Using Materials (Music Library)

Finding and Using Materials in the Collections of the Cook Music Library

Your search for information about music is likely to lead you to materials in a variety of formats that are stored in several different locations. Some materials are available to you in the open stacks (shelves) of the Music Library; others need to be retrieved from non-public areas for you by library staff; others require special permission for access. Each type of material has its own set of circulation policies that defines who may use the item, whether it can be taken out of the library and for how long, and how much you will be billed if you do not follow the policy.

When you use your library card to borrow materials from the Cook Music Library, you agree to abide by these policies. They have been developed over the years by members of the Music Library Advisory Committee, a group composed of professors from the School of Music and the librarians and professional staff of the Music Library.

Types of Materials Available in the Music Library

The following list describes the general types of materials available in the Music Library. Click on the linked items down below to access more detailed information about:

-- What the IUCAT displays mean

-- Location(s) of materials

-- How to request and use items from non-public areas

-- Loan policies and periods

-- Bill and fine policies

If you have additional questions about access policies and procedures in the Cook Music Library, please contact the User Services staff at the circulation desk.

Materials available in the open stacks of the Music Library

• Cataloged books and scores in the general collection
• Monuments and collected editions classed as M2 or M3
• Reference books
• Journals and periodicals

Materials found in the reserve room or at the reserves desk

• Reserve books and scores
  
• Reserve audio and video recordings
  
• Personal materials belonging to faculty members (may be requested at the circulation desk)
• Headphones

Materials that must be retrieved by library staff from the closed stacks

• Audio materials in the general collection
• Video materials in the general collection
• Frontlog books and scores
• Microfilm, microcards, and microfiche
• Microform copies of journals

Archival audio recordings that must be digitized for access

• Indiana University performance tapes
• Bjoerling, Ehret, Ross Allen, and Thomas Binkley Early Music Archive Collections

Rare and special materials that require permission for access

• Rare and special materials stored in the vault