Table of Contents
Letter from NEMLA’s Incoming Chair
Upcoming NEMLA Fall 2026 Meeting
Membership Reminder
NEMLA Social Media Coordinator Opportunity
EDIJ Committee Meeting Invitation
Noteworthy News
— 20th anniversary of the Granoff Music Center and Lilly Music Library
— Sandi-Jo Malmon Retires
— Sounding Spirit Digital Library Review
— Lauren Posklensky Joins Berklee Library
—Wesleyan World Music Archives Media Installations and Digital Exhibit
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information
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A Letter from NEMLA’s Chair
Dear NEMLA Community,
Happy fall! I hope you are enjoying the vibrant, crisp foliage our beautiful region of New England offers this time of year.
Our Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect and Program Committee Chair, Carol Lubkowski, and her wonderful Program Committee have been working hard to prepare an exciting program for our fall 2026 virtual meeting to be held on Friday, November 6, 2026. Please save the date and register for the meeting at your earliest convenience. We emailed a registration link and a preliminary program on October 9, 2026, and you can also find them in this newsletter. They are also located on the “Upcoming Meetings” page on the NEMLA website.
I am pleased that NEMLA will continue organizing a mentorship program for the fall 2026 virtual meeting. I encourage long-time NEMLA members to consider serving as mentors to potential first-time attendees. This is a great opportunity to meet and share your experience and expertise working in music librarianship with new folks who are interested in joining the profession, and to build long-term connections within our organization overall. Please send an email to Carol (clubkows@wellesley.edu) if you are interested in serving as a mentor during the fall 2026 virtual meeting.
I would like to draw your attention to the open board, appointed, and committee positions NEMLA currently has available for the next term.
The NEMLA Board is seeking folks to serve in the following Board/Appointed positions who can serve no more than two consecutive terms unless otherwise noted:
● Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice Officer (spring 2027 – spring 2029)
● Member-At-Large (spring 2027 – spring 2029)
● Secretary-Treasurer (spring 2027 – spring 2029)
— Location proximity preference to Boston for ease of transition purposes.
● Social Media Coordinator (spring 2027 – spring 2029)
— This *appointed* position is new-ish! It was formerly known as Web 2.0 Coordinator.
— See the position’s description in this newsletter for more details.
● Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect (spring 2027 – spring 2029)
— Vice-Chair and Program Committee Chair (spring 2027 – spring 2028)
— Proceeds to Chair (spring 2028 – spring 2029)
— Becomes Past Chair (spring 2029 – spring 2030)
The following Committees are seeking new members (and in some cases a new Chair as noted) who can serve no more than two consecutive terms:
● Education & Outreach Committee (also seeks a new Chair)
● Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) Committee (also seeks a new Chair as previously mentioned)
● Instruction Committee (also seeks a new Chair)
● Nominating Committee
● Communications (formerly Publications) Committee
● Technical Services Committee (also seeks a new Chair)
Please email me (ecolucci@bates.edu) or Past-Chair/Nominating Committee Chair Anne Adams (anneadams@fas.harvard.edu) if you are interested in serving NEMLA by running for any vacant board/appointed positions or joining any of the committees. You can also visit the “Committees” page on the NEMLA Website, which Donna Maher, NEMLA’s Web Editor, has graciously moved under the “Get Involved” page.
Huge congratulations and thanks to Marci Cohen, NEMLA’s Member-at-Large and Chair of the Education and Outreach Committee, for her tireless, ongoing recruitment efforts with the National Music Library Association (MLA) Travel Grant Program, which resulted in obtaining seven applications in mid-September. Thank you to all seven applicants! Please stay tuned for more; we will soon announce the grant winner, who will receive financial support to attend the MLA Annual Conference held March 3 – 6, 2027, in Detroit, Michigan. The remarkable enthusiasm surrounding our inaugural MLA travel funding initiative clearly underscores the strong demand for financial support. We are excited to continue offering this vital grant opportunity over the next couple of years.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing you in early November.
Respectfully submitted by Emily M. Colucci, NEMLA’s Chair & Library Assistant in Access Services, Bates College, George and Helen Ladd Library
Upcoming NEMLA Fall 2026 Meeting
Friday, November 6, 2026, 9-4 pm via Zoom
Registration is now open! While registration for this event is FREE, please fill out the form so that we can send you the access link.
Fall Meeting Agenda
9:00-9:30am Zoom room opens. Music/listening party as people gather.
9:30-10:00am Opening remarks from the Chair, Emily Colucci
10:00-11:00am Presentation
Dartmouth Bells Festival: Strategically Instigating Performing Arts Research
Memory Apata, Music & Performing Arts Librarian, Dartmouth
11:00am-12:00pm Committee meetings
12:00-1:30pm Lunch
1:30-2:30pm Presentation
Lady Plays the Blues Project: Recovering the Hidden Legacies of Black Women Blues Guitarists through Digital Black Feminist Praxis
Yoli Bergstrom-Lynch, Research, Instruction, & Emerging Technologies Librarian, Connecticut State Community College Manchester
2:30-4:00pm Town Hall
Bring your hot topics, questions, concerns, etc.
Submitted by the NEMLA Program Committee: Carol Lubkowski (NEMLA Vice-Chair/Program Committee Chair), Brianna Pérez, Erin Conor,
Stella G. Gitelman Willougby
Membership Reminder!
If you have not yet renewed your NEMLA (and/or MLA) membership, there is still time! You are considered a member in good standing and retain your membership benefits and privileges until October 31, when the MLA grace period concludes. Renew today!
If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Hannah Ferello at hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu
Submitted by Hannah Ferello, NEMLA Secretary-Treasurer, Catalog and Serials Librarian, New England Conservatory
NEMLA Social Media Coordinator Opportunity
Are you interested in helping the NEMLA community share music events and news through social media? Would you like to serve NEMLA as its Social Media Coordinator? If so, please email Jennifer Hadley, jthom at wesleyan.edu.
The NEMLA Social Media Coordinator is an appointed two-year position, with possibility of renewal. The responsibilities of the Social Media Coordinator are to:
• Post to and maintain NEMLA social media sites on an established schedule and with a voice/presence consistent with NEMLA’s purpose and values.
o Promote NEMLA activities and resources
o Highlight NEMLA members and libraries
o Share information from MLA and other regional chapters
o Share other information of interest to music library staff
• Serve on the NEMLA Communications Committee.
• Serve as a non-voting member of the NEMLA Board.
Submitted by Jennifer Hadley, NEMLA newsletter editor, Collections and Outreach Assistant, Wesleyan University
EDIJ Committee Meeting Invitation
The NEMLA Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) Committee will have its next meeting on Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 3 pm ET.
All who are interested in this area are welcome! The committee is looking for new members and a new chair (who would be elected as the new EDIJ officer).
Register for the Zoom meeting link here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
If you have any questions, please email Jennifer Hadley, jthom at wesleyan.edu.
Noteworthy News
20th anniversary of the Granoff Music Center and Lilly Music Library
We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Granoff Music Center and Lilly Music Library at Tufts University in 2027! To kick off the celebration, there will be a special event on October 25 at 12 PM, “The “Making of” the Perry and Marty Granoff Music Center,” a behind-the-Scenes Special Colloquium starring Profs. Jane Bernstein, David Locke, Janet Schmalfeldt, and Jeffrey Summit, along with Jamshed Bharucha, former Tufts provost and senior vice president, and Larry Bacow, former President of Tufts and Harvard Universities (joining virtually). [Please note that Michael Rogan is unable to participate, but his name appears on the event description page as of 10/15/26] .
This and all events in the calendar are open to the public and we invite you to join us! A full events calendar is available on this page: https://as.tufts.edu/music/news-events/events/calendar and you can also watch the department homepage: https://as.tufts.edu/music/ for updates related to the 20th anniversary.
As part of the anniversary, Patrick Quinn and Anna Kijas are curating an exhibit and interactive timeline focused on highlights from the 20 years, including building and construction, faculty and staff scholarship and performances, and library-related history. Additional details will be shared when it is launched in late October.
Submitted by Anna E. Kijas, Assistant Director, Digital Scholarship & Lilly Music Library. Tisch Library | Tufts University
Sandi-Jo Malmon Retires
After 37 years of distinguished service to the Harvard Library, Sandi‑Jo Malmon, Librarian for Collection Development at the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, retired on September 30, 2026. Sandi‑Jo’s leadership shaped the Loeb Music Library’s holdings in deep and lasting ways. She guided major acquisitions of composer archives, rare scores, early editions, and unique research collections, ensuring that Harvard’s music resources remain among the most respected in the world.
Sandi‑Jo’s influence extended well beyond Harvard through her active engagement in the broader music library community. In addition to her many contributions to NEMLA, she received recognition from both IAML and MLA for her service and leadership. Most notably, she and Elizabeth Berndt‑Morris were honored with the Richard S. Hill Award, presented annually by MLA for the best article on music librarianship or music bibliography, and the Vladimir Fédorov Award, an annual prize given by IAML for the best article published in its official journal Fontes Artis Musicae, for their co‑authored study, “Surveying Composers: Methods of Distribution, Discoverability and Accessibility of their Works and the Corresponding Impact on Library Collections.”This award underscores her commitment to advancing the profession through thoughtful, data‑driven research.
Within Harvard, colleagues have long relied on her judgment, her attention to detail, and her ability to navigate complex collections and preservation challenges with confidence and care. She has strengthened intake workflows, improved documentation, and mentored staff across departments. Her legacy is woven into the fabric of the Music Library itself—a testament to her vision, dedication, and service. The Loeb Music Library misses Sandi-Jo already, and we wish her the best in this next chapter.
Submitted by Erin Conor, Richard F. French Librarian, Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard University
Sounding Spirit Digital Library Review
The Sounding Spirit Digital Library, for which Erin Fulton served as music bibliographer and associate editor, was reviewed very favorably in the recent Journal of the American Musicological Society (JAMS) . The citation is Sarah Eyerly, “Creating a Community-Engaged Archive of Sacred Vernacular Song: The Sounding Spirit Digital Library and Collaborative,” Journal of the American Musicological Society 79, no. 2 (August 2026): 470-480.
“In conclusion, Sounding Spirit is a landmark digital-humanities initiative whose impact on the musicological study of sacred song is likely to be both profound and enduring.” (p.480)
Submitted by Erin Fulton, Music Bibliographer, Sounding Spirit, Emory Center for Digital Scholarship [quote added by editor]
Lauren Posklensky Joins Berklee Library
The Berklee Library is excited to announce the addition of Lauren Posklensky as Part-Time After Hours Facilities Supervisor. Lauren holds a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from Simmons University, where she previously served as an Academic Technology Specialist. Lauren will be working at both the Stan Getz and Albert Alphin Libraries. With her experience in grassroots music archives, community-driven music, and education, we are thrilled to welcome her to Berklee!
Submitted by Jennifer Hunt, Associate Dean, Berklee Library
Wesleyan World Music Archives Media Installations and Digital Exhibit
Wesleyan’s World Music Archives & Music Library recently helped commemorate the 50th anniversary of Navaratri festivities on campus from October 8-11, 2026 with a physical exhibit curated by WMA graduate student assistant Garrett Groesbeck and an audio/visual media installation of archival concert recordings. These exhibits have been incorporated in ongoing digital exhibit in Wesleyans Digital Collections . While some archival materials were already digitally available prior to the 50th anniversary, numerous historically relevant objects were digitized in the lead up to the anniversary celebration. Some of these materials, as noted in the records, are not currently held by the Wesleyan University Library but collected and owned by members of the Wesleyan community.
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information
New England Quarter Notes is published quarterly in the fall, winter, spring, and summer.
Back issues may be accessed from:
http://nemla.musiclibraryassoc.org/resources/newsletters/
Address all correspondence concerning editorial matters to:
Jennifer Hadley
jthom at wesleyan.edu
Inquiries concerning subscription, membership and change of address should be directed to:
Hannah Ferello
hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu
Membership year runs July 1st to June 30th.
Regular Personal Membership:$12.00
Student and Retired Membership:$6.00
Institutional Membership$16.00
Return to the New England Music Library Association home page