Music in the Archives: Information Literacy for a Better Performer

It seems as though primary source materials, especially those found in archives, are used much more so by history students and research-based majors at the undergraduate level than by those students of a music performance background. As an aspiring archivist and music historian, it is my goal to bridge the research/performance gap and incorporate innovative experiential based learning opportunities through use of primary sources found in archives. My project is based on an independent study of archival techniques and introductory music librarianship studies. My research consisted of learning various research methodologies and finding ways that they could be used in accordance to the core competencies put forth by Western Association of Schools and Colleges. My main focus was on information literacy, or ways in which to locate, evaluate, and effectively use information. I created an online subject guide for the William Knox Holt Memorial Library resource services based on catalogued music and archival materials found in Holt-Atherton Special Collections. It is my objective to bring awareness to the music materials housed in HASC, so that they may be universally used by the student population in the Conservatory and the University as a whole.