Happy New Year! I hope this message finds you well, and that the winter storms of the last few weeks haven’t caused too much havoc. I haven’t snowshoed or skied to work yet, but it’s been tempting.
Mark your MLA schedule now: as is traditional, we’ll be meeting for a convivial, lively, even raucous Chapter dinner during the conference. We’ve made reservations at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant for Thursday, February 26th at 7:00. The restaurant is a short walk (~.3 mile) from the conference hotel; keep an eye on the message bulletin board at MLA for exact details of when and where to meet. So that we can give the restaurant an accurate head count, please RSVP by Wednesday, February 18th if you’re planning to attend.
Many New England librarians are presenting at MLA, including Sarah J. Adams, Elizabeth Berndt Morris, Remi Castonguay, Kristin Heider, Beth Iseminger, Francesca Livermore, Suzanne Lovejoy, Peter Munstedt, Chris Schiff, Liza Vick, and Marlene Wong. If you have the chance, I hope you’ll be able to attend their presentations. Best of luck to all of our presenters!
Whether or not you’re able to attend MLA, I hope to see you at our spring meeting, on Friday, March 20, 2015 at Smith College in Northampton, MA. Zoë Rath, the program committee (Anne Adams, Ilana Revkin, and Laura Stokes), and our site host Marlene Wong have put together a fantastic program; my thanks go to all of them, and to our presenters. I’m looking forward to a day spent learning more about analog audio preservation, the career of composer Eugenie Göring, and the intersections between library outreach and music-making, plus a bonus ukulele lesson! More information about the program and meeting logistics is posted below. If you have a bit more time to spend in Northampton and are dreaming of spring – and after 40(ish) inches of snow in a week, I’m more than ready for an end to winter – you may also want to pay a visit to the Botanic Garden of Smith College, where the highlight will be their annual spring bulb show.
During the spring business meeting, we’ll discuss and vote on proposed changes to the NEMLA bylaws to clarify officer responsibilities and correct a few minor details. The revisions are included again in this issue of the newsletter for your review; thanks to everyone who has already sent thoughtful commentary in response.
Finally, we have an accomplished slate of members running for election to Chapter offices. My thanks go to Jennifer Hunt and the Nominating Committee for recruiting our candidates, and to the members who’ve decided to run. Short bios of the candidates are included in this issue of the newsletter; look for a ballot in your email soon. If your membership has lapsed, remember to renew it in order to vote.
I’m looking forward to seeing many of you in the next few weeks, either at MLA or our spring Chapter meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Kerry Carwile Masteller, Chair
Reference and Digital Program Librarian
Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard University
Spring Election Ballot
At 9 a.m. on Friday, February 20th, 2015, members in good standing will receive an email message inviting them to participate in the election of two new members to the NEMLA board.
Candidates for Vice-Chair/Chair Elect:
Marci Cohen
Marci Cohen has been a reference librarian at Berklee College of Music since 2010. Her duties include reference, collection development, library instruction and student employee subversion. As a NEMLA member, she has served on the program committee (2009-2011) and education & outreach committee (2010-2012) and worked on the design and administration of volunteer/internship placement service survey (2011-2012). She presented on the Stooges at the Fall 2014 NEMLA meeting. She earned her B.S. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, her M.L.S. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her M.A. in music from Tufts University. Earlier in her career, she planned educational events for the Philadelphia Association of Paralegals and Northbrook (IL) Public Library staff.
Laura Stokes
Laura Stokes has been Performing Arts Librarian and head of the Orwig Music Library at Brown University since February 2012. She received a B.A. in music from Carleton College, a Masters of Science in Information from the University of Michigan, and an M.A. in musicology from Indiana University, and she is completing a Ph.D in musicology at Indiana University. Laura currently serves on NEMLA’s Program Committee and as an Assistant Editor for MLA’s journal Notes. Before arriving at Brown, Laura taught music history and research skills classes for the musicology department at Indiana University and worked for the Variations Project at the Cook Music Library at Indiana University. Prior to IU, she held positions at Northeastern University, the University of Michigan, and JSTOR.
Candidate for Secretary/Treasurer:
Sharon Saunders
Sharon Saunders is Associate College Librarian for Systems and Bibliographic Services at Bates College. She moved from a position as Music and Art Reference Librarian at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh into the Non-Book Catalog Librarian position at Bates in 1990. She has previously served NEMLA as the Cataloging Discussion Group Leader (1994-1995) and as Secretary/Treasurer (1995-1999). She was an organ major at Carnegie-Mellon and continues to play weekly church services and occasional recitals.
Spring Bulb Festival, Smith College
Spring Meeting 2015 at Smith College, Northampton, MA
NEMLA Spring Meeting
Smith College
Northampton, MA
Friday, March 20, 2015
Registration:
Advance registration is now open for the spring meeting of the New England chapter of the Music Library Association (NEMLA). The meeting will take place at Smith College, Northampton, MA, on Friday, March 20th, 2015. If you plan to join us, please complete and submit the registration form by Friday, March 13th, 2015. Please be advised that lunch options will be limited at this meeting. Please feel free to bring your own lunch, but there is also the option to purchase a catered lunch in advance.
If this is your first NEMLA meeting, please also be sure to apply for funding by Friday, March 13, 2015 from our NEMLA First Time Attendees Program. Please note that funding is regrettably not available for all first-time attendees, but we do strive to accommodate as many as we can on a first come, first served basis.
For program details, travel and lodging information, and speaker bios, please see the Upcoming Meetings section of the NEMLA website.
Noteworthy News
Rare sheet music digitalization project, Greer Music Library
The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation has awarded Connecticut College $14,000 to digitize a collection of rare sheet music from the 1800s through the early 1900s. Once preserved, the collection will be made fully accessible through open access, which will encourage multidisciplinary collaboration both at Connecticut College and at other colleges and universities. The project will provide access to a varied collection of sheet music that includes popular and art songs, Civil War-era songs, piano music, and much more. Digitization of this material invites the opportunity for research beyond the printed notes via the cover art and advertisements, and through the thematic material represented in the lyrics. We are most grateful to the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation for making this exciting project possible.
Submitted by Carolyn A. Johnson, Music Librarian, Greer Music Library, Connecticut College, New London, CT
Lecture demonstration at New England Conservatory, March 24
Maria Jane Loizou is preparing a lecture demonstration of “The Songs of the Paris Café ( 1848-1920)” for a Liberal Arts class at New England Conservatory on March 24, 2015. The mini-recital will feature songs from Les Chansonniers de Montmartre of Aristide Bruant, Chansons sans Gêne of Léon Xanrof (Fourneau), well as representative songs by the Paris-trained Puerto Rican composer F. P. Cortés, Georges Auric, and Erik Satie.
Submitted byMaria Jane Loizou, Collection Management Librarian, Spaulding Library, New England Conservatory, Boston, MA
Heather Reid
Heather Reid, is the new Dean for Library and Learning Resources, at Berklee College of Music.
Heather has held leadership positions in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors spanning educational publishing, content delivery, and rights management. For the past nine years, she served as Senior Director of Data Services for the Copyright Clearance Center in Danvers, MA. She is presently Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Information Standards Organization.
Heather was previously the Director of Database Services at EBSCO Publishing and also worked at Harvard University for several years in a variety of positions, including as Director of Information Technology, during which she oversaw planning, development, and support for Harvard’s library systems and worked with faculty and educational technology colleagues from across the university to develop tools and systems to support teaching and learning.
She received a Master of Arts in Library Science degree and a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in music (voice and composition) from Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Kristen Heider
Kristen Heider is the new Assistant Music Cataloger at Berklee College of Music. Most recently, she worked as the Music and Digital Resources Cataloging/Metadata Specialist at Southern Methodist University. She has a BA in Vocal/Bass Trombone Performance from Gustavus Adolphus College and a MLS from Indiana University with a specialization in music librarianship. When she isn’t cataloging, she keeps busy by knitting, singing, and acting — just not all at once. She is looking forward to co-presenting The Paraprofessional MLS: [Making the Best of] Hiring, Engaging, and Retaining Professionals in Paraprofessional Positions with Michelle Hahn and Sara Outhier at the upcoming MLA conference in Denver.
Alan Karass
Alan Karass has been appointed as NEC’s new Director of Libraries,
starting Monday, 2 February 2015. For the past 20 years, Alan has served as Head of the Music Library at the College of the Holy Cross, and as a lecturer in their Music Department since 2004. He was also the librarian for the college’s Rehm Library, the primary public space for the institution’s Center for Religion, Ethics, and Culture. He is an active member of Music Library Association (MLA), the New England Music Library Association (NEMLA), Boston-area Music Libraries (BAML), the American Library Association (ALA), and the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres (IAML).
Alan also has a performing background, actively playing as a clarinetist and saxophonist while an undergraduate at Clark University. He discovered a love for early music in graduate school, resulting in an MA in Historical Musicology from the University of Connecticut. He is a founding member of FloraMusica, a recorder and early music ensemble and past President of the American Recorder Society. Alan earned an MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons College (even having a class with our own Jean Morrow), and is just completing a PhD In Ethnomusicology, specializing in music from Tunisia.
Anna Kijas
Anna Kijas is the Senior Digital Scholarship Librarian at the Boston College Libraries. She received her master’s degrees in library and information science from Simmons College and in music from Tufts University. Her main areas of research include music criticism and reception studies of women musicians during the 19th through early 20th centuries. Kijas has presented and written about open access publishing, the application of digital tools in research, and has several forthcoming publications about Venezuelan pianist, Teresa Carreño, as well as a digital project, Documenting Teresa Carreño. She is currently the coordinator of the Music Library Association’s Digital Humanities Round Table, most recently served on the editorial board of DiRT, and as committee chair for the Walter Gerboth Award.
NEMLA Officers
Chair:
Kerry Carwile Masteller
Reference and Digital Program Librarian
Loeb Music Library Music Building,
North Yard Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 kmastell at fas.harvard dot edu
Phone: (617) 495-2794
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect:
Zoe Rath
Reference Librarian ILL Service
Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215 zrath at berklee dot edu
Phone: 617-747-8143
Past Chair:
Jennifer Hunt Library Director,
Albert Alphin Library
The Boston Conservatory
8 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02215 jhunt at bostonconservatory dot edu
Phone: (617) 912-9132
Fax: (857) 207-3132
Secretary-Treasurer:
Sarah Funke Donovan
Digital Project Archivist
Boston Symphony Orchestra
301 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115 sdonovan at bso dot org
Member-At-Large:
Christopher Schiff
Ladd Library Research Services
Bates College
2 Andrews Road
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: (207) 786-6274
Newsletter Editor:
Erica Charis
Outreach Librarian
Stan Getz Library B
erklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02115 echaris at berklee dot edu
Phone: (617) 747-8465
NEMLA Archivist:
Sofia Becerra-Licha
Archivist
Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02115 sbecerralicha at berklee dot edu
Phone: (617)747-8001
Web Page Editor:
Jennifer Olson
Technical Services
Librarian Archives Allen Library
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117 jolson at hartford dot edu
Phone: (860) 768-4625
Fax: (860) 768-5295
It was wonderful to see so many of you at our fall meeting in October. My thanks go to everyone at the Boston Public Library who helped make the day so enjoyable, especially NEMLA members Robert Cunningham and Charlotte Kolczynski, who shared some of the musical treasures of the Boston Public Library’s collections and led attendees on delightful tours of the library’s magnificent public spaces and gave us a peek behind the scenes. The program committee – chair Zoë Rath and members Anne Adams, Ilana Revkin, and Laura Stokes – put together a fantastic and varied program, and all of the presenters and panelists left me with more to think about and with ideas for my own library. Read on in this issue for a summary of the meeting and the presentations, from Member-At-Large Chris Schiff.
As announced at the meeting, Sarah Hunter has assumed the position of NEMLA’s web editor, taking over from Jennifer Olson. To help us document our meetings, Brendan Higgins has agreed to serve as videographer, and Erica Charis as photographer. Thank you to Jennifer for her many years of service to NEMLA and her tireless maintenance of our website, and to Sarah, Brendan, and Erica for their help.
If you’ve been looking for a way to become more active in NEMLA, this is your chance: nominations for Vice Chair/Chair Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor are now open, and will be accepted through January 26th. Read on for more information, and please consider nominating yourself or an interested colleague! We’re also looking for members who’d like to work on NEMLA’s Oral History project; if you’re interested, keep your ear out for an informational gathering at our spring meeting.
Our next chapter meeting will be held on Friday, March 20, 2014 at Smith College in Northampton, MA. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that our host, Marlene Wong, has an exciting program in the works: come prepared to listen, learn, and play! A meeting preview is found in this issue, and more details will be forthcoming in the new year. Those of you with a bit more time to spend in Northampton may want to plan for a visit to the Botanic Garden of Smith College; their spring bulb show will be occurring during our meeting: http://www.smith.edu/garden/Conservatory/mum-bulb-shows.html. This century-old tradition looks like just the thing to ward of late-winter doldrums!
The NEMLA Board has proposed some revisions of the Bylaws to clarify officer responsibilities and correct a few minor details. They are included in this issue for your review and will be sent out again before the spring meeting. During the business meeting we’ll discuss the revisions and vote on the changes.
We’ll be holding our traditional dinner gathering at MLA annual meeting in Denver. We’ll most likely meet on Thursday, February 26th; stay tuned for further details. I hope to see many of you in Denver and Northampton. Best wishes for a happy new year!
Respectfully submitted,
Kerry Carwile Masteller, Chair
Reference and Digital Program Librarian
Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard University
o Spring 2013 meeting: $827.00
o Autumn 2014 meeting : $1,389.97
● First Time Attendee Grants: $275.92
● Other expenditures (office supplies, postage, gifts, misc.): $69.81
Ending balance: $6,841.90
Our Spring meeting, held at Brown University on March 28, 2014, drew 47 attendees, including 2 students. There were 5 first-time registrants, 4 of whom applied for and received assistance from NEMLA’s First Time Attendee Travel Grant. The Fall meeting took place at the Boston Public Library on October 17, 2014 and was attended by 56 individuals, including 2 students. There were also 6 first-time attendees.
The Chapter’s expenditures since December 1, 2013 were as follows:
Debits Memo
$34.83 Nametag refills
$60.00 Musician Honorarium, Spring Meeting 2014
$275.92 First Time Attendee Grants (4), Spring Meeting 2014
$767.00 Catering, Spring Meeting 2014
$46.73 Eventbrite fees for online registration, Fall Meeting 2014
$1,318.24 Catering, Fall Meeting 2014
$19.98 Bank service charges (request for old statements)
$25.00 Cash float, Fall Meeting 2014
$15.00 Gift for retiring member
Total Debits: $2,562.70
News
If you experienced shorter lines at the registration desk this fall, you can thank Eventbrite, the online registration management tool, which we used to offer advanced payment for registration fees. Based on its success, we plan to use Eventbrite for future meeting registrations, as well.
NEMLA also received a $1,000 chapter grant from MLA to purchase equipment for the Oral History project that was started to commemorate the 50th anniversary of NEMLA. The equipment will enable NEMLA to expand the project into an ongoing documentation of the chapter’s history and membership.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to know your membership status, or if you have comments or suggestions on any other matter relating to the Chapter’s finances and records.
Best wishes,
Sarah Funke Donovan
Digital Project Archivist /
Part Time Library Assistant
Proposed By-Law Revisions
Music Library Association
New England Chapter Bylaws
Bylaws last amended October 6, 1979
Last revised March 28, 2014
Note: Proposed revisions in red (revisions formulated by the NEMLA Executive Board in Fall 2013). These changes will only be implemented if approved by a vote of the NEMLA membership following discussion at the Spring 2014 membership business meeting.
ARTICLE I. NAME
This organization shall be known as the New England Chapter of the Music Library Association.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Chapter shall be:
• To bring together for exchange of ideas and discussion of problems all persons in the region interested in music libraries and collections, and to stimulate professional activities among the members.
• To initiate and encourage studies aiming to improve the organization, administration, and contents of such libraries and collections.
• To endeavor to establish communication with libraries not affiliated with the Music Library Association to determine how the Chapter may be meaningful to the individual library.
• Outreach to public libraries and generalist librarians charged with music reference and collection development and music cataloging (detailed under Article VIII.A.)
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
• Membership in this Chapter shall be open to all members of the Music Library Association and persons and institutions interested in the activities and objectives of this chapter.
• Full membership is granted upon payment of annual dues to the Secretary/Treasurer.
• The membership year shall be from September 1 to August 31.
• Honorary membership will be extended to members who have received the Music Library Association Citation Award or have shown exceptional service at the chapter level.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
• There shall be a Chair who shall preside at all meetings, appoint committees (see Article VIII for exception), and perform the duties customary to this office. The term of office shall be one year, after which the Chair shall succeed to the office of Past-Chair.
• There shall be a Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect who shall be responsible for programs and perform the duties of the Chair in the latter’s absence. The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall also serve as an ex-officio member of the Education & Outreach Committee. The term of office shall be one year, after which the Vice-Chair shall succeed to the office of Chair.
• There shall be a Past-Chair who shall appoint and chair the Nominating Committee and perform other duties as necessary. The term of office shall be one year.
• There shall be a Secretary/Treasurer who shall record the minutes of all meetings and preserve all official records and reports of the Chapter; notify the members of all meetings at least two weeks in advance; keep an up-to-date membership list; conduct any correspondence of the Chapter as may be required; collect dues; make authorized expenditures; maintain Chapter accounts and report on status of these accounts at each board meeting; prepare an annual budget; and perform duties customary to this office. The term of office shall be two years.
• There shall be a Member-at-Large who shall act as liaison to relevant professional organizations in New England (such as the New England Library Association (NELA),the six state library associations, the New England chapter of ACRL (ACRL/NEC), and the New England chapter of the American Musicological Society) primarily to promote information exchange and outreach. The Member-at-Large shall also serve as Chair of the Education & Outreach Committee. The term of office shall be two years.
• The Board may appoint non-voting, special officers for a two year term of service renewable at the board’s discretion. Except when otherwise specified, special officers may serve no more than four consecutive years.
• A) All officers shall be members in good standing of the Chapter. B) The Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall be members of the national association.
• Terms of office shall commence immediately following the Spring meeting.
• No officer shall be eligible for more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
ARTICLE V. ELECTIONS
• Officers shall be elected by a plurality of the ballots cast. Ballots shall be distributed to members at least four weeks before the Spring business meeting. Ballots will be collected online and collated by the Secretary/Treasurer. A majority vote of the Executive Board shall break a tie.
• Should an elected or unelected office become vacant mid-term, the Chair, in combination with the Executive Board, will appoint a NEMLA member (preferably a current committee member or previous officer) to fill the position until the next election.
ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS
• There shall be a minimum of two meetings a year.
• There shall be a business meeting in the Spring of each year.
• Meetings shall be called by the Executive Board with at least two weeks’ notice.
• A quorum shall consist of a majority of members present at any meeting.
• The Executive Board shall determine appropriate honoraria for guest presenters at the meetings; NEMLA members do not receive honoraria for presenting.
ARTICLE VII. EXECUTIVE BOARD
There shall be an Executive Board consisting of the elected officers, the Past-Chair, the Archivist, and the Newsletter and Web site editors, and Web 2.0 Coordinator. Only the elected officers and Past-Chair are voting members of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES AND ROUNDTABLES ARTICLE VIII.A. COMMITTEES
• The Standing Committees shall be the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Instruction Committee, the Publications Committee, the Technical Services Committee, and the Education & Outreach Committee. Except when otherwise specified, committee chairs and members may serve no more than two consecutive terms. Service as a member does not preclude subsequent service as chair for two additional terms. Members may be reappointed after being off a committee for one year.
o A) Nominating Committee
• The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least three members, appointed and chaired by the Past-Chair, and shall present to the Executive Board a slate of candidates for office at least six weeks before the Spring business meeting.
• Members of this Committee may not serve for consecutive terms.
• All candidates for office shall be members in good standing of the Chapter and shall fulfill all other eligibility requirements as set forth in Article IV.
o B) The Program Committee shall be chaired by the Vice-Chair and shall plan the meetings of the chapter. The committee shall consist of three additional members who are appointed by the Chair on a rotating basis, each serving a two year (i.e., four-meeting) term. The composition of the committee must reflect the interests of both technical and public services for both public and academic library sectors.
o C) The Publications Committee shall be appointed by the Chair and shall oversee all publications activities, including the Chapter newsletter, directory, wiki,and Web sites.
o D) The Instruction Committee shall facilitate and promote the regional discussion of issues and standards related to information literacy in music librarianship, by:
• Serving as a networking tool to connect information literacy instructors, instruction designers, and instruction administrators at various institutions
• Hosting open discussions at NEMLA meetings, and assisting to enhance activities that touch upon information literacy issues which are provided by other NEMLA Committees.
• Assisting in the distribution of information, dissemination of guidelines, and sharing of individual resources (libguides, learning outcomes, webcasts, etc.) with/to interested institutions and individuals in New England, particularly to those individuals who are unable to attend national MLA meetings or are unaffiliated with NEMLA.
• Working with the NEMLA Program Committee to plan NEMLA sessions or programs.
o E) The Technical Services Committee shall facilitate and promote the regional discussion of issues and standards related to technical services in music librarianship, by:
• Serving as a conduit to connect those seeking technical services knowledge with appropriate local technical services experts.
• Hosting open discussions at NEMLA meetings, and assisting to enhance activities that touch upon technical services issues which are provided by other NEMLA Committees.
• Assisting in the dissemination of information and guidelines provided by the Music Library Association’s Bibliographic Control Committee to interested institutions and individuals in New England, particularly to those individuals who are unable to attend national MLA meetings or are unaffiliated with NEMLA.
• Working with the NEMLA Program Committee to plan NEMLA sessions or programs.
o F) The Education & Outreach Committee shall devise and coordinate activities related to professional and continuing education for music librarianship within the New England region, by:
• Working with the NEMLA Program Committee to plan NEMLA sessions or programs which generally deal with topics in greater depth or with a stronger emphasis on practicality than in the general sessions of the semi-annual meetings.
• Investigating, developing, and providing education initiatives to groups which fall outside of, but which are related to, NEMLA by presenting workshops on the basic precepts of music librarianship through the sponsorship of library schools or other regional library associations and councils. Target groups might include librarians and library staff working with music materials who are not members of NEMLA, and other groups not presently identified. The committee should determine how NEMLA’s mission can be promoted within the region through representation at regional library meetings (e.g. NELA, ACRL/NEC New England), career fairs (e.g. Simmons, Berklee College of Music), or state library association meetings in the regional meetings.
• Ensuring that NEMLA membership options are promoted at outreach events.
• The Education & Outreach Committee shall be chaired by the Member-at-Large. The Program Chair shall be ex-officio member of the committee. Additional committee members shall be appointed by the NEMLA Chair. Members should represent a broad spectrum of library professional staff from public, academic, and special libraries, from as many of the New England states as possible.
2. Other committees may be appointed by the Chair as deemed necessary.
ARTICLE VIII. B. ROUNDTABLES
• Definition: Roundtables are assemblies of members of the Chapter that convene at the Chapter’s semi-annual meetings to exchange ideas on topics not specifically addressed by the standing committees of the chapter. Each roundtable is led by a Coordinator appointed by the NEMLA Chair, in consultation with the Board. Coordinators shall be appointed for an initial term of two years, with the possibility of reappointment for no more than one succeeding term. Normally there are no other officers and no specified membership.
• Authorization: the NEMLA Chair may authorize the establishment of a roundtable for a term of four years after receiving letters of support from three members of the Chapter identifying a common area of concern. Renewal of the authorization for an additional four-year term requires two letters of support. The letters are due to the Chair by Aug. 31 of the year of expiration. Roundtable authorizations expire Dec. 31. A roundtable may be dissolved by the Chair if it appears that it no longer serves a need or that its work could be carried on more effectively by a committee of the Chapter. If a roundtable fails to have a minimum attendance of four participants for two consecutive years, that roundtable shall be retired.
• Activities: All roundtables hold two meetings a year convened by the Coordinator during the semi-annual meetings of the chapter. Roundtable meetings and other roundtable activities may be announced in the NEMLA newsletter and listed in the programs of the semi-annual meeting. Roundtables are encouraged to participate in developing programs for NEMLA meetings.
ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern this Chapter in all cases to which they are applicable.
ARTICLE X. DISSOLUTION
In the event of the dissolution of the Chapter the records of its activities and its assets, if any, shall become the property of the national organization of the Music Library Association.
ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENTS
These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote according to the following procedures and conditions:
• Proposed amendments shall be submitted to the Executive Board for consideration at least eight weeks before the meeting of the Chapter at which it is requested that the proposal be presented.
• Upon approval by the Executive Board texts of the proposed amendments shall be distributed to Chapter members at least four weeks before presentation for discussion at the meeting.
• Ballots and texts as revised at the meeting shall be distributed to Chapter members in a timely manner, generally in the next issue of the chapter newsletter. Ballots will be collected online and collated by the Secretary/Treasurer.
photo by Zoe Rath
Fall Meeting 2014
NEMLA Fall Meeting 2014
Boston Public Library
700 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
Meeting Minutes
Friday, October 17, 2014
The New England Music Library Association had its fall meeting on an almost perfect fall day, October 17th, at a legendary institution: the Boston Public Library.
Festivities started the evening before with a small group sharing dinner and a tour of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. The meeting proper got underway with chapter Chair Kerry Masteller’s tribute to our colleague Jean Morrow, who will soon retire from the New England Conservatory. Morrow’s many contributions to MLA, her publications on music librarianship, and her professorial career at Simmons College were all noted. Along with congratulatory flowers and a card, Morrow was given a lifetime chapter membership.
photo by Zoe Rath
Presentations began on a high note with Marci Cohen’s memorable and spirited talk on Iggy Pop and The Stooges. Cohen’s recent master’s thesis analyses The Stooges as a group whose recordings were revolutionary for their time but foundational for younger baby boomers. Although the group’s recording career started at the height of the rock era, The Stooges’ greatest influence was on the punks and garage bands formed by those born in the late ’50s and ’60s. Through her own interviews of Iggy Pop and research in other primary sources, Cohen effectively demonstrated the importance of The Stooges to bands that were either young boomers or old Gen Xers (“YBoxers” in her parlance).
Subsequent presentations were concerned with digital and archival concerns. Whetting our appetite for the MLA THATCamp post-conference (scheduled for March 1, 2015 in Denver), Anna Kijas of UConn, Kenny Whitebloom of the DPLA, and Harvard’s Marty Schreiner discussed what it takes to start a digital humanities program. The takeaways: planning is key, and the digital humanities are not solitary pursuits. Be prepared to negotiate and engage with faculty and colleagues both within and outside your institution.
The Berklee College of Music Archives is a case study in both physical and digital archival practice on a tight budget. Paul Engle and Sofia Becerra-Licha discussed how Berklee’s Archives utilized an NHPRC grant and has progressed from concept to production in two years. Of particular note are the oral histories and the Jazz in the Classroom Series (both posted in their virtual display) demonstrating that even a small institution can produce high-impact multimedia materials with open-source tools and workers not yet trained in archival practice.
photo by Jennifer Hunt
The final presentation of the day returned attendees to the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. Bridget Carr and Sarah Funke Donovan demonstrated how the BSO Programs archive has evolved from weighty, intricately indexed bound volumes to an online system “Henry” that instantly satisfies the queries of scholars, concert attendees, and genealogists alike. The archive allows users to cross search composers, conductors, soloists, specific pieces, dates and venues. All in all, a remarkable example of user centered design.
The day ended with eye-popping tours in the music area of the Boston Public Library. NEMLA members were treated to everything from the magnificent Sargent Murals to the Walter Piston room (including an odd group of instruments that none of those present recalled form his orchestration book) to a behind the scenes tour of the closed stacks and gift ‘triage’ area. It is impossible to convey in words how overwhelming this excursion was. If you have you the opportunity for a tour of the BPL in the future, don’t miss it!
Respectfully submitted,
Christopher Schiff
Member-at-Large
Spring Meeting 2015 Preview
NEMLA Spring Meeting Preview
Smith College
Northampton, MA
Friday, March 20, 2015
Mark your calendars! The Spring 2015 NEMLA meeting will be held on Friday, March 20th at Smith College, Northampton, MA.
Smith College was founded at a time (1875) when there were practically no choices for women who wanted an education equal to that available to men. The idea of such a college was a radical notion in 1871, but its success has been dramatic and undeniable. And for more than 130 years, Smith has stayed true to its mission of providing women with the best education available in the liberal arts and sciences. Today, Smith is among the largest women’s colleges in the United States, with students from every state and 60 countries. An independent, nondenominational college, Smith remains strongly committed to the education of women at the undergraduate level, but admits both men and women as graduate students.
Spring preview:
For those who attended our Fall meeting you might remember I mentioned that the Spring meeting would feature a ukulele theme and special guests? I am excited to share with you a little about these guests which include Jim Beloff (ukulele writer/musician/publisher), Phyllis Webb (Magic Fluke Company (ukulele builder)), Stuart Fuchs (ukulele artist and master teacher) and our own Rob Bethel on cello.
Brief biographies:
Jim Beloff — Finding a ukulele at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market in 1992 inspired Liz & Jim Beloff to start Flea Market Music, Inc., publisher of the popular Jumpin’ Jim’s series of ukulele songbooks, including The Daily Ukulele, and The Daily Ukulele Leap Year Edition. He is also an active songwriter who has written songs and recorded with ukulele legends, Herb Ohta (Ohta-San) and Lyle Ritz. Jim is the author of The Ukulele—A Visual History (1997 Backbeat Books), producer of Legends of Ukulele, a CD compilation for Rhino Records, and has made three how-to-play DVDs for Homespun Tapes, The Joy of Uke #1and #2 and Jumpin’ Jim’s Ukulele Workshop. He has just released a two CD set of all new recordings of 33 songs, Dreams I Left in Pockets.
Phyllis Webb with her husband Dale Webb founded the Magic Fluke Co. at a time when very few affordable ukuleles were available, Dale, an engineer, designed a prototype which was exhibited at NAMM and the rest is history. The concert Fluke started shipping ukuleles in June of 1999 with three color options. Over the years, they have added dozens of new colors and designs. To date, they have built and shipped over 55,000 USA-made Flea, Fluke, and Firefly ukulele instruments. After eight years manufacturing in an old renovated gas station in New Hartford they moved in 2011 to a larger solar powered facility here in Sheffield Massachusetts, where they enjoy lively music and the arts vibe of the Berkshires and welcome visitors to their store and factory.
Stuart Fuchs is a renowned performer and teaching artist and had been called “a modern day pied piper”. His friendly, easy going and humorous stage presence and expertise on Guitar, Ukulele and Didjeridoo make his concerts a unique blend of virtuosity, heart, soul, and humor. He performs and teaches at Ukulele festivals across the USA and has earned an endorsement from Kala Ukuleles. As a guitarist, Stuart has performed internationally and appeared on radio & television. He has arranged and performed the music of jazz guitar legend Django Reinhardt for symphonic orchestras with his award winning acoustic gypsy jazz band “Babik”. Stuart was recently awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to continue his work as a musician bringing healing music to cancer patients, their families and hospital staff.
Many of you know Rob Bethel for his work at Yesterday Sheet Music but you may be less familiar with his work as a cellist?
Rob Bethel — Since receiving a Bachelor of Music in cello performance from Ohio State University in 1986, Robert Bethel has led an active and varied musical life, studying privately with William Conable, David Darling, Einar Holm, and in master classes with Margaret Rowell, Carter Brey, Mick Carrera, Myles Jordan, and David Clampitt. After returning to the Boston area, he has performed with the Lexington Sinfonietta and many other area orchestras. Recent recordings have included Forrest Larson’s Solitary Motion for solo cello and Jobe’s Riverrun for string quartet.
A big thanks to Marlene Wong (Head of Werner Josten Library, Smith) who has worked hard on organizing these morning sessions which are sure to be memorable.
The afternoon sessions promise to be equally engaging but more on this in our February newsletter, so stay tuned!
The Program Committee for the meeting includes Ilana Revkin, Laura Stokes and Anne Adams.
We all look forward to seeing you there!
Zoë Rath, Program Committee Chair
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, NEMLA
Stan Getz Library, Berklee College of Music
Call for Nominations
Serving as a NEMLA officer is a rewarding opportunity to serve your chapter, work with colleagues, and contribute to music librarianship, libraries and collections in New England. Currently, nominations are being sought for the following positions, with elections to be held in February:
*Vice Chair/Chair Elect (3-year term)
*Secretary/Treasurer (2-year term)
*Newsletter Editor (2-year term) (This is an appointed, rather than elected position.)
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect:
• Performs the duties of the Chair in the latter’s absence.
• Serves as Chair of the Program Committee.
• Also serves as an ex-officio member of the Education & Outreach Committee.
• The term of office shall be one year after which the Vice-Chair shall succeed to the office of Chair and then Past-Chair, meaning a commitment of three years.
Secretary/Treasurer:
• Maintains membership information.
• Handles the organization’s finances.
• Organizes registration for the semi-annual meetings.
• Serves as a board member and takes minutes for the board meetings.
• Serves on the Membership Committee.
• The term of office shall be two years.
Newsletter Editor:
• Publishes four newsletters each year.
• Serves as an ex-officio member of the Publications Committee.
• Maintains and post to social media sites, including NEMLA’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
• Works with the Web Editor and other Board members to update NEMLA’s website.
• The editor should have access to word processing software. Experience with WordPress and basic HTML code would be helpful to the future incumbent, but not essential.
Members must be in good standing and current with their dues. Nominations are welcome through January 16, 2015.
If you would like to nominate a colleague for one of these positions (self-nominations are welcome) or if you have any questions, please contact the Nominating Committee members:
Chair:
Kerry Carwile Masteller
Reference and Digital Program Librarian
Loeb Music Library Music Building,
North Yard Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 kmastell at fas.harvard dot edu
Phone: (617) 495-2794
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect:
Zoe Rath
Reference Librarian ILL Service
Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215 zrath at berklee dot edu
Phone: 617-747-8143
Past Chair:
Jennifer Hunt Library Director,
Albert Alphin Library
The Boston Conservatory
8 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02215 jhunt at bostonconservatory dot edu
Phone: (617) 912-9132
Fax: (857) 207-3132
Secretary-Treasurer:
Sarah Funke Donovan
Digital Project Archivist
Boston Symphony Orchestra
301 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115 sdonovan at bso dot org
Member-At-Large:
Christopher Schiff
Ladd Library Research Services
Bates College
2 Andrews Road
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: (207) 786-6274
Newsletter Editor:
Erica Charis
Outreach Librarian
Stan Getz Library B
erklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02115 echaris at berklee dot edu
Phone: (617) 747-8465
NEMLA Archivist:
Sofia Becerra-Licha
Archivist
Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02115 sbecerralicha at berklee dot edu
Phone: (617)747-8001
Web Page Editor:
Jennifer Olson
Technical Services
Librarian Archives Allen Library
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117 jolson at hartford dot edu
Phone: (860) 768-4625
Fax: (860) 768-5295
While I no longer mark September with the ceremonious acquisition of a new box of crayons, I can’t deny that I’m still excited by the beginning of each new school year. I hope that you, too, feel ready to greet the fall, whether you’re teaching research methods to new students, replacing summer reading displays with back-to-school exhibits, or resuming your own studies.
Our fall meeting at the Boston Public Library is coming up on Friday, October 17, 2014. Zoe Rath, our Program Chair, and the rest of the Program Committee have organized a wonderful day of presentations and panels, on topics ranging from rock history, to evolving roles in librarianship, to the organization and digitization of archival collections (see below for the complete program). We’ll have time for committee meetings, as well as a chance to tour the BPL’s magnificent central library. And for those of you in town Thursday evening, don’t miss a chance to tour the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives, followed by dinner with your NEMLA colleagues!
If you’re considering attending a NEMLA meeting for the first time, don’t forget that meeting registration is waived for first-time attendees, and that the chapter has grant funding available for first-time attendees, to cover lunch and travel expenses. If you know interested librarians, library staff, or students, I hope you’ll encourage them to apply for the grant and join us. On another subject, NEMLA needs you! We are searching for volunteers to fill a number of positions, including web editor, media specialist/photographer, and videographer. We’re also looking for members interested in being part of our oral history committee. These are all wonderful ways to be more involved in the chapter and to support the mission and future of music librarianship. Please do consider volunteering: NEMLA depends on our knowledge and skills. If you’re interested in one of these positions, or have questions, please contact Jennifer Hunt, at 617-912-9132 or jhunt at bostonconservatory dot edu.
I look forward to seeing you in Boston next month.
Respectfully submitted,
Kerry Carwile Masteller, Chair
Reference and Digital Program Librarian
Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard University
Secretary/Treasurer’s Report
Thank you to all those NEMLA members who have renewed their membership for the upcoming year. Your continued support of NEMLA is very much appreciated and ensures the chapter’s continued success!
Welcome also to any new members who have recently joined us. We hope you enjoy your first year with NEMLA and look forward to meeting you either virtually via Twitter, Facebook, or our Google Group mailing list; or in person at one of our upcoming meetings. NEMLA’s membership year runs from September 1st through August 31st. If you have not yet renewed, please provide your renewal details via the online membership form. Dues can be paid by check or PayPal on the main membership page.
Registration for the upcoming fall meeting in Boston, MA on Friday, October 17th is also now available online. Please register by October 10th to ensure your place. As with previous meetings, we will also be accepting onsite registrations. However, advanced registration is very much encouraged as this not only guarantees you a name tag for the meeting, but also helps us to ensure adequate refreshments are provided on the day. Also, please note that meeting fees have been increased slightly this year, but registering/paying in advance offers a slight discount from onsite payment. If you wish to pay onsite, however, we will be accepting all major credit / debit cards, checks, and cash.
If this is your first NEMLA meeting, in addition to registering, please be sure to apply for funding from our NEMLA First Time Attendees Program by October 10th, 2014. Please note that funding is regrettably not available for all first-time attendees, but we do strive to accommodate as many as we can on a first come, first served basis.
Best wishes for the new semester. See you in Boston!
Sarah Funke Donovan
Digital Project Archivist /
Part Time Library Assistant
photo by drocpsu
Fall Meeting Registration
Our Fall 2014 meeting will take place at the Boston Public Library, Boston, MA, on Friday, October 17th, 2014.
Please register by Friday, October 10th. If you are attending a NEMLA meeting for the first time, we would like to welcome you by waiving the registration fee. However, please be sure to register by clicking on the link above. This ensures that we may prepare a nametag for you and arrange for adequate refreshments. Also, if this will be your first time at a NEMLA meeting, please see our information about the First Time Attendees Program and apply by Friday, October 10th, 2014. Please note that funding is regrettably not available for all first-time attendees, but we do strive to accommodate as many as we can on a first come, first served basis.
For more information about the program, travel and accommodations, and dining and parking options, please visit the NEMLA website.
Seeking Nominations
NEMLA needs you! Serving in a NEMLA position is a rewarding opportunity to serve your chapter, work with your colleagues, and contribute to music librarianship, libraries and collections in New England. Currently, nominations are being sought for the following NEMLA positions:
Web Editor
Maintain NEMLA website
Maintain NEMLA Google group
Maintain NEMLA Board Google group
Serves as an ex officio member on the NEMLA Board
Media Specialist/photographer
Photograph/document NEMLA meetings
Work with website editor, newsletter editor, NEMLA board, and programming committee to update website as needed
Videographer Videotape meetings; edit and post video to wiki
Work with website editor, newsletter editor, NEMLA board, and programming committee to update website as needed
If you are interested in one of these positions, or if you have any questions, please contact me, Jennifer Hunt, at 617-912-9132 or jhunt at bostonconservatory dot edu. Nominations will be accepted through August 31.
NEMLA Officers
Chair:
Kerry Carwile Masteller
Reference and Digital Program Librarian
Loeb Music Library Music Building,
North Yard Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 kmastell at fas.harvard dot edu
Phone: (617) 495-2794
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect:
Zoe Rath
Reference Librarian ILL Service
Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215 zrath at berklee dot edu
Phone: 617-747-8143
Past Chair:
Jennifer Hunt Library Director,
Albert Alphin Library
The Boston Conservatory
8 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02215 jhunt at bostonconservatory dot edu
Phone: (617) 912-9132
Fax: (857) 207-3132
Secretary-Treasurer:
Sarah Funke Donovan
Digital Project Archivist
Boston Symphony Orchestra
301 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115 sdonovan at bso dot org
Member-At-Large:
Christopher Schiff
Ladd Library Research Services
Bates College
2 Andrews Road
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: (207) 786-6274
Newsletter Editor:
Erica Charis
Outreach Librarian
Stan Getz Library B
erklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02115 echaris at berklee dot edu
Phone: (617) 747-8465
NEMLA Archivist:
Sofia Becerra-Licha
Archivist
Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02115 sbecerralicha at berklee dot edu
Phone: (617)747-8001
Web Page Editor:
Jennifer Olson
Technical Services
Librarian Archives Allen Library
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117 jolson at hartford dot edu
Phone: (860) 768-4625
Fax: (860) 768-5295
It is a pleasure to write my first newsletter column as the chair of NEMLA, and I have a lot of chapter news to share! I’d like to begin by thanking our outgoing Past Chair, Anna Kijas, for her many contributions to NEMLA during her time on the Board, and Jennifer Hunt, current Past Chair, for her able leadership during our 50th anniversary year. Many thanks are also due to Maria-Jane Loizou, Interim Member-at-Large, who took over the position from Sam Cook, and who has provided an excellent report on our spring meeting later in this issue. Our newly-elected officers are Zoe Rath, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, and Chris Schiff, Member-at-Large. Thanks and congratulations to all!
I’m sure everyone who attended our spring meeting at Brown University will join in my enthusiastic applause for all of our hosts at Brown, as well as our presenters and the members of the Program Committee: Laura Stokes, Maria Jane Loizou, and Ilana Revkin. Ned Quist’s band White Squall gave us a rollicking set to end the day, and it was perfectly timed, too: the first raindrops started to fall just as I left the reception.
We are very excited to debut our new website! The move to WordPress gives us more flexibility and better security; our web editor Jennifer Olson, with the help of Remi Castonguay, has been hard at work transferring content to the new platform. The site is still a work in progress, so look for more photos, news, and NEMLA information to be added in the days and weeks to come. We welcome your suggestions and feedback! Jennifer is stepping down as Web Editor after years of able service; I think the new website is a fitting legacy, and offer my thanks for everything she has done to make the transition smooth.
At its meeting in mid-July, the NEMLA Board discussed a number of chapter goals for the coming year:
First, we plan to convene an oral history committee to continue and expand the oral history project begun by Anna Kijas; we applied for and received a chapter grant from MLA to support our efforts. Our hope is that our oral histories will include a diverse sample of music and performing arts librarians: allowing us to document the history of the organization, our current membership, the variety of user communities we support, and our visions for the future of music librarianship. If you are interested in the project and would like to be part of the committee (or one of its interview subjects), please let Jennifer Hunt (jhunt at bostonconservatory dot edu) know.
MLA has asked all chapters to help achieve the following strategic goal: Goal statement: Membership in MLA is valued by and beneficial to a broad range of organizations and individuals, and membership reflects the broad diversity of musics and populations we serve. Objective 1: Increase outreach efforts to members from underrepresented groups. Action: MLA establishes active outreach programs to library school programs, museums, performance librarians (not just orchestral), Schools and Departments of Music in universities, colleges, and community colleges.
At our spring business meeting, members brainstormed ways for NEMLA to contribute; a summary of their suggestions is posted online. The Board discussed these ideas, and agreed that we would begin by contacting organizations like MLA, the Music Library Students Group (MLSG), and ALA’s Office for Diversity to get further advice and best practices for long-term outreach. However, we will also begin by advertising our fall meeting more widely, encouraging presentations from public librarians about their programs and services, and piloting an initiative to pair first-time attendees with seasoned NEMLA members willing to serve as guides for the day, based on MLA’s First Time Conference Mentoring Program. Our efforts are still very new, and I invite you to look over the suggestions and provide feedback, as well.
Finally, we reviewed the roles of the Web Editor, Newsletter Editor, and Web 2.0 Coordinator. We decided that as the person responsible for most of our official communications, the Newsletter Editor should also take over responsibility for NEMLA’s social media accounts. Members of the Board have maintained our Twitter and Facebook accounts on a rotating schedule, but transferring control to one person will allow us to develop a more consistent voice. We’ve also split the duties of videography and meeting photography into multiple positions. Web developers and shutterbugs, this is your chance! Look for a call for volunteers later in the newsletter.
I’m looking forward to our fall meeting at the Boston Public Library on Friday, October 17th, 2014, and hope you are, too. Read on for more details about the meeting, and remember, it’s not too late to submit a presentation or program proposal!
I am looking forward to serving as NEMLA’s chair for the next year, and welcome your thoughts and suggestions for the chapter.
Respectfully submitted,
Kerry Carwile Masteller, Chair
Reference and Digital Program Librarian
Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard University
Updated NEMLA Bylaws
NEMLA, Spring 2014
Approved Bylaws Revisions
Music Library Association
New England Chapter Bylaws
Bylaws last amended October 6, 1979
Last revised March 28, 2014
Note: These revisions were formulated at the NEMLA Executive Board meeting in July 2013. They were discussed, voted on, and approved by the NEMLA membership following the spring 2014 membership business meeting (for the text highlighting revisions see the December 2013 issue of Quarter Notes). We reproduce here in full the new bylaws text with changes incorporated.
ARTICLE I. NAME
This organization shall be known as the New England Chapter of the Music Library Association.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Chapter shall be:
To bring together for exchange of ideas and discussion of problems all persons in the region interested in music libraries and collections, and to stimulate professional activities among the members.
To initiate and encourage studies aiming to improve the organization, administration, and contents of such libraries and collections.
To endeavor to establish communication with libraries not affiliated with the Music Library Association to determine how the Chapter may be meaningful to the individual library.
Outreach to public libraries and generalist librarians charged with music reference and collection development and music cataloging (detailed under Article VIII.A.)
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Membership in this Chapter shall be open to all members of the Music Library Association and persons and institutions interested in the activities and objectives of this chapter.
Full membership is granted upon payment of annual dues to the Secretary/Treasurer.
The membership year shall be from September 1 to August 31.
Honorary membership will be extended to members who have received the Music Library Association Citation Award or have shown exceptional service at the chapter level.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
There shall be a Chair who shall preside at all meetings, appoint committees (see Article VIII for exception), and perform the duties customary to this office. The term of office shall be one year, after which the Chair shall succeed to the office of Past-Chair.
There shall be a Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect who shall be responsible for programs and perform the duties of the Chair in the latter’s absence. The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall also serve as an ex-officio member of the Education & Outreach Committee. The term of office shall be one year, after which the Vice-Chair shall succeed to the office of Chair.
There shall be a Past-Chair who shall appoint and chair the Nominating Committee and perform other duties as necessary. The term of office shall be one year.
There shall be a Secretary/Treasurer who shall record the minutes of all meetings and preserve all official records and reports of the Chapter; notify the members of all meetings at least two weeks in advance; keep an up-to-date membership list; conduct any correspondence of the Chapter as may be required; collect dues; make authorized expenditures; maintain Chapter accounts and report on status of these accounts at each board meeting; prepare an annual budget; and perform duties customary to this office. The term of office shall be two years.
There shall be a Member-at-Large who shall act as liaison to relevant professional organizations in New England (such as the New England Library Association (NELA),the six state library associations, the New England chapter of ACRL (ACRL/NEC), and the New England chapter of the American Musicological Society) primarily to promote information exchange and outreach. The Member-at-Large shall also serve as Chair of the Education & Outreach Committee. The term of office shall be two years.
The Board may appoint non-voting, special officers for a two year term of service renewable at the board’s discretion. Except when otherwise specified, special officers may serve no more than four consecutive years.
A) All officers shall be members in good standing of the Chapter. B) The Chair and Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall be members of the national association.
Terms of office shall commence immediately following the Spring meeting.
No officer shall be eligible for more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
ARTICLE V. ELECTIONS
Officers shall be elected by a plurality of the ballots cast. Ballots shall be distributed to members at least four weeks before the Spring business meeting. Ballots will be collected online and collated by the Secretary/Treasurer. A majority vote of the Executive Board shall break a tie.
Should an elected office become vacant mid-term, the Chair, in combination with the Executive Board, will appoint a NEMLA member (preferably a previous officer) to fill the position until the next election.
ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS
There shall be a minimum of two meetings a year.
There shall be a business meeting in the Spring of each year.
Meetings shall be called by the Executive Board with at least two weeks’ notice.
A quorum shall consist of a majority of members present at any meeting.
The Executive Board shall determine appropriate honoraria for guest presenters at the meetings; NEMLA members do not receive honoraria for presenting.
ARTICLE VII. EXECUTIVE BOARD
There shall be an Executive Board consisting of the elected officers, the Past-Chair, the Newsletter and Web site editors, and Web 2.0 coordinator. Only the elected officers and Past-Chair are voting members of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES AND ROUNDTABLES
ARTICLE VIII.A. COMMITTEES
The Standing Committees shall be the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Instruction Committee, the Publications Committee, the Technical Services Committee, and the Education & Outreach Committee. Except when otherwise specified, committee chairs and members may serve no more than two consecutive terms. Service as a member does not preclude subsequent service as chair for two additional terms. Members may be reappointed after being off a committee for one year.
A) Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least three members, appointed and chaired by the Past-Chair, and shall present to the Executive Board a slate of candidates for office at least six weeks before the Spring business meeting.
Members of this Committee may not serve for consecutive terms.
All candidates for office shall be members in good standing of the Chapter and shall fulfill all other eligibility requirements as set forth in Article IV.
B) The Program Committee shall be chaired by the Vice-Chair and shall plan the meetings of the chapter. The committee shall consist of three additional members who are appointed by the Chair on a rotating basis, each serving a two year (i.e., four-meeting) term. The composition of the committee must reflect the interests of both technical and public services for both public and academic library sectors.
C) The Publications Committee shall be appointed by the Chair and shall oversee all publications activities, including the Chapter newsletter, directory, wiki, and Web site.
D) The Instruction Committee shall facilitate and promote the regional discussion of issues and standards related to information literacy in music librarianship, by:
Serving as a networking tool to connect information literacy instructors, instruction designers, and instruction administrators at various institutions
Hosting open discussions at NEMLA meetings, and assisting to enhance activities that touch upon information literacy issues which are provided by other NEMLA Committees.
Assisting in the distribution of information, dissemination of guidelines, and sharing of individual resources (libguides, learning outcomes, webcasts, etc.) with/to interested institutions and individuals in New England, particularly to those individuals who are unable to attend national MLA meetings or are unaffiliated with NEMLA.
Working with the NEMLA Program Committee to plan NEMLA sessions or programs.
E) The Technical Services Committee shall facilitate and promote the regional discussion of issues and standards related to technical services in music librarianship, by:
Serving as a conduit to connect those seeking technical services knowledge with appropriate local technical services experts.
Hosting open discussions at NEMLA meetings, and assisting to enhance activities that touch upon technical services issues which are provided by other NEMLA Committees.
Assisting in the dissemination of information and guidelines provided by the Music Library Association’s Bibliographic Control Committee to interested institutions and individuals in New England, particularly to those individuals who are unable to attend national MLA meetings or are unaffiliated with NEMLA.
Working with the NEMLA Program Committee to plan NEMLA sessions or programs.
F) The Education & Outreach Committee shall devise and coordinate activities related to professional and continuing education for music librarianship within the New England region, by:
Working with the NEMLA Program Committee to plan NEMLA sessions or programs which generally deal with topics in greater depth or with a stronger emphasis on practicality than in the general sessions of the semi-annual meetings.
Investigating, developing, and providing education initiatives to groups which fall outside of, but which are related to, NEMLA by presenting workshops on the basic precepts of music librarianship through the sponsorship of library schools or other regional library associations and councils. Target groups might include librarians and library staff working with music materials who are not members of NEMLA, and other groups not presently identified. The committee should determine how NEMLA’s mission can be promoted within the region through representation at regional library meetings (e.g. NELA, ACRL/NEC New England), career fairs (e.g. Simmons, Berklee College of Music), or state library association meetings in the regional meetings.
Ensuring that NEMLA membership options are promoted at outreach events.
The Education & Outreach Committee shall be chaired by the Member-at-Large. The Program Chair shall be ex-officio member of the committee. Additional committee members shall be appointed by the NEMLA Chair. Members should represent a broad spectrum of library professional staff from public, academic, and special libraries, from as many of the New England states as possible.
2. Other committees may be appointed by the Chair as deemed necessary.
ARTICLE VIII.B. ROUNDTABLES
Definition: Roundtables are assemblies of members of the Chapter that convene at the Chapter’s semi-annual meetings to exchange ideas on topics not specifically addressed by the standing committees of the chapter. Each roundtable is led by a Coordinator appointed by the NEMLA Chair, in consultation with the Board. Coordinators shall be appointed for an initial term of two years, with the possibility of reappointment for no more than one succeeding term. Normally there are no other officers and no specified membership.
Authorization: the NEMLA Chair may authorize the establishment of a roundtable for a term of four years after receiving letters of support from three members of the Chapter identifying a common area of concern. Renewal of the authorization for an additional four-year term requires two letters of support. The letters are due to the Chair by Aug. 31 of the year of expiration. Roundtable authorizations expire Dec. 31. A roundtable may be dissolved by the Chair if it appears that it no longer serves a need or that its work could be carried on more effectively by a committee of the Chapter. If a roundtable fails to have a minimum attendance of four participants for two consecutive years, that roundtable shall be retired.
Activities: All roundtables hold two meetings a year convened by the Coordinator during the semi-annual meetings of the chapter. Roundtable meetings and other roundtable activities may be announced in the NEMLA newsletter and listed in the programs of the semi-annual meeting. Roundtables are encouraged to participate in developing programs for NEMLA meetings.
ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern this Chapter in all cases to which they are applicable.
ARTICLE X. DISSOLUTION
In the event of the dissolution of the Chapter the records of its activities and its assets, if any, shall become the property of the national organization of the Music Library Association.
ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENTS
These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote according to the following procedures and conditions:
Proposed amendments shall be submitted to the Executive Board for consideration at least eight weeks before the meeting of the Chapter at which it is requested that the proposal be presented.
Upon approval by the Executive Board texts of the proposed amendments shall be distributed to Chapter members at least four weeks before presentation for discussion at the meeting.
Ballots and texts as revised at the meeting shall be distributed to Chapter members in a timely manner, generally in the next issue of the chapter newsletter. Ballots will be collected online and collated by the Secretary/Treasurer.
Photo by Zoe Rath
Spring Meeting Minutes
The spring meeting of the New England Music Library Association (NEMLA) was held on Friday, March 28 at the Center for Digital Scholarship, Rockefeller Library, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. The state-of-the-art space was filled to capacity with current and new NEMLA members. Jennifer Hunt opened the meeting by thanking Laura Stokes, Performing Arts Librarian at Brown University, NEMLA Program committee members and the many staff members from Brown for organizing the meeting. Following this, Jennifer turned the meeting over to Kerry Masteller. Kerry introduced Laura Stokes, who gave a warm welcome to participants and gave particulars about logistics. Ned Quist, Associate University Librarian for Research and Outreach Services and current member of NEMLA gave the opening remarks. He spoke to the current renovations and mission changes at Brown, noting that the “library is the intellectual hub of the University. We have changed from being a warehouse for books to a place where things are happening.”
After the greetings and announcements, Kerry introduced Jean Bauer, Digital Humanities Librarian, Brown University and Elli Mylonas, Senior Digital Humanities Librarian, Brown University to talk about OMEKA: Online Exhibits for Music Librarians. The Center for Digital Scholarship was an ideal space to accompany their talk, featuring 12 screens, 1 digital switcher, and over 12 HDMI plates. OMEKA is a content management system which allows the user to create an OMEKA site. These sites can integrate video and audio files, pdfs and urls, and are especially useful for small organizations without digital staff. After the morning session, library tours of the Orwig Music Library were offered by the music library staff, followed by lunch (off-site).
photo by Zoe Rath
The spring meeting resumed after lunch with a short business meeting. Changes in the By-Laws were read through and accepted. Four new members attended. The results of the last election were announced. Chris Schiff is the new Member-at-Large, and Zoe Rath is the new Vice-Chair. We will need a new Web 2.0 coordinator, to replace Zoe. Erica Charis continues as the Newsletter Editor, as does Sarah Funke Donovan, Secretary-Treasurer, Sofia Becerra-Licha, Archivist, and Jennifer Olson, Webmaster. There are openings in the following committees: Nominating, Technical Services, Publications, Education and Outreach, and Program. There is also a possibility of forming an Oral History Committee. Sarah gave the Secretary-Treasurer’s Report. We have a surplus largely because of the unexpected generosity of the Boston Athenaeum, the host of our Fall 2013 meeting. We have 73 members in good standing. NEMLA has been asked by MLA to help with the MLA Strategic Plan as a chapter. In particular, they would like to increase membership from under-represented groups by establishing outreach programs to public libraries, museums, performance librarians, undergraduate and graduate musicology and library science students. Sofia made an announcement that the NEMLA archives are looking for a new home. They are approximately 15 linear feet. At the conclusion of the business meeting, the gavel passed from Jennifer Hunt to Kerry Masteller.
The afternoon session featured two fascinating presentations. Remi Castonguay, Public Services Project Librarian, Gilmore Music Library, Yale University and Francesca Livermore, Arts-Area Digital Librarian, Haas Family Arts Library, Yale University spoke on Preserving Unique Films in the Benny Goodman Collection, and Alec McLane, Music Librarian and Director of the World Music Archives, Wesleyan University spoke on The Music Never Stopped: The Grateful Dead at Wesleyan. More information, presentation content and video recordings of the presentations can be found on the new NEMLA website’s Virtual Archive page. Following the final presentation, a closing reception was given at the Ann Marie Brown Mausoleum with splendid music provided by White Squall, featuring our own Ned Quist, his wife Alice Pace and fiddler Andy Grover.
Respectfully submitted,
Maria Jane Loizou
Collection Management and Resource Sharing Librarian
New England Conservatory of Music
Past Member-at-Large, NEMLA
photo by Zoe Rath
Fall Meeting Preview
photo by Zoe Rath
Boston Public Library
Boston, MA Friday, October 17th, 2014
Save the date—the fall 2014 NEMLA meeting will be held on Friday, October 17th at the Boston Public Library, Boston, Ma, in the Commonwealth Salon of the main library branch.
Established in 1848, by an act of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts, the Boston Public Library (BPL) was the first large free municipal library in the United States. Within its collection of 23 million items, the library boasts a wealth of rare books and manuscripts, maps, musical scores and prints.
The Central Library, which will host our meeting, includes the famous Sargent Gallery, with spectacular murals painted by John Singer Sargent. Also be sure to see the courtyard of the Central Library, which includes beautiful columns and a water fountain. Boston Public Library is itself a cultural masterpiece.
NEMLA participants will have the chance to tour the buildings on the day of the meeting. You will have a chance to sign up for a tour shortly.
Many of you are familiar with the many attractions of Boston. Instead of listing them here, I will point you to a very comprehensive list.
We encourage our members to join us on Thursday before the meeting for the members’ dinner, and this fall we have the added bonus of including a tour of the Boston Symphony Orchestra archives before dinner. Stay tuned: more details about this BSO tour and dinner details will be sent through NEMLA-L.
A big change this year is the board’s decision to increase the price of meeting registration slightly. The board is still committed to keeping meetings affordable for everyone, but also felt the need to adjust costs commensurate with inflation. The price increase also enables the board to allow pre-prepayment through Eventbrite, a service that will enable us to provide a more convenient registration process for our members.
Our special thanks goes to Boston Public Library staff, and especially to Emily Tokarczyk, Robert Cunningham, and Charlotte Kolczynski for help with local arrangements and hosting this meeting. The Program Committee for the meeting includes Laura Stokes, Anne Adams and Ilana Revkin. Travel information, program details, and logistics will follow. We all look forward to seeing you in Boston!
Seeking Nominations
NEMLA needs you! Serving in a NEMLA position is a rewarding opportunity to serve your chapter, work with your colleagues, and contribute to music librarianship, libraries and collections in New England. Currently, nominations are being sought for the following NEMLA positions:
Web Editor
Maintain NEMLA website
Maintain NEMLA Google group
Maintain NEMLA Board Google group
Serves as an ex officio member on the NEMLA Board
Media Specialist/photographer
Photograph/document NEMLA meetings
Work with website editor, newsletter editor, NEMLA board, and programming committee to update website as needed
Videographer Videotape meetings; edit and post video to wiki
Work with website editor, newsletter editor, NEMLA board, and programming committee to update website as needed
If you are interested in one of these positions, or if you have any questions, please contact me, Jennifer Hunt, at 617-912-9132 or jhunt at bostonconservatory dot edu. Nominations will be accepted through August 31.
Noteworthy News
“RDA and Public Services” posted to NEMLA Wiki
Members of NEMLA’s Technical Services Committee have summarized and augmented information from a session presented at MLA in March, with the aim of demystifying RDA for non-catalogers, and discussing changes in OPAC displays that result from RDA cataloging rules. The summary is available on NEMLA’s wiki, under “Useful Links and Documents,” as RDA and Public Services. (There is a beautifully formatted version on the wiki, which is currently unavailable, but the basic content has been reproduced at the link above. )
Maria Jane Loizou travelled to Russia in May with the Boston-based non-profit group, Educational Bridge. While there she met with music librarians from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory, and gave a talk on “The Libraries at the New England Conservatory of Music: Preserving Tradition and Looking to the Future” at the St. Petersburg Association of International Collaboration and the Izmailovsky Library and British Learning Centre of St. Petersburg. In Moscow, she met with the music librarians at the Moscow State University for Culture and the Arts, and gave a master class and a lecture, “The Remarkable Connee Boswell” to students in the Jazz and Popular Music department.
photo by Zoe Rath
On Friday, July 11, BAML members and Berklee staff gathered to toast Gary Haggerty on his retirement from Berklee after 36 years. Michael Rogan hosted the celebration at his roof top deck and condo.
In June, Pat Fisken was recognized for 40 years of service in the Dartmouth College Libraries, starting as a cataloger in 1973 (AACR1!), then in Special Collections, and then as Music Librarian at Paddock Music Library.
Martin Schreiner’s composition Water Music was performed by the Duo Yumeno (koto and cello) for their concert tour of Japan this June and July. Performances included Music Fest Nara 2014 as well as concerts in Kyoto, Tokyo and Sakado.
NEMLA Officers
Chair:
Kerry Carwile Masteller
Reference and Digital Program Librarian
Loeb Music Library Music Building,
North Yard Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 kmastell at fas.harvard dot edu
Phone: (617) 495-2794
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect:
Zoe Rath
Reference Librarian ILL Service
Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215 zrath at berklee dot edu
Phone: 617-747-8143
Past Chair:
Jennifer Hunt Library Director,
Albert Alphin Library
The Boston Conservatory
8 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02215 jhunt at bostonconservatory dot edu
Phone: (617) 912-9132
Fax: (857) 207-3132
Secretary-Treasurer:
Sarah Funke Donovan
Digital Project Archivist
Boston Symphony Orchestra
301 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115 sdonovan at bso dot org
Member-At-Large:
Christopher Schiff
Ladd Library Research Services
Bates College
2 Andrews Road
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: (207) 786-6274
Newsletter Editor:
Erica Charis
Outreach Librarian
Stan Getz Library B
erklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02115 echaris at berklee dot edu
Phone: (617) 747-8465
NEMLA Archivist:
Sofia Becerra-Licha
Archivist
Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02115 sbecerralicha at berklee dot edu
Phone: (617)747-8001
Web Page Editor:
Jennifer Olson
Technical Services
Librarian Archives Allen Library
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117 jolson at hartford dot edu
Phone: (860) 768-4625
Fax: (860) 768-5295
