to a national music Web site, we might offer more help
for users of smaller libraries--for example, advice and links to
information about interlibrary lending, children's music, in
non-expert, even trendy language. In sum, let's build Web sites for
users, not for librarians.
Alex Byrne (University of Sydney), President of the International
Federation of Library Associations, led the second session, entitled,
"Strike the Note: We Want to Be Heard," questioning the
current education and training considered necessary to be effective
music librarians. His panel included:
* Simon Chambers, project manager for the Australian Music
Centre's online initiative since 2004, with an honors degree in
communications and post-graduate work in project management;
* Kylie Black, a cellist and music digitization specialist at the
State Library of Western Australia, with an undergraduate degree in
musicology, and a graduate diploma in information and library studies;
* Emma Sekuless, a singer who has recently become a curatorial
assistant in music and dance at the National Library of Australia--her
BA is in Australian history, and she will soon begin her postgraduate
degree in information services.
* Julia Mitford, a rock, folk, pop, jazz, and classical performer,
who has studied jazz and information management, and is now manager of
Explore Music, a music information service at Gateshead Council
Libraries and Arts in northern England.
Byrne asked the respondents in turn to describe how they came to
music librarianship, their impressions of the field as a whole, what
trends they see for change, and how they might redesign a curriculum.
Finally, Byrne asked each for one word to describe music librarianship.
The last word, from Ms. Sekuless, was "Rich," and all heartily
agreed.
Mary Wallace Davidson
Secretary
