Cleveland Public Library, Music Collection

Abstract

The division system in the Cleveland Public Library follows the general lines of the Dewey classification, so the music collection forms part of the Fine Arts Division. It occupies roughly a third of the division space and contributes a little more than a third of its circulation,.or between three thousand and five thousand a month in the past year. There is no endowment for music, so additions must be financed from the general division quota, which must cover everything from art to games and sports. There is little opportunity to specialize. The upshot is that we have a workable collection for popular use. There are nearly 7,000 books about music, including musical. biography, and more than 16,500 volumes of music for circulation. These include the standard operas in vocal score, and the best light operas and musical comedies; that is, the Herberts, the Frimls and the Kerns. There are strong collections of songs, and piano albums, and good working collections of violin and organ music; and.there is something for many other instruments, even the harmonica. The chamber music numbers 700 pieces, the orchestral music more than 2,000. The latter includes the Emil Ring Memorial Collection and an orchestral library purchased years ago by the City of Cleveland, now in the permanent custody of the Public Library. This music is widely used by School orchestras and by a number of professional and semi-professional groups, among them the WPA orchestras. The Cleveland Orchestra makes use of these resources occasionally, although it has its own splendid library. The sheet music is nearly all gift material, though we have succumbed to public pressure and bought a few things always ih