Selecting Printed Music in Public Libraries: A Committee-Driven Method for Curating Printed Music

Abstract

ABSTRACT The height of the COVID-19 public health emergency saw libraries conducting collection audits of their materials, including their print music collections. The trend in contemporary public libraries in the United States is one which emphasizes generalization in its workforce regarding domain specialty knowledge and skills. This has necessitated an influx in inquiries delivered to the Music Library Association’s Public Libraries Committee on the topic of print music collection development from public library staff who lack the necessary training and experience. In response, the Public Libraries Committee created a document focusing on best practices in print music collection development that recommends 250 print music titles for public library acquisition. Selecting Printed Music in Public Libraries was produced using strategies similar to focus group research methods and addresses a novel dilemma found in public libraries – library workers tasked with managing music collections without the knowledge, skills, and abilities to effectively do so. This article is framed as a case study and offers an overview of the development of the Public Libraries Committee’s (PLC) document, Selecting Printed Music in Public Libraries. Additionally, this article describes the content included within the PLC’s document and offers recommendations for how to improve it moving forward.