Collecting Profile - Music
To be read in conjunction with the overarching principles and general principles for reference material or heritage material as relevant.
Purpose
This collection is one of only two public lending collections of sheet music and scores in Australia so fills an important niche for members of the `musical public’. Currently in Australia, access to the large number of scores or sheet music required to satisfy musical needs is limited because of expense and copyright restrictions.
Collecting intent
Our music collecting is in three distinct areas:
- scores and sheet music – this collection was set up as a performance based collection so is developed as a direct loan collection. Western Australian scores and sheet music form part of the heritage collections.
- sound recordings – collecting is focused on Western Australian artists so most of this collection forms part of the heritage collections.
- reference resources – a number of music reference resources in all formats are collected in line with general collecting principles. These resources aim to support music teaching, learning and appreciation.
Music created or performed by Indigenous Australians and unpublished works of Western Australian musicians are a collecting focus.
Coverage
Scores
The score and sheet music collection covers a broad range of music with comprehensive collecting of classical, popular and jazz for all instruments. We collect
- vocal and single instrument scores
- orchestral and chamber sets
- original compositions as well as arrangements
- urtext editions will be collected where appropriate and may be supplemented with varied and alternate editions.
Our selection is guided by Australian music syllabuses such as those produced by the Australian Music Examinations Board and the Curriculum Council.
We selectively acquire Western Australian scores and sheet music - published in Western Australia or composed by a Western Australian – in line with budget restraints and forecast public demand. There is currently no legal deposit legislation for this material in Western Australia. Our acquisitions decisions take into account the availability of a resource in other music collections through inter library loan arrangements.
Very simple and big note (EZ) material is currently excluded from our collecting.
Sound Recordings
Our focus is on all Western Australian recordings in all formats, particularly on limited lifespan works such as those recorded privately and/or not commercially published.
We selectively acquire non Western Australian recordings through donation. Donated collections are assessed individually.
Collaboration/duplication
Additional copies of scores are collected as high use dictates.
Collections in other music libraries, particularly Australian institutions with music collections available for borrowing from us through interlibrary loan, can play a part in our collection decisions. These can be found through Libraries Australia and Music Australia
Format
We collect all current formats although print remains the prime format for scores and sheet music. Vinyl, 78 rpm and cassette recordings will only be collected if they have Western Australian relevance will only be collected if they relate directly to Western Australia.
High repeated use of score/sheet music requires durable binding so spiral bound items are not collected.
Language
English language is dominant although we collect scores in all languages.
Budget emphasis
Emphasis is on scores and Western Australian sound recordings.
Page last updated: Tuesday 23 November 2010
