The Digitally Accessible Music Library: Making Musical Scores Available Online

Christine Edwards

Abstract After having previously conducted a study in the needs of the end-user, the research team is now looking at the benefits and practicality of transferring the John Phillip Sousa and other rare musical scores collection housed at the Angela S. Beakerman Music Library, Eastern Empire State University, New York to an online accessible digital format. The research team is comprised of the head academic librarian, the music librarian, and the collection archivist. They will be conducting a modified meta analysis of the writings and publications of other institutions known to house collections of musical scores and/or manuscripts. Using a data collection worksheet, the research team will determine whether the benefits outweigh the time, effort, and cost; whether the collection incurs any damage through the process; and whether the patronage of the physical library is impacted by the digitization of the documents. A description of the methodology, anticipated results, and limitations of the study are included as well as a literature review. Appendices include a sample list of institutions currently providing access to musical score collections online and a copy of the intended data collection worksheet.

Introduction The administration at Eastern Empire State University has requested that the Angela S. Beakerman Music Library examine the possibility of transferring their John Phillip Sousa and other rare musical scores collection to a digital, online accessible format. At this urging, a research team was assembled comprising the head academic librarian, the music librarian, and the collection archivist. The first step in the process was to determine whether or not the current users of the collection (a mixture of students, faculty, and community) would desire online accessibility. This was based on the idea expressed by Strle and Marolt (2012) that when assessing the functionality of a digital library [the] first need [is] to investigate the needs and the demands of its end-users. A convenience sampling in which a survey and focus group were conducted revealed a positive response to the possibility of digitizing the manuscripts. Having ascertained a need for the end-user, this newest research is intended to provide more diplomatic and practical information on the benefits and/or hindrances to the digitization of special materials.

Literature Review Lately there has been a significant boost of interest in music digital libraries, which constitute an attractive area of research and development due to their inherent interesting issues and challenging technical problems (Constantinescu 2011). The assumption presented by most of the literature is that this is a digital age and, therefore, libraries should be making use of digitization. In her research, Ella

Kulik (2010) found that digital musical score use is characterized by a continuous rise. Damm et al. (2012) agreed, finding scanned sheets of music play a major role in ongoing automatic digitization efforts. This group of researchers also discusses a long-term goal of developing a workflow that allows libraries and its personnel to efficiently deal with digital music collections while simultaneously minimizing the administrative effort required for managing those documents. However, Honea (1996) argues in a postscript that even though digital reformatting is much on the mind that it creates a perplexing new ethic namely that to change the image is to alter the information. This is perhaps more accurate to the musical score than the audio file which has dominated (and continues to dominate) musics representation on the web (Rigaux et al 2012). Most encourage the presence of musical scores on the internet, but it involves a time requirement that cannot be taken lightly. While a digital collection may not take space on a shelf, the work hours, classification, connection, and cataloging of the musical scores will take several work hours to complete (Kulik 2010). There is also the imperative concern of the identification and protection of intellectual property when installing an open, online digital library (Rigaux et al 2012). Regardless of the arguments for or against digitization, it is generally agreed upon that the user is the end means of any library decision. For music users, the library is an important resource for musical scores providing for unique needs for materials that differ from those required by other disciplines (Lai 2009). Research by Kulik (2010) acknowledged this fact as well and added that young people tend to use the digital scores more often than older people use the physical, printed format. She goes on to say that web sites where digital

scores can be found are an important source of information for users. Digitization can fulfill the ultimate objectives of learning, exploration, and connection by dispensing information in such a way that outside researchers could pore over historical documents virtually and current students could have firsthand access to the archival material for their own learning (Esty 2012). The Sibley Music Library at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, who now provides one of the largest online musical collections, was the first to even pursue performers libraries back in the 1960s (Davidson 1994). At the beginning of the digital revolution, the software platforms allowed for audio files with relative ease compared to the corresponding musical score. In 1996, Indiana Universitys Cook Music Library implemented a system they entitled Variations that was intended to improve the ability of faculty and students of the Jacobs School of Music to access sound recordings from its vast collections. An update in 2000 additionally provided online access to both encoded and scanned musical scores. A third edition of the Variations program will allow for users to listen to a recording and watch the score simultaneously while also providing the ability to transpose or command other musicality over the work (Dunn et al 2006). This is one of the most integrated online music programs accessible to date. An analysis of the program by Strle and Marolt (2012) found the framework of the program to be so detailed as to ensure respect for intellectual property within the digital music library software system for both streaming audio and scanned score images. This study will not delve so deep as to combine audio and visual efforts, but it is an interesting concept to keep in mind for the future. Studying what these individual institutions have

already accomplished and developed for use in the real-world library scenario can help create a framework for a digital music repository (Damm et al 2012). Digitization can be as simple as scanning the sheet music, using a scanner, to create a digital image. Manuscripts, however, are often the oldest items in the library (Strle 2012). The largest concern with this method, then, is determining whether the document will receive any damage through that scanning process. Encoding, while taking an extensively larger amount of time, might be more beneficial for the documents as well as the user (depending upon image quality). It is this effort to retain as little damage as possible that is the basis for acts of preservation in the first place. Libraries have actually become instruments of preservation, an activity directed toward retention of the products of human culture for a historically conscious posterity (Honea 1996). Digitization, while not a preservation strategy, can assist in preservation efforts by influencing the amount of handling a document receives over the course of its life. Rigaux et al (2012) see the advent of digital music content representation as having opened an exciting area for the publication and preservation of music heritage. In considering preservationtype programs, it is important to look at the practical aspects of cost-effectiveness and appropriateness of treatment (Honea 1996). In its effort to preserve the past, the Berklee College of Music Archives has the unique position of going digital before becoming an organized archival space (Esty 2012). The entire process, however, has been described as laborious, requiring multiple hours of scanning, cleaning, and entering of metadata to accompany the documents (Esty 2012). With enough support, however, the task can be worth the effort. Take for example the

Sibley Music Library. The community and staff played a major role in preservation through their perception of the historical significance of the collection. Honea (1996) attributes this perception to a variety of influences such as the vigorous use of the Librarys resources, the sheer physical prominence of the Librarys special collections, and the departments activities and the attention it draws from external scholars. Preservation is not an act to prevent people from using the document, but an act to keep the musical score available and accessible for as long as possible for future generations. Digitization can accommodate this process as well as fulfill needs of accessibility. Kulik (2010) sums it up by explaining that the process of transferring digital musical scores is a gradual and very important one for libraries looking to complete their collection. For universities and institutions that may not be able to complete the task in house or even for those who wish to expand awareness of a specific collection, partnering with others and cooperating in a joint effort may be the more lucrative option. Collaboration has allowed for online musical score repositories and directories such as UCLAs sheet music consortium, Indiana Universitys Variations2 (soon to be Variations3) program, the Music Treasures Consortium backed by the Library of Congress, and the IMSLP the International Music Scores Library Project, otherwise known as the Petrucci Music Library (Harvard University 2012, University of Hartford 2010). The non-profit IMSLP has become one of the largest free online collections of digitized printed music by operating under its mission to create a virtual library containing all public domain music scores, as well as scores from composers who are willing to share their music with the world without

charge (Mullin 2010). NEUMA, a separate collaborative digital scores library, is open to varying communities of users as well (musicians, teachers, students, and musicologists) who want to store and/or share music collections (Rigaux et al 2012). Resources such as the IMSLP, the MNECLIB2 (a classical music digital library), NEUMA and EthnoMuse have become invaluable for music students. A study by Lai and Chan (2010) discovered that participants used scores and multimedia materials more frequently than other types of library materials. Libraries have thus been encouraged to subscribe to digital media sources such as the Naxos Music Library, providing sources that are otherwise academically unavailable (McLane 2004). Mullin (2010) corroborates this statement in regards to the IMSLP: with its abundance of rare, out of print, and esoteric scores, it fills a sizable gap in the coverage of most academic libraries. The collaborative digital score library NEUMAs first objective is support of scientific publication of parts of musics cultural heritage, in particular those that would otherwise be hardly accessible (Rigaux et al 2012). On all sides, the collaborative effort is to allow accessibility to users regardless of distance from the physical collection wherever it might be permanently housed. It is important to note that this expands beyond the borders of the United States. As with the IMSLP, which is internationally accumulated and made available, other archives and universities around the world are digitizing as well. The Bavarian State Library in Munich holds a vast amount of musical documents including large collections of scanned sheet music (Damm et al 2012). The National Library of Ireland has recently establish a digital collection of the National Archive of Irish

Composers a collaboration among the Contemporary Music Centre and the Irish Traditional Music Archive, as well as others, to promote the music of Irish composers who are often unrecognized as Irish even within their own country (Hunt 2011). There is also a group in New Zealand at the University of Waikato that has created several Greenstone-based digital libraries using the Greenstone open source digital library software (Constantinescu 2011). However, for the purposes of this study, all research will be conducted within the confines of American borders, as venturing worldwide would be too expansive and could skew the perception of the results since the variance is great among academic cultures.

Purpose of Study This study is intended as support for the deciding members of Eastern Empire State Universitys Angela S. Beakerman Music Library as they debate whether or not the John Phillip Sousa and other rare musical scores collection should be converted to a digital format and made accessible online through the university network websites. To facilitate in answering this question, three research questions have been developed:

1. Will the introduction of musical scores to the online environment effect the patronage of the physical library? 2. Does the transfer of the musical score to a digital format impact the value of the object or collection?

3. Do the benefits of transferring the musical score collection to a digital format outweigh the time and effort, including cost?

In the first question the variable of patronage is dependent upon the introduction of the digitally accessible musical scores. For the second, the independent variable of transfer will be looked at to show the dependent impact on the value of the object or collection. The third question then poses benefits against time, effort, and cost both separately and as a whole. Positive results of these questions will undoubtedly reinforce the opinion of administration that digitization is the correct decision for the Angela S. Beakerman library at this time.

Research Design Collection Methodology To answer the above, the research team (comprised of the head academic librarian, the music librarian, and the collection archivist with the aid of two graduate assistants) will gather written accounts of institutions that are in possession of musical score collections. This modified meta analysis will examine a selection of written accounts that may be either publicized or offered through mail (of physical or electronic form) from the institutions themselves. Even though this team is aware of several institutions that have already executed online collections programs, information will be assembled regardless of whether the institution has digitized their collection since the decision process is just as important as the

outcome for this research. (See appendix 2 for a sample of internet-accessible collections).

Analysis Methodology Once an appropriate amount of accounts have been accumulated, specific details will be extracted from those writings using a data collection worksheet (see appendix 1). This worksheet will allow the research team to determine: The name of the library and its affiliated institution. Whether or not a digital program has already been implemented. The type of user both pre- and post-digitization. An increase or decrease in patronage post-digitization. An increase or decrease in collection usage post-digitization. Collection details such as size, age, and possible damage from transfer. The institutions reasons for installing a digital program. What type of digital program is used (solo or joint effort). The benefits of digitizing vs. time, effort, and cost.

Once this information has been acquired, it will be broken down into tables and graphs that will then be conveyed to the governing members for perusal after which a final decision can be made regarding the implementation of a digital scores program at EESUs Angela S. Beakerman Music Library.

Anticipated Results

This study is expected to create a positive basis for digitization of the John Phillip Sousa and other rare musical scores housed by the Angela S. Beakerman Music Library on the Eastern Empire State University campus. It is believed that the writings and publications of other institutions that have developed such programs will show an increase in usage of both the collections and the libraries themselves. This could be due in part to the opportunities to collaborate with one another and among other archival bodies. There is also an expectation that this study will encourage digitization for the purpose of aiding in the preservation of the documents. The less the manuscripts are handled, the more likely they are to hold up over the course of time. This research should prove that online access decreases the demand of the physical object, thus becoming a companion to the preservation process.

Limitations of Study The results of this study are meant only as an assistance in determining whether or not the Angela S. Beakerman Music Library of Eastern Empire State University should create a digital format of its musical score collection for online accessibility. The decision of the research team should not be considered as definitive answers for any other institution considering the same process. Universities and other holders of musical score collections should be responsible for their own research into whether or not this is a viable option for their collection. Additionally, this research should be used for no other purpose at Eastern Empire State University than assisting the decision making process of the Angela S.

Beakerman Music Library. If the research team and administration propose to go forward with digitization, specific studies would need to be completed to ascertain the best methods for transferring musical scores to digital formats.

References Constantinescu, Zoran and Monica Vldoiu. 2011. MNECLIB2 A classical music digital library. World Academy of Science, Engineering & Technology 80: 682689. Damm, David, Christian Fremerey, Verena Thomas, Michael Clausen, Frank Kurth, and Meinard Mller. 2012. A digital library framework for heterogeneous music collections: from document acquisition to cross-modal interaction. International Journal of Digital Libraries 12: 53-71. doi:10.1007/s00799-0120087-y. Davidson, Mary Wallace. 1994. The research collections of the Sibley Music Library of the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. The Library Quarterly 64(2): 177-194. url:http://www.jstor.org/stable/4308922. Dunn, Jon W., Donald Byrd, Mark Notess, Jenn Riley, and Ryan Scherle. 2006. Variations2: Retrieving and using music in an academic setting. Communications of the ACM 49(8): 53-58.

Esty, Anna. 2012. Berklee College of Music Archives: preserving the past and learning for the future. Computers in Libraries 32(4): 6-10. Harvard University. 2012. Online resources for music scholars. url:guides.hcl.harvard.edu/content.php?pid=229643&sid=1899418. Honea, Sion M. 1996. Preservation at the Sibley Music Library of the Eastman School of Music. Notes 53(2): 381-402. doi:10.2307/900107. Hunt, Una. 2011. The National Archive of Irish Composers: creating a digital collection of music from the National Library of Ireland. Fontes Atris Musicae 58(3): 266-273. Kulik, Ella. 2010. Digital music libraries: the patterns of use of digital musical scores. Fontes Artis Musicae 57(1): 65-75. Lai, Katie and Kylie Chan. 2010. Do you know your music users needs? A library user survey hat helps enhance a user-centered music collection. The Journal of Academic Librarianship 36(1): 63-69. McLane, Alec, ed. 2004. Digital media reviews. Notes 61(2): 512-516. Mullin, Casey A. 2010. International Music Score Library Project/Petrucci Music Library. Notes 67(2): 376-381. Rigaux, P., L. Abrouk, H. Audon, N. Cullot, C. Davy-Rigaux, Z. Faget, E. Gavignet, D. Gross-Amblard, A. Tacaille, V. Thion-Goasdou. 2012. The design and implementation of Neuma, a collaborative digital scores library. International Journal on Digital Libraries 12(2/3): 73-88. doi:10.1007/s00799-012-0089-9.

Strle, Gregor and Matija Marolt. 2012. The EthnoMuse digital library: conceptual representation and annotation of ethnomusicological materials. International Journal on Digital Libraries 12: 105-119. doi:10.1007/s00799012-0086-z. University of Hartford. 2010. Music scores online subject guide. url:www.library.hartford.edu/guides/guide.asp?subject=music scores online.

Appendix 1 Data Collection Worksheet

Angela S. Beakerman Music Library Eastern Empire State University Data Collection Worksheet Library Name ____________________________________________________ Affiliated University/Institution ______________________________________ Implemented program? Library Patronage: Users (preprogram) Students Faculty Alumni Researchers Community Other ____________ Not indicated Collection details: Appx. Size ____________ Appx. Age ____________ Any damage? Yes Users (postprogram) Students Faculty Alumni Researchers Community Other ____________ Not indicated Postprogram patronage Increase Decrease Not indicated Collection usage Increase Decrease Not indicated Yes No If no, reason? ____________________________________________________

No

If yes, description of damage ________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Type of program: Solo Joint With whom? _______________________________ Not indicated

Not indicated

Reasons for program: Access Preservation Popularity of digitization Administrative request Other ______________________

Not indicated Program benefits: vs. time vs. effort vs. cost Yes Yes Yes No No No estimated time ___________________ Not indicated estimated workforce ______________ Not indicated approx. amount __________________ Not indicated Date _________________

Worksheet completed by ________________________________

Appendix 2 Examples of known digital score collections

Name of Collection 19th Century American Sheet Music 19th Century California Sheet Music African American Sheet Music American Sacred Music Archive of Popular American Music BYU Brussels Opera and Ballet Chopin Early Editions Chopins First Editions Online (CFEO) Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music Digital Scores Collection Edward MacDowell Piano Music Historic American Sheet Music 1850-1920 Historic Sheet Music Hoagy Carmichael Collection International Guitar Research Archive International Harp Archives Internet Archive Musicals and Operas Inventions of Note: Sheet Music Collection Jean Baptiste Lully Collection Julliard Manuscript Collection The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection Medieval Music Database Music Library Digital Scores Collection Popular American Sheet Music Sheet Music Collection Sibley Music Collection Templeton Digital Sheet Music Collection University/Institution University of North CarolinaChapel Hill Berkeley Brown University University of Wisconsin UCLA Brigham Young University University of Chicago University of London University of Oxford Harvard Wellesley College Duke University University of Oregon Indiana University California State University (Northridge) Brigham Young University University of Illinois MIT University of North Texas Julliard Johns Hopkins University La Trobe University University of Washington Baylor University University of Colorado, Boulder University of Rochester Mississippi State University