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NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: December 2025, NO. 222

December 19, 2025 nemlaadmin

Letter from the Chair
CFP for NEMLA’s Spring 2026 Meeting
NEMLA Fall 2025 Virtual Meeting Summary
NEMLA Fall 2025 Listening Party Playlist
Beware of Phishing Attacks
News from our Members
— Catching up with Judy Pinnolis and Beth Iseminger
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

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Letter from the Chair

On my weekly walk in my local Audubon sanctuary on Sunday I was greeted with the first snowflakes of the season – a reminder that time and seasons continue on, no matter what we do, or what the world throws our way. I know that a lot of us are struggling with numerous stressors in the current environment, particularly after the horrific events of this past week. One thing that I am so grateful for is our community and our continued connection with each other.

In particular I want to extend my gratitude to Vice Chair/Chair-Elect Emily Colucci and the entire program committee (Erin Conor, Carol Lubkowski, Sandi-Jo Malmon, Brianna Pérez, and Laura Stokes) for organizing a phenomenal fall meeting. Thanks as well to our presenters Andrea Cawelti and Oluwafemi Ositade (Dating the Undated: Dating Resources for 18th-19th Century Music, with a Twist!); Tom Moore (Out of Prague: Jewish Emancipation and the Rise of the Jewish Piano Virtuoso); Laura Stokes, Nancy Jakubowski, and Carol Lubkowski (Lightning Talks: Lending Beyond Books, Scores, & Recordings); and, of course, thanks to Peter Laurence for running our listening party to close out the day. For those of you who could not make it, descriptions of the presentations are already up on the website, and slides and videos should be available soon, possibly by the time this makes it to digital print! I am looking forward to seeing people in person for our spring meeting, details to be announced.

In other news, Andrea Cawelti has agreed to lead the Technical Services Committee for the next term. We are grateful to her for stepping up at a time when we need to be focusing on all of the changes to that aspect of our profession that are emerging and soon to come (AI, the new RDA, changes to vocabularies in MARC, new platforms…).

And finally, I would like to encourage any and all who might wish to serve on a committee or in a leadership position to consider this, particularly at a time when attendance at national meetings is becoming more difficult, due to funding and/or life circumstances. NEMLA provides a conduit for New England music librarians to stay up to date on national trends, knowledge, and policies—it works because we make it happen, with our time, energy, and care.

And with that, I want to wish you all a lovely, restful holiday season.

Anne Adams, NEMLA Chair
Manager of Metadata Creation for Music
Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
anneadams at fas.harvard.edu

CFP for NEMLA’s Spring 2026 Meeting

The NEMLA Program Committee invites proposals for presentations at our Spring 2026 meeting, to be held on Friday, April 17, 2026, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We welcome all topics of relevance to music librarianship. We especially encourage early-career professionals, students, and first-time presenters to share their work with our community.

Proposals should include a summary of approximately three hundred words describing your topic, the approximate length of the presentation, and any technological or other needs or concerns you foresee. We would be happy to consider proposals for presentations of any length, including twenty minutes, thirty minutes, and forty-five minutes, as well as panel discussions and lightning talks.

Please submit proposals to Emily M. Colucci (ecolucci@bates.edu). The deadline is EOD Friday, March 20.

Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to hearing from you!

NEMLA Program Committee

Emily M. Colucci (NEMLA Vice-Chair/Program Committee Chair)
Laura K.T. Stokes
Sandi-Jo Malmon
Carol Lubkowski
Brianna Pérez
Erin Conor

Submitted by Emily M. Colucci, NEMLA’s Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect & Library, Assistant–Access Services, at the George and Helen Ladd Library, Bates College

Save the date for the NEMLA Spring Meeting — April 17, 2026 — at Harvard University

NEMLA Fall 2025 Virtual Meeting Summary

The Fall NEMLA Meeting, held on Zoom on November 14, 2025, attracted 71 registrants. Chapter chair Anne Adams opened the meeting by welcoming all attendees, especially ones from the broader community who could attend because the meeting was free and virtual. Both she and program chair Emily Colucci thanked the program committee (Laura K.T. Stokes, Sandi-Jo Malmon, Carol Lubkowski, Brianna Pérez, and Erin Conor) and Secretary-Treasurer Hannah Ferello for handling registration.

Andrea Cawelti and Oluwafemi “Femi” Ositade, both of Harvard University, opened the program sessions with “Dating the Undated: Dating Resources for 18-19th Century Music, with a Twist!” Cawelti is the Ward Music Cataloger at Houghton Library. Ositade is a second year student concentrating in computer science and economics, working in the library on a grant-funded position.

Cawelti outlined the problem: until copyright, music was often published without a publication date. Trying to determine this is time-consuming. Ositade observed Cawelti spending a large amount of time on this and proposed a way to automate this based on IMSLP data. They demonstrated the value of collaboration between people with expertise in different domains, music cataloging and computer science

Cawelti provided an overview of the traditional music dating resources, especially for publications from the 18th and 19th centuries. Indicators include publishers’ names and addresses, plate numbers, internal and newspaper advertisements, watermark dates, and publishers’ catalogs. She noted that Donald Krummel’s IAML book, Guide for Dating Early Published Music: A Manual of Bibliographical Practices (1974) is the premier guide to dating early published music, and there are several other reference sources. Now a lot of this information is available online including VIAF and the IMSLP Publishers’ Wiki. Library Hub Discover is particularly helpful.

She referenced her previous NEMLA presentation on using AI to do bulk creation of basic bibliographic information for scans of sheet music which could then be proofread and uploaded as the basis for MARC records. Harvard had been using an institutional grant to support the work, but it was affected by a hiring freeze. They secured an Advancing Open Access grant from the Arcadia Fund, which allowed the work to continue with Ositade because it was not subject to the hiring freeze.

Many are familiar with IMSLP’s huge collection of public domain scores, but it is backed by a lesser-known publishers wiki that Ositade used as the basis for an IMSLP date estimator. It works from an Excel spreadsheet of known bibliographic data, and it can output a specific year or a date range that is narrow enough for use. Cawelti can then review the output, decide if it is accurate and sufficient, then add the results to the spreadsheet used for batch creation of stem MARC records. During the Q&A, Cawelti stressed that human proofreading is still imperative and that the program works with all European languages.

Ositade then discussed the details of his work. He approached it by asking himself how he could make Cawelti’s job easier, especially by automating repetitive tasks to allow her to work on the tasks she’s more passionate about. He observed her checking pieces of data on the IMSLP publishers’ site and realized he could make the code do many of the steps, recognizing that the publicly-created wiki sometimes had gaps and inconsistencies. Broadly, he wanted to transfer logic into code and needed to work with Cawelti’s expertise to understand her processes.

As a next step, he’d like to incorporate other sources to narrow down date ranges further. They are looking for funding to do this.

Next (Stephen Thomas) Tom Moore, head of the Sound and Image Department, Green Library Library Florida International University, presented “Out of Prague: Jewish Emancipation and the Rise of the Jewish Piano Virtuoso.”

He opened by acknowledging his New England roots, including his birth in Newport, Rhode Island and studying music librarianship under the late Jean Morrow. He also acknowledged the difficulty of determining the religious identity of musicians, starting with the intentional omission of Jewish identity from Grove entries for most biographies.

In the 18th century, one quarter of the Prague population was Jewish, the second-largest population in any European city after Amsterdam, which had taken in many who’d been expelled from Portugal. Prague was a cosmopolitan city; German was widely spoken there in the 19th century, and operas were performed in Italian. Eventually, they built a theater specifically for Czech-language operas and another for German. Jews were still on the outskirts of society until the Edict of Toleration in the mid-19th century. Leipzig was an example of a place where Jews had previously been forbidden to live but could now reside as musical (and other) professionals. He discussed Philipp Broch and Bernhard Schreiber of Jewish successes in the arts.

He then provide overviews of half a dozen 19th century Jewish composers and virtuoso pianists in Prague:

Sigmund Goldschmidt
Leopold Lion, who received both position and negative press, the latter of which could be due to antisemitism
Ignaz Wolfgang Amadeus Tedesco
Charles Seymor Schiff, who demonstrated the advantages and disadvantages of being Jewish in that setting
Charles Wehle
Bernard Rie, a child prodigy on piano and a composer by age 19

The Q&A raised questions about whether any of them wrote synagogue music. Moore was unaware of any, and audience member Judy Pinnolis said it was unlikely. He also explained that there wasn’t a network between Prague and Paris due to the distance, but there was one in Central and Eastern Europe.

The afternoon resumed with a set of lightning talks on the theme “Lending Beyond Books, Scores & Recordings” by Laura K.T. Stokes and Nancy Jakubowski, both of Brown University and Carol Lubkowski, Wellesley College.

Stokes and Jakubowski discussed the library of things at Brown’s Orwig Music Library; Stokes also acknowledged Peter Riedel’s work on the project. They were already lending equipment when they added audio recorders and USB game controllers by request of a faculty member to support course reserves. Post-COVID, the university shifted to entirely digital reserves, but not everything needed for music coursework could be delivered digitally, starting with mbiras. These are treated as professor’s property, so the professor is responsible for tuning them between semesters.

They then added MIDI keyboards for another class, but they were available to all patrons, which spread via word of mouth. They didn’t include the manuals, but they did link to an online version in the catalog. They offered portable CD and DVD players, although vinyl is their most popular medium. They need to train and retrain student workers on checking items in and out, particularly for inventorying all parts. Jakubowski and Riedel have covered physical labeling of items and working with their reserves systems and ILS.

Stokes summarized by noting this service has strengthened relations with faculty, but they are dealing with issues of the equipment’s popularity beyond students enrolled in specific courses. Discussion arose in the Q&A about connecting legacy media players to modern equipment, and Lubkowski mentioned that her coworker found a way to zip-tie adapters to the equipment they lend.

Lubkowski discussed many things that the music library at Wellesley lends, noting that her branch is in the music department. They lend keys to the practice rooms, some of which have unusual instruments including a harp and an organ. They also lend A/V equipment including optical drives, microphones, and stands. They use a separate system, R&R rather than Folio, which allows patrons to reserve for specific times, but it is clunky to use. They also “lend” thesis carrels. These services are popular without being publicized.

Before opening breakout rooms for committee meetings, Adams encouraged all attendees to attend by reminding them of the various committees and their charges.

After the committee meetings, those who were still online reconvened to close out the day with a listening party hosted by Peter Laurence, Harvard University.

Meeting resources:

Videorecordings of the meeting: Part I and Part 2
“Dating the Undated” PPT
“Out of Prague” PPT
“The Library of Things”

Submitted by Marci Cohen. NEMLA Member-at-Large, Retired: Head, Music Library, Boston University

Thanks to Donna Maher, Reference and Instruction Librarian
University of Maine at Augusta Libraries, for uploaded the meeting resources to the NEMLA website.

NEMLA Fall 2025 Listening Party Playlist

Enjoy!

Santigold – Ain’t Ready
Bill Charlap
King Sunny Ade – E Saiye Re
2 Cellos – Thunderstruck (cover)
The Air Around Us (my own contemporary classical composition – sorry – inspired by non- “traditionally classical” performance practices)
Cyndi Lauper – True Colors (Official HD Video) (in honor of her being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year!)
la Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – Cheek to Cheek
Bill Evans
La forȇt endormie – Tressé dans la terre
Farewell to Stromness by Peter Maxwell Davies. Performed by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ). Arranged by Scott Tennant
Eric Nelson – “What does the Lord require”
Arvo Pärt – Summa

Submitted by Peter Laurence, Librarian for Recorded Sound and Media,
Loeb Music Library, Harvard University

Beware of Phishing Attacks

Scammers continue to periodically send out emails requesting help with payment using NEMLA officer names. Note that we will never ask you to pay a bill temporarily for us. If you question the legitimacy of a message, please email the officer directly.

News from our Members

Catching up with Judy Pinnolis and Beth Iseminger

Judy Pinnolis sent this photo and some news from a visit with Beth Iseminger, an old NEMLA friend, in Maryland.

Beth was in NEMLA for about 10 years. Since 2017, she has been working for UMD on the International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM). It’s a collection of recordings and scores of primarily classical piano music by historic and current artists. Judy writes that it is hard to believe it’s been that long since Beth and Damian were in New England!

Judy and Beth are both longtime garden enthusiasts and did a seed exchange of seeds harvested this fall. Beth has a huge collection of seeds (and music) in her home.

Judy reports that she’s spent a good deal of time in her first months of retirement working in the garden and being outside and away from the computer. She taught a film class “films of Challenge and Resilience” for LLAIC (a seniors learning group) in the Fall, and worked on the completion of her online exhibit “Voices of Change” for the Milken Archive, which has now been also made into a book. Visit the exhibit at Milkenarchive.org.

Submitted by Judy Pinnolis

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

Newsletter

NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: September 2025, NO. 221

September 5, 2025 nemlaadmin

*Music section sign inside a public library (Adobe Stock0*

Note from the Chair
CFP for NEMLA’s Fall 2025 Virtual Meeting
MLA/NEMLA Membership
Committee Reports
Noteworthy News
— Alex Waterman Joins Wesleyan World Music Archives
— Progress Made on Houghton Library’s AI Grant Project
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

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A Note from the Chair

Dear NEMLA community,

As the weather starts turning to cooler temps, many of us are welcoming the return of students and other patrons, the official or unofficial end of our summertimes, the dwindling of summer concerts. I always have mixed feelings at this time of year – I’m anxious to see the backside of hot temperatures, but sorry to see the less stressful days of fewer meetings, vacation days, and shovel-free mornings.

And Fall also means that we can look forward to the upcoming NEMLA meeting! Please save the date on your calendars for this year’s Fall virtual meeting on Friday, November 14, 2025. The program committee, chaired by NEMLA Vice Chair Emily Colucci, has been hard at work, and is accepting proposals for this meeting until September 22, 2025. For those of you in farther flung places, the virtual meeting format presents a perfect opportunity to share your work with our community without the need for a long drive!

As I write this, the Board is set to meet in early September, working on streamlining our record keeping, with the help of our archivist, Jonathan Paul, and setting goals for the new year. I look forward to sharing any updates in the next newsletter.

Since I last wrote, our three elections have concluded. Although the results of the uncontested elections are not a surprise, we want to welcome our new Vice Chair, Emily Colucci (Library Assistant at Bates College) and our new Member-at-Large Marci Cohen (recently retired Head of the Music Library at Boston University Libraries), and we are grateful for the continued service of Hannah Ferello (Catalog Librarian at the New England Conservatory), who has been reelected as our very able Secretary/Treasurer.

And in the committee realm, I’d like to express gratitude to Erin Conor, Richard French Librarian at Harvard’s Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, and Brianna Pérez, Public Services Supervisor, Blumenthal Family Library, New England Conservatory, for joining the Program Committee for the 2025-2057 term.

Speaking of committees, I do want to take this opportunity to make a renewed call for participation. Committees are incredibly rewarding opportunities for service, allowing a better understanding of the organization, the opportunity to effect changes in our profession, and, most importantly in my book, the chance to work with your talented, inspiring colleagues in the New England region.

This coming year will see an in-person Music Library Association meeting in Salt Lake City. As wonderful as these national in-person meetings are, I know many of us have real barriers to attendance, from financial to time restraints. In the current chaotic environment, even more of us may struggle to attend. NEMLA offers a low-cost and local way to stay connected to the community of music librarians, to learn about new ideas, and to connect with our colleagues.

I am looking forward to seeing you all at the upcoming virtual meeting on November 14!

Anne Adams, NEMLA Chair
Manager of Metadata Creation for Music
Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
anneadams at fas.harvard.edu

CFP for NEMLA’s Fall 2025 Virtual Meeting, Friday, November 14, 2025

The NEMLA Program Committee invites proposals for presentations at our Fall 2025 virtual meeting on Friday, November 14, 2025. We welcome all topics of relevant interest to our community, with a particular interest in the various ways music libraries are expanding course reserves services for research and teaching support, by circulating atypical materials such as musical instruments, metronomes, and recording devices.

Proposals should include a summary of approximately three-hundred words describing your topic, approximate length of presentation and any technological or other needs or concerns you foresee for a virtual meeting. We would also be happy to consider proposals for presentations of any length, including twenty-minutes, thirty-minutes and forty-five minutes, as well as panel discussions and lightning talks.

Please submit proposals to Emily M. Colucci (ecolucci@bates.edu) by EOD Monday, September 22, 2025.

Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to hearing from you!

NEMLA Program Committee :
Emily M. Colucci (NEMLA Vice-Chair/Program Committee Chair)
Laura K.T. Stokes
Sandi-Jo Malmon
Carol Lubkowski
Brianna Pérez
Erin Conor

Submitted by Emily M. Colucci, NEMLA’s Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect & Library, Assistant–Access Services, at the George and Helen Ladd Library, Bates College

Save the Date for the NEMLA Fall Virtual Meeting — November 14, 2025

MLA/NEMLA Membership

A gentle nudge to Join/Renew your membership in MLA/NEMLA if you haven’t done so already.

Here’s the quick overview of instructions from MLA:

Visit the Join MLA page to explore 2025-2026 membership rates, categories and benefits.
For new members joining MLA for the first time, please begin by selecting your member type then create an account.
To renew, check your membership status, or view invoices, go to the Membership tab in your MLA profile.
Be sure to sign in first to access these options and to include NEMLA as your chapter!

Thank you!

Committee Reports

Program Committee

The Program Committee is well underway in the planning process for the fall 2025 meeting held virtually on Friday, November 14, 2025, and is looking forward to receiving proposals to help make the fall 2025 meeting a great success. Details for submitting proposals can be found in the CFP above.

Submitted by Emily M. Colucci

Noteworthy News

Alex Waterman Joins Wesleyan’s World Music Archives & Music Library

Alex Waterman has joined Wesleyan’s World Music Archives & Music Library as the new Music & Audiovisual Archivist. He comes to this position from The Kitchen, a non-profit experimental arts performance and exhibition space in New York City, where he served as the organization’s founding archivist, building their physical and digital archives from the ground up. He is already well acquainted with Wesleyan since from 2015 to 2018 he was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music here. He credits his work with Suzy Taraba (retired Dietrich Family Director of Special Collections & Archives) and Alec McLane (retired Music Librarian) for inspiring him to go back to school to pursue an MLS and Advanced Certificate in Archive Management at the University of North Texas. Alex also has a Ph.D. in musicology from NYU and is an active performer (cello) and composer. Among many other projects, he played on David Byrne’s most recent album.

Submitted by Jennifer Hadley, Wesleyan World Music Archives & Music Library

Progress Made on Houghton Library’s AI Grant Project

Andrea Cawelti, Ward Music Cataloger at Houghton Library, has spent the summer collaborating with Oluwafemi “Femi” Ositade, a Harvard Math and Computer Studies student, on an Arcadia Foundation grant focused on Advancing Open Knowledge.

Femi refined their earlier work using AI to harvest metadata from scans of sheet music covers and title pages. To make proofreading easier, he developed a program that draws on the publishers’ wiki in IMSLP to estimate publication dates based on publisher names, with addresses or plate numbers. He also transformed their AI program from producing static spreadsheets into an interactive tool that enables real-time proofreading during scanning. All in all, it was an exciting summer of progress!

Submitted by Andrea Cawelti. Ward Music Cataloger, Houghton Library, Harvard University

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

Newsletter

NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: June 2025, NO. 220

June 18, 2025 nemlaadmin

Note from the Incoming Chair
NEMLA Elections
NEMLA Spring 2025 Meeting Summary
NEMLA Business Meeting Summary
Noteworthy News
— Judy Pinnolis Retiring
— “Voices of Change” Articles Published
—“A day in the life of a ‘helluva building’”
— “Singing the Sacred” Exhibition
— Grant Project Underway
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

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A Note from the Incoming Chair

Dear NEMLA community,

I’m honored to be taking up the reins from Judy Pinnolis and starting my year as Chair of NEMLA for 2025-2026 as of July 1. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the Manager for Metadata Creation for Music at Harvard, where I’ve been for the past 11 years. Prior to that I wore a lot of different hats, teaching voice, working in arts administration, translating patents, and raising a few kids. In my spare time I can be found at my loom, or biking, or hiking, or baking something I shouldn’t be eating.

Personnel changes happen every year, and I wanted to acknowledge those here. Many thanks to outgoing past-chair Terry Simpkins, Director of Discovery and Access Services at Middlebury College, for his service! In addition, Judy Pinnolis, soon-to-be-retired Associate Director of Instruction and Engagement at Berklee College of Music/Boston Conservatory, will be moving into the past-chair position. I wanted to extend thanks to her for all the work she has done in rethinking bylaws and working to organize our google drive to bring it into alignment with good record management practices, and in helping me acclimate to the new position.

We have three elections in progress (get your votes in!), all uncontested. Running for Vice-Chair is long-time Member-at-Large Emily Colucci, Library Assistant at Bates College; recently retired Head of the Music Library at Boston University Libraries Marci Cohen is running for Member-at-Large; and Hannah Ferello, Catalog Librarian at the New England Conservatory is running for a second term as Secretary/Treasurer. Thank you to all three for stepping up and being willing to serve NEMLA!

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our in-person meeting at MIT this past April, and we’re excited to see what lies in store for the 2025-2026 year. I will be continuing to work with our archivist, Jonathan Paul, to organize our record keeping, and we will be beginning our first year under the new by-law rules of positions turning over as of July 1. This will be a learning experience for us all. While the system is ultimately more predictable, it does shorten the time the program committee has to work on the fall program. So if any of you are thinking of presenting in the fall, be on the lookout for a call for proposals!

And finally, I did want to say a word about committees. These are a wonderful opportunity for all of us to meet with our fellow librarians, supporting the broader aspects of our work. If you have been thinking about joining a committee but have been hesitant, please jump on in! Speaking for myself, it has been a great opportunity to get to know colleagues and to get a sense of the broader New England library community we are all a part of.

Looking forward to seeing you at the 2025-2026 fall (virtual) and spring (in-person) meetings; here’s to a wonderful academic year to come.

Anne Adams, NEMLA Chair (incoming)
Manager of Metadata Creation for Music
Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
anneadams at fas.harvard.edu

NEMLA Elections

It is time to elect our officers for the coming year. This year we have 3 open positions: Member-at-Large, Secretary/Treasurer, and Vice-Chair.

You can find the ballot here. Please submit your responses by 5pm on June 26, 2025.

New officer terms will begin on July 1, 2025.

Thank you for participating!

Hannah Ferello, NEMLA Secretary/Treasurer
Catalog & Serials Librarian, Blumenthal Family Library,
New England Conservatory

NEMLA Spring 2025 Meeting Summary

MIT hosted NEMLA’s hybrid Spring 2025 meeting on Friday, April 11, 2025. Forty-four participants attended the meeting—including presenters and sponsors. Eight of the forty-four attended via Zoom for the programming sessions and the business meeting, which took place after lunch.

Judy Pinnolis, NEMLA’s Chair, welcomed all NEMLA attendees at 9:00am. She acknowledged and thanked Jim Cowan, Theodore Front Musical Literature company’s representative, who sponsored the meeting and graciously supplied the wonderful continental breakfast served during the opening reception in the Lewis Music Library foyer.

Judy then thanked Anne Adams, NEMLA’s Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, Chair of the Program Committee, along with the committee members for their efforts in organizing the meeting. Judy also expressed gratitude to Donna Maher, NEMLA’s Web Editor, for continuously managing NEMLA’s website and providing various updates throughout the year, as well as to Hannah Ferello, the Secretary-Treasurer for organizing meeting registration.

Last but certainly not least, Judy gave huge thanks to Avery Boddie, Director of MIT’s Lewis Music Library, for serving as NEMLA’s local host. Judy turned the podium over to Avery, who explained logistics for the meeting and introduced his staff, Laura Crook Brisson and Jake Zelikovsky, both Music Library Assistants, who were a tremendous help in getting things ready for the meeting. After expressing particular gratitude for excellent leadership during difficult times in today’s climate, Avery introduced Dr. Chris Bourg, Director of MIT Libraries, who warmly welcomed all attendees and briefly spoke about MIT’s vision for the Nexus room as a “dedicated teaching and event space” in the newly renovated Hayden Memorial Library, where the welcome portion, programming sessions and business meeting took place.

Anne Adams introduced copyright enthusiast Marci Cohen, recently retired Head of the Music Library at Boston University, to present the first session of the morning, “Not Just a PDF on a Website: Outreach to Composition Students about Copyright and Self-Publishing.”

Boston University’s composition faculty had recently asked Marci to teach during one of their “Composers’ Forum” sessions — a weekly seminar requirement for composition majors. She explored a variety of topics pertaining to music copyright and self-publishing of musical compositions, which she included in her NEMLA presentation, an outline of which is below:

•  Music copyright basics: 
    > the bundle of rights one gets, especially when dealing with derivative works
    > the two different kinds of copyright holdings 
        ▪ the musical composition itself
        ▪ a performed recording of the work
•  The importance of registering musical compositions with the U.S. Copyright Office or a different organization should students choose to register the work themselves
•  Selling scores…
     > as a printed copy, involving score binding practices 
      > PDF electronic format, involving selling a license and not just a file, where students should understand what types of rights they are granted as the copyright holder when looking to sell the “license” 
•  How students can display and categorize their scores to acknowledge various musical characteristics, using ISSUU–a digital publishing platform

Marci also provided a QR code to a resource guide (see link below) students can use as they embark on the self-publishing journey. Marci concluded by saying that composition music faculty were “notably enthusiastic” to schedule her for an engagement session the following year. She entered the first session thinking she was going to have to plead with the music composition faculty and students to show how self-publishing makes things easier for music librarians. However, the faculty and students were in fact, learning how to make a profit from self-publishing their works. Marci’s biggest takeaway and endorsement was to encourage all composers to think about going the self-publishing route at individual institutions. (Her slides and resource guide are available on the NEMLA website.)

After a fifteen-minute break, Anne introduced the next session, “This Class is a Work in Progress: Reflecting on Teaching,” presented by members of NEMLA’s Instruction Committee, including Carol Lubkowski, the Music Librarian at the Jewett Arts Center at Wellesley College, Kerry Masteller, the Music Librarian for Scholarly Communications and Digital Programs at the Loeb Music Library at Harvard University, and Donna Maher, the Reference and Instruction Librarian and Lecturer at the University of Maine’s Augusta campus.

Carol, Donna, and Kerry respectively covered the following three modules, which Carol initially pointed out they all use in their teaching, but are “…not fully baked yet…”.

Database showdown
Horses and sources
Choose your own adventure.

The presenters discussed a variety of activities and questions they work through with their students. However, they found student feedback was not always engaging and productive and asked NEMLA attendees for suggestions on how they could prompt more constructive and lively feedback from their students when covering these modules. Kerry then led an interactive portion of the session in which she divided NEMLA in-person attendees into groups of 6, while virtual attendees were asked to talk amongst themselves using Zoom’s chat feature, to discuss what strategies individuals used in their teaching to tackle similar modules. When finished, groups shared their results, giving inspirational feedback the presenters, and others, could implement in their teaching.

After lunch and the business meeting, Anne introduced Avery Boddie and his staff, Laura Crook Brisson and Jake Zelikovsky. The three presented the final session of the day, “Afrofuturism and Otherworldliness,” a very exciting discussion about the current exhibit on Afrofuturism in the Lewis Music Library.

Avery defined the cultural movement “Afrofuturism,” explaining its powerful impact on music and culture. He provided a detailed timeline of how the exhibit came into being and its significant alignment with the Lewis Music Library’s historically prolific programmatic events. Laura Crook Brisson expanded upon the origins of Afrofuturism, talking about how the term was “coined” by Boston’s own author and critic, Mark Dery. Laura demonstrated connections between Afrofuturism and MIT by highlighting the example of fictional characters from the Marvel Universe who attended MIT. Jake focused on artists connected to Afrofuturism who are featured in the exhibit. He highlighted Missy Elliot and Janelle Monáe—two of the most recognizable leading women in today’s contemporary world, known for their work in bridging hip hop, pop, and Afrofuturism in unique, controversial, and defying ways. Avery tied in various themes and musical styles found within Afrofuturism and the associated musicians’ extensive work, which can be observed as spirituality and metaphysics, cosmic and space imagery, escapism and liberation, and technology and innovation. He also covered how Afrofuturism can be seen as a social practice, intersecting with a variety of disciplines, including literature, media, science fiction and technology. Laura and Jake talked about the exhibit’s interactive structure, the associated LibGuide created to aid participants in understanding the exhibit’s nature, and an event conducted in the Lewis Music Library, showcasing the amazing exhibit and musicians. Avery concluded the presentation by sharing some notable reflections and lessons learned from embarking on this project and everything involved to make the exhibit successful.

Friday afternoon concluded with a lovely reception and a fantastic performance given by MIT’s oldest a cappella group, the Logarythms, which included two of Lewis Music Library’s own student workers. The group’s incredible arrangements included Stevie Wonder’s 1970 hit “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours);” Nicole Zefanya’s (also known as “NIKI” for her stage name) song “Every Summertime”, a highlighted track on the 2021 Marvel Action/Adventure superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings soundtrack album; “My Funny Valentine,” which has been recorded by several different artists including Frank Sinatra, who released his well-known version in 1955; a fun arrangements of Seal’s 1994 hit “Kiss from a Rose;” and Amy Winehouse’s 2006 popular hit, “Valerie.”

Early in the concert, Sharon Saunders, of Bates College, bravely answered the call for a volunteer to join them on stage. She was delighted to be serenaded with Frankie Valli’s 1993 hit “Can’t Take My Eyes off You.”

The talented group’s a cappella concert was a wonderful way to end such an inspirational day of togetherness and learning.

Summary respectfully submitted by Emily M. Colucci, NEMLA’s Member-At-Large & Library Assistant, Access Services, at the George and Helen Ladd Library, Bates College

NEMLA Business Meeting Summary — April 11, 2025

Call to order, Judy Pinnolis

Committee reports

Publications (Jennifer Hadley): The call for newsletter submissions will come out soon.
Instruction: No formal report. Members of the committee gave a presentation in morning session).
Education & Outreach (Emily Colucci): Looking for ways to reconnect/rebuild relationships between NEMLA and other organizations
Technical Services (Anne Adams): The committee needs a chair! The committee will probably look at RDA changes in the coming year or so
Nominating (Judy Pinnolis, on behalf of Terry Simpkins): The Spring 2025 nominating slate (so far) is Emily Colucci running for Vice Chair and Hannah Ferello running for Sec/Treas (2nd term). Many committees still need chairs and members. Ballots will be sent out electronically (details forthcoming on NEMLA list-serv)
Program (Anne Adams): Thank you for a great meeting today!
EDIJ (Patrick Quinn): Will be meeting more frequently. Meetings are open to all, unless otherwise noted.

Secretary/Treasurer Report (Hannah Ferello)

62 active members (as of Feb. 24, 2025). Income from membership renewals: $654.
Total cash-in-hand: $11,395.69
Meetings: 1) Fall (October 18, 2025): virtual — No income/expenses 2) Spring (April 11, 2025): hybrid, hosted by MIT — Net income: $212.91
For full details, see report.

Archivist Report (Judy Pinnolis, on behalf of Jonathan Paul)

Plans underway to reorganize NEMLA Google Drive: naming conventions; splitting permanent archives from active/in-use documents; file ownership; back-up files (physical hard drive)
Physical archive still held at Boston Public Library

Chair Report (Judy Pinnolis)

Actively collaborating with NEMLA Archivist to reorganize Google Drive (see above)
Passed bylaw revisions this fall to standardize terms for officers (July 1 – June 30)
Working with Nominating Committee to fill positions — Suggests forming Ad-Hoc Committee to look into contingency planning for scenarios that may arise where we have empty positions, need new committees, modernizing NEMLA’s leadership structure, etc.

Old Business

Question: Which positions are formally elected? Officers are elected. Committee Chairs are not elected, but some committee chair positions are duties of specific offices. For example: Program Chair = NEMLA Vice Chair ; Nominating Chair = NEMLA Past Chair ; EDIJ chair = EDIJ Officer ; Education & Outreach Chair = NEMLA Member at Large
Question: How to be on a committee? Volunteer! No formal process to join a committee.

New Business

Ad Hoc Committee on By-Laws — See details in Chair Report
Proposal: NEMLA Travel Grant to MLA 2026 (Salt Lake City) — Proposed by Marci Cohen for consideration by the NEMLA Board

Adjourn

Summary from notes by Hannah Ferello, NEMLA Secretary/Treasurer
Catalog & Serials Librarian, Blumenthal Family Library, New England Conservatory

Noteworthy News

Retirement Announcement: Judy Pinnolis

I am both proud and a bit wistful to announce that Judy Pinnolis will be retiring from Berklee on July 11, 2025, after just over eight years of dedicated service. Judy joined us following a distinguished 22-year tenure at Brandeis University, bringing with her a wealth of experience and insight.

During her time at Berklee, Judy has made a lasting impact on nearly every facet of the library. From assessing and enhancing our collections and services to launching innovative programs and initiatives, her contributions have greatly expanded the library’s presence and relevance within the Berklee community.

In her most recent role as Associate Director of Instruction and Engagement, Judy led her team in championing the importance of information and media literacy, as well as the development of critical thinking skills. One of her most notable strengths has been her ability to build meaningful campus partnerships, connecting the library with the Office of Faculty Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Student Life, and Liberal Arts and Sciences, among others.

Though Judy is retiring from her role at Berklee, she will continue to be active in the professional music library world. She will remain involved in the New England Music Library Association (NEMLA) in her leadership role as Past Chair and will begin a new position as Coordinator of the Music Library Association’s Jewish Music Interest Group.

Please join me in congratulating Judy on her remarkable career. I wish her all the best as she continues her academic work as a respected expert in Jewish music, nurtures her love of plants and flowers, and spends more precious time with her grandchildren. Her presence and contributions will be deeply missed, but her legacy at Berklee will continue to inspire.

Best wishes, Judy!

Submitted by Jennifer Hunt, Associate Dean, Library, Boston Conservatory at Berklee

“Voices of Change” Articles Published

Judith Pinnolis has had two more in the series of her interviews recently published in “Voices of Change: 50 Years of Women in the American Cantorate” at the Milken Archive of Jewish Music in Los Angeles. Pinnolis is guest curator at the Milken Archive for the entire project.

The latest installment is on Cantor Faith Steinsnyder, currently serving the United Hebrew Congregation of Singapore, and a woman who has taught the cantorial arts in all the progressive movements’ Jewish seminaries in the United States. Her interview appears here.

The previous release was about Cantor Emma Lutz, who serves as Senior Cantor at Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles.

The Voices of Change series includes Judy’s article “A Historical Look at Jewish Women Sacred Singers.” an extended article featuring women’s leadership contributions in Jewish sacred music. Over the next few months, four more interviews will be published and another article will complete the online exhibit.

Submitted by Judith S. Pinnolis, Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement, Berklee

“A day in the life of a ‘helluva building,’ Ladd Library at Bates College“

Emily Colucci, cataloger Matt Banning, and Chris Schiff were all featured in a recent profile of the Bates Library done by the Bates Communications Office. The article begins with the history of the library and gives glimpses into the typical activities of the students, staff, and faculty who populate the library from 7:23 a.m. to 1:04 a.m.

Submitted by Chris Schiff, Music and Arts Librarian, Bates College

“Singing the Sacred” Exhibition

An exhibit co-curated by Erin Fulton and Jesse P. Karlsberg (SEMLA) was on display at Pitts Theology Library, Emory University, this spring and remains viewable online at this link.

It features books from Pitts and several other institutions that are part of the digital library of Southern sacred music, for which Erin serves as music bibliographer. Brown University is one of the participating institutions — all others are out of the NEMLA area. The title of the exhibition is “Singing the Sacred: Songbooks and Hymnals from the Sounding Spirit Digital Library (1850-1925).”

Click here for more information about Sounding Spirit.

Submitted by Erin Fulton, Music Bibliographer, Sounding Spirit, Emory Center for Digital Scholarship

Grant Project Underway

Andrea Cawelti, Ward Music Cataloger at Houghton Library, is working on a project with a grant from the Arcadia Foundation to pursue AI support for simple sheet music cataloging. She has hired Harvard math and computer studies student Oluwafemi (Femi) Ositade to assist in the project. They are currently working together on a shortcut to dating scores from publisher addresses or plate numbers.

Submitted by Andrea Cawelti. Ward Music Cataloger, Houghton Library, Harvard University

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

Newsletter

NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: March 2025, NO. 219

March 27, 2025 nemlaadmin

Note from the Chair
Register for NEMLA Spring 2025 Meeting
Noteworthy News
— Changes for Brendan Higgins
— Welcome to David Moore
— Marci Cohen Retires
— Patrick Quinn Moves to Tufts
— Book Launch Celebration
— Berklee Library migrates to FOLIO
— Bringing an Opera by Edmond Dédé to the Stage
— Harvard AI Cataloging Project Update
— Performance by Rwandan guitarist Deo Salvator
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

**************************************************

A Note from the Chair

NEMLA has had the good fortune that Anne Adams and her Program Committee have been hard at work to give us a terrific program planned for this coming April 11, 2025. Thank you in advance to the Committee and Anne for this forthcoming conference. Be sure to investigate the Program details for more information. I have also been very grateful that so many NEMLA members have answered the call of our organization and have volunteered for committees, and we will be needing you again this year!

I thank the Nominating Committee, Terry Simpkins, Anna Kijas and Emily Colucci for working hard to have a full slate of officers and committee members for this coming year.

Please note, for the April Spring Meeting, that while there may be some “ceremonial” changes during the meeting, the actual switch to new NEMLA roles will begin on July 1, per our modified by-laws passed in the last election. This change will affect and include elected leadership and members of committees, whose terms will end this year, 2025. Their current roles will end June 30. New committee members will start on July 1, as will the terms of our elected leadership.

As part of the Spring Meeting, we will have our annual business meeting and get our usual reports. We will also hear a report read about the NEMLA Archive with some updates.

I’m hoping we will have a few minutes set aside to receive suggestions from our membership about more structural changes for our chapter given the ever-changing landscape of music librarianship. First, I believe we need to create an ad hoc committee to write up some contingency plans, should there ever be a leadership vacuum, which our by-laws did not envision. That would be the beginning of a much longer process, to add any needed additions to our by-laws.

It has also been difficult these last several years (even aside from the pandemic) to recruit leadership for our organization. I have been wondering about what precise difficulties we need to surmount to ease this problem. Some of the factors involved, I believe, can include the following possible reasons (but they are probably not the only factors). One, of course, is that many of us have already served for years on NEMLA or MLA committees or leadership. Since we’re a small group, we’ve “run through the roster” a number of times. 2) Additionally, libraries today, in general, are not replacing all the librarians who are retiring or leaving for other jobs — so possibly our region is not getting as many potential new members as in the past. 3) Many librarians find themselves assigned extra duties and workloads in their daily jobs, which limits their ability to have a time commitment to outside professional organizational work. 4) Many of our membership are already involved in national MLA, making it even harder to take on additional tasks for our local chapter. 5) Another thing that has been mentioned in the mix is that fact that the Vice-Chair role also takes on such a heavy programming load.

At our meeting, I’d like to open the floor for some suggestions for ways of lessening or spreading out the burden of the Vice-Chair that may encourage more people interested in taking on the role. If you have more ideas to help solve some of our structural issues, I’d love to hear them!

Lastly, I encourage our membership to read the MLA’s “Supplement to MLA’s Diversity Statement” which was published this past February. It is located at https://wp.musiclibraryassoc.org/supplement-to-mlas-diversity-statement/.

I would like to personally endorse this strongly worded and encouraging statement by MLA’s Board of Directors. Just because the political winds change does not mean our commitment to justice has changed or we should veer from doing what’s right. We welcome all music librarians, student workers and staff to be part of our music library community. At NEMLA, you are welcome and you are valued.

Judith S. Pinnolis

NEMLA Chair
Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement
Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Boston, MA

Register for NEMLA’s Spring 2025 Meeting

April 11, 2023 at Hayden Memorial Library, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The registration deadlines for the NEMLA spring meeting have been extended to April 2 (for in-person registration) and April 9 (virtual registration).

SCHEDULE of the DAY

9:00am – 9:45am – Reception and welcome (a representative from Theodore Front will be present during this time for those who are interested in connecting)

9:45am – Welcome
Welcome address, Dr. Chris Bourg, Director of MIT Libraries

10:00-10:45am – Not Just a PDF on a Website: Outreach to Composition Students about Copyright and Self-Publishing
Marci Cohen, recently retired as Head of the Music Library at Boston University

10:45am – 11:00am – Break

11:00am – 12:00n This Class Is a Work in Progress: Reflecting on Teaching
NEMLA Instruction committee, Carol Lubkowski, Kerry Masteller, and Donna Maher

12:00n – 1:30pm – Lunch (on your own)

1:30pm – 2:00pm – Business meeting

2:00pm – 2:45pm – Afrofuturism and Otherworldliness: Sun Ra, Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton, Erykah Badu, Octavia E. Butler, Digable Planets, Janelle Monae, Flying Lotus, Grace Jones, Missy Elliott…
A discussion of the current exhibit at the Lewis Music Library
Avery Boddie, Lewis Music Library Department Head

3:00pm – Reception, Lewis Music Library

3:30pm -4:00pm – Optional tour of the new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building (Building W18) at MIT.

>Read about the presentations and presenters

>Event details and Registration

Regular registration (until April 2): $15
Student/Retiree registration (until April 2): $10
First-time Attendee registration: FREE
Virtual (livestream) registration (until April 9): $8

Noteworthy News

Changes for Brendan Higgins

Sadly, the Instruction Team at Berklee Library bade farewell to Brendan Higgins this January, 2025. Brendan has been a longtime employee of Berklee and was an exemplary teacher and librarian. He will be sorely and deeply missed! Brendan will be bringing his reference and instruction skills across the Charles River to Harvard University, in their Loeb Music Library, as their Music Librarian for Learning and Engagement.

Welcome to David Moore

David Moore, a Berklee drum set performance major and alum, and the recent Project Manager for the ILS migration project at Berklee, has accepted the position of Associate Director of User Experience and Operations at the Berklee Library. David started this position on Feb 10, 2025 and will continue to work on the FOLIO project as well. We congratulate David on his new role at Berklee.

News about Brendan and David submitted by Judy Pinnolis.

Marci Cohen retires

Marci Cohen recently retired from Boston University Libraries, where she worked from 2015 to 2025, most of that time in the Music Library. She considers herself semi-retired and will remain active in NEMLA and MLA. She is open to consulting, freelancing, writing, and project work. Her email address is rockhackcohen at yahoo.com.

Submitted by Marci Cohen.

Patrick Quinn moves to Tufts

Patrick has recently changed jobs from the New England Conservatory to become the new Research Librarian for Music at Tufts University’s Lilly Music Library. His new email is patrick.quinn at tufts.edu if you would like to contact him.

Submitted by Patrick Quinn.

Book Launch Celebration

Both Patrick and Marci recently participated in an exciting book launch webinar, talking about their chapter “Music Library Instruction for ESOL Students” in Music Information Literacy: Inclusion and Advocacy (edited by Kathleen Abromeit and Dyani Sabin).

Berklee Library Migrates to FOLIO

In January 2025, the Berklee Library migrated from Evergreen and Koha to FOLIO. This exciting unification of library collections of the Boston Conservatory Library, the Berklee College Library, and the Valencia campus Library has been made possible in part due to Berklee becoming full members of the Fenway Library Organization (FLO), a consortium of academic and special libraries in Massachusetts. Later this semester Berklee will become part of the Commonwealth Catalog, a platform for libraries to share items across Massachusetts.

Submitted by Jennifer Hunt, Associate Dean, Berklee Library.

Bringing an Opera by Edmond Dédé to the Stage

Andrea Cawelti, Ward Music Cataloger, Houghton Library, Harvard University, was interviewed for a New York Times article in connection with the performance of the earliest (presently known) opera by an African American composer, Edmond Dédé, which she had (re)discovered in one of John Ward’s collections and cataloged back in 2008.

Cawelti writes, “In an amazing and somewhat miraculous sequence of events, the opera was performed by OperaCreole and Opera Lafayette Feb. 3, 5, and 7. The entire experience was one of the most satisfying in my life: It is so rare that catalogers actually get thanked for their work! “

“[The article] really shows the incredibly complex process of bringing a show from zero to score to reality, step by step. A process with which many of us are familiar, but which the general public often doesn’t get …. I’m hoping that this wonderful project will create more support for opera and other musical projects through other local pipelines, particularly for those composers who have been unjustly erased from our history.”

A follow-up article on the opera by Alex Ross appeared in the New Yorker.

Harvard AI Cataloging Project Update

Andrea Cawelti has been awarded a small grant from Harvard to carry on her sheet music cataloging via AI. The grant will enable her to hire assistance for the project so if anyone knows of a student interested in such work, please contact her.

Andrea presented on AI transcription of sheet music metadata at the last NEMLA meeting and just followed that up with a presentation at the MLA meeting on March 18, 2025. The updated talk included an in-depth section by Harvard student Helen He on Python scripting. The Python portion of the project takes ChatGPT transcription to the next level by enabling the creation of finding aids from CSV outputs.

Submitted by Andrea Cawelti.

Performance by Rwandan guitarist Deo Salvator

To celebrate the closing of the Spirit of Inanga: A Gallery of African Musical Instruments at Olin Library exhibition (Wesleyan University), curator Chance Kinyange Boas M’25 arranged for a performance by Rwandan guitarist Deo Salvator, known for his fingerstyle technique and translating inanga tunes to the guitar. Salvator is the founder of Finger Pickers in Africa, a collective dedicated to building cross-border intercultural understanding through music making. Chance designed the exhibition and several related events as part of his graduate assistantship at Wesleyan’s World Music Archives & Music Library.

Submitted by Jennifer Hadley.

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

Newsletter

NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: November 2024, NO. 218

November 12, 2024 nemlaadmin

Message from the Chair
NEMLA Fall 2024 Meeting Summary
NEMLA Fall 2024 Business Meeting Minutes
Proposed By-laws Amendments
NEMLA Membership Renewal
Spring Meeting Save the Date
Noteworthy News
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

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Message from the Chair

Dear NEMLA members,

As I write this message, I know many of you are experiencing concerns and possibly some anxieties about the future of academic freedom, inquiry and thought, of freedom to read, and possibly other deep problems that academia and our country will face. I want to take this moment to pause, to take a deep breath, and to reflect on all that has been good and ongoing – and all that is working in our organization and that will continue into the future. We have a lot that we can be proud of as professional librarians, in helping our students succeed, helping our researchers and faculty achieve their goals, and in stewarding world class collections at our institutions. Professional organizations are a backbone of civil society, and I’m proud of being part of this one. Participation in such groups to exchange new ideas is an often unheralded but important marker of a democratic culture.

Over the summer, I have been very gratified that so many NEMLA members have answered the call of our organization and have stepped into roles to help it work smoothly. I want to thank all of you who have joined committees, volunteered to chair committees, and lead in officer positions! Thank you! Without you, the work that we do, which is important to our institutions and academic communities would not be possible.

We had an excellent Fall Meeting, and special thanks to Anne Adams and the Programming Committee: Emily Colucci, Sandi-Jo Malmon, Laura Stokes, and Carol Lubkowski. Thanks to the other presenters: Sonia Archer-Capuzzo, Andrea Cawelti , and Mark Bailey. In this newsletter you will find more details about the Fall Meeting.

As you know, there is currently a vote taking place on our NEMLA by-laws. I do not yet know the outcome of this vote but hope that it passes. This will help our organization work more efficiently, and more equitably. For all of you who have taken a moment to vote on the NEMLA by-laws, we appreciate your thoughtfulness and time.

In addition, I want to let you know that our new NEMLA Archivist, Jonathan Paul, and I have been working on ways to improve and sustain our online NEMLA archival materials, which are now held in a Google drive. We have already created a backup plan for the materials held in this drive. This Spring, we will be announcing some of the changes for uploading new NEMLA materials to the Google drive that we feel will improve ease of use and clarity for all NEMLA members. We will be improving and strengthening the guidelines for those members uploading reports and other materials that will be archived. If there is anyone who would like to take part in these discussions about the archive, we welcome more input. Please feel free to contact me to find out more details.

Judith Pinnolis

NEMLA Chair
Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement
Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Boston, MA

NEMLA Fall 2024 Virtual Meeting Summary

The New England Music Library Association’s fall 2024 meeting was hosted virtually via Zoom, on Friday, October 18, 2024, with attendance fluctuating on average between twenty-four and thirty-five NEMLA members throughout the day. Anne Adams, the Senior Music Cataloger at the Loeb Music Library at Harvard University, NEMLA’s Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect and Program Committee Chair, graciously welcomed everyone to the meeting. She gave a brief overview of the day’s events and thanked the members of the Program Committee who all worked together to create an exciting program. Anne kindly introduced Judy Pinnolis, the Associate Director of Instruction and Engagement at Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, as well as NEMLA’s 2024 – 2025 Chair, as the first presenter of the morning’s sessions revolving around obscure sound recordings collections housed within college/university libraries. Judy took us through a fascinating, historical journey through “Difficulties in Jewish Music Sound Recordings Collections.” Mark Bailey, the Head of Historical Sound Recordings at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library and the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University, continued the momentum by giving a riveting presentation on “Reviving the Romantic Era through Historical Sound Recordings.” At the conclusion of these two captivating sessions, Judy led a brief discussion regarding small but helpful proposed changes to the NEMLA By-laws, requesting the membership to vote. Details on the NEMLA By-laws discussion along with information on voting would be sent by Hannah Ferello, the Catalog & Serials Librarian at Blumenthal Family Library at the New England Conservatory and NEMLA’s current Secretary-Treasurer, further in this newsletter.

After lunch, the afternoon began with an opportunity for various committees (e.g. the Tech Services Committee, the Program Committee and the EDIJ Committee-–to list only a few), to come together via break-out rooms to discuss any updates, ongoing work, etc. The next presentation was an information session presented by Sonia Archer-Capuzzo, the Clinical Associate Professor at UNC-Greensboro Information, Library, and Research Sciences Department, and Chair of the Music Library Association’s Committee Management Team. Sonia spoke within an MLA volunteer recruitment capacity, about the newly improved volunteer process, relating to a more “transparent and inclusive” avenue for MLA members–-which encompasses NEMLA Chapter members–-to join and serve on committees and subcommittees in the near future (Archer-Capuzzo, 2024). Andrea Cawelti, the Ward Music Cataloger at Houghton Library, Harvard University next engaged the meeting’s attendees with her insightful and interactive presentation on how “AI Can Change Your Life (Can’t It?): Creating Rudimentary Sheet Music Finding Aids with ChatGPT.”

Carol Lubkowski, the Music Librarian at Wellesley College, enthusiastically led an informal listening party towards the end of the afternoon to let remaining attendees wind down for the day and have some additional fun. She encouraged attendees to provide spooky music links—as an homage to Halloween approaching in the coming weeks—in Zoom’s chat box, while she began playing through a pre-curated list of songs using YouTube Music, starting with “Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)” by David Bowie.

Look forward to a highly anticipated exciting program to take place during NEMLA’s spring 2025 meeting in April, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Please keep an eye out for a call for proposals and program details to come out in early 2025!

Summary respectfully submitted by Emily M. Colucci, NEMLA Member-At-Large & Library Assistant–Access Services at the George and Helen Ladd Library, Bates College.

NOTE: Videos and slides from the meeting presentations are available from the NEMLA website.

NEMLA Fall Business Meeting Notes

October 18, 2024

The proposed by-laws amendments were discussed briefly (see text below).

The amendment process outlined in the by-laws has been followed, as the proposed language was sent to the membership four weeks in advance of the discussion at the meeting.

Those present were reminded to renew their membership in order to vote and to vote so that we can meet quorum requirements.

Submitted by Hannah Ferello, NEMLA Secretary-Treasurer
Catalog and Serials Librarian, New England Conservatory

Proposed By-laws Amendments

New England chapter of the Music Library Association
(proposals as approved by the Executive Board on September 13, 2024)

The Executive Board of the New England chapter of the Music Library Association (NEMLA) respectfully proposes the following 5 amendments of the by-laws to the membership. Voting will take place by virtual ballot. The current NEMLA membership list as of November 1 received a ballot via email from the Secretary/Treasurer.

Please submit your ballot before 5 pm EDT on November 15, 2024.

AMENDMENTS 1 & 2
These two amendments are in regards to the start of term for officers and committee chairs. By moving the start date to July 1, officers and committee chairs can expect consistent 12-month terms. Previous terms were inconsistent, as the date of the Spring meeting varies.

Article IV: Officers, section 9
Current language:
Terms of office shall commence immediately following the Spring meeting.

Amended language:
Terms of office shall commence on July 1st.

Article VIII.A: Committees, section 1
Current language:
The Standing Committees shall be the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Instruction Committee, the Publications Committee, the Technical Services Committee, the Education & Outreach Committee, and the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) 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.

Amended language:
The Standing Committees shall be the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Instruction Committee, the Publications Committee, the Technical Services Committee, the Education & Outreach Committee, and the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) Committee. Except when otherwise specified, committee chairs and members may serve no more than two consecutive terms. The start of term for incoming committee chairs is July 1st. 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.

AMENDMENT 3
There is one amendment regarding the format of NEMLA meetings, allowing for meetings to be held virtually, in-person, and in hybrid settings.

Article VI: Meetings, section 1
Current language:
There shall be a minimum of two meetings a year.

Amended language: There shall be a minimum of two meetings a year. Meetings may be virtual, hybrid, or in-person.

AMENDMENTS 4-5
There are two amendments regarding voting methods, allowing for flexibility in ballot distribution and collection as technologies evolve.

Article V: Elections, section 1
Current language:
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.

Amended language:
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 shall be submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer as specified thereon.

Article XI: Amendments, section 3
Current language:
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.

Amended language:
Voting for changes to by-laws may take place by virtual ballot. 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 shall be submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer as specified thereon.

NEMLA Membership Renewal

Membership renewals are available on the MLA website. Please take a moment to renew if you have not already done so. Remember to select “NEMLA” as a category. If you have any questions about renewing your membership, please contact Hannah Ferello at hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu. Thank you!

Spring Meeting Save the Date!

The New England Music Library Association’s Spring 2025 meeting will take place April 11, 2025 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hosted by the Lewis Music Library, Avery Boddie, Department Head. A call for proposals and program details will be forthcoming in early 2025.

Anne Adams, Program Committee Chair, New England Music Library Association

Noteworthy News

24 Hour Performance of Drift/Loop in Olin Library

Starting at noon on Friday, November 1, in the Campbell Reading Room and the two balcony rooms overlooking it, Olin Library hosted the first 24-hour performance of DRIFT/LOOP, a collaborative project developed by Wesleyan Professor of Music Paula Matthusen and the Metropolis Ensemble. Aaron Bittel, Director of Wesleyan’s World Music Archives & Music Librarian, planned for the event for months along with Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts and the Music Department.

DRIFT/LOOP was designed to create an expansive space for sonic engagement and reflection, braiding three 40-hour LOOP scores with 32, 1-hour DRIFT scores, performed across the three library spaces. The scores were composed and performed by visiting artists, Wesleyan students and faculty, and community members.

Photographs by Aibek Baiymbetov ; video by Rani Arbo.

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

Newsletter

NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: July 2024, NO. 217

July 18, 2024 nemlaadmin

Message from the Chair
NEMLA Spring 2024 Meeting Summary
NEMLA Spring 2024 Business Meeting Minutes
NEMLA Membership Renewal
Noteworthy News:
— Lisa Read moving to Princeton
— Berklee Library joining FLO
— Jody Cormack Viswanathan retires
— Wesleyan music graduate students showcase archives projects
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

**************************************************

Message from the Chair

Dear NEMLA members,

I am delighted to be serving this year as the NEMLA Chair for 2024-2025.

I was really gratified to see so many of you at Smith College on May 31! Thanks for those who attended in person and online. I’ve heard good feedback about the program, and I am so glad you found it interesting and useful. What a lovely day it was! It was so good to see so many friends and colleagues in person again. Thanks again to all who helped with the conference.

As incoming Chair, I’d like to thank Anne Adams, for stepping up to become Vice-Chair and head of the Program Committee. I’m looking forward to working with Anne to create useful and interesting programs for our chapter for this coming year. Anne has a great committee to work on the programs! Thanks to Terry Simpkins for steering us this past year and helping me out so many times during my tenure as Vice Chair.

I’d like to thank a few of our new chapter officers: Thanks to Donna Maher, our new web editor, who has been hard at work in the last few weeks, and to Jonathan Paul, as the new Archivist of NEMLA. I’m looking forward to working with Jonathan to make sure our history is captured and preserved. Our chapter is truly fortunate to have the skills and expertise of these volunteers. All our continuing officers have really put in a lot of work.

For the coming year, there are three areas that I’d like to focus on: membership (of course), revitalizing and updating our committees, and reexamining the bylaws for our new chapter situations.

In regard to ongoing committee work, I appreciate that Carol Lubkowski will be chairing our Instruction Committee.

As we all fully enter this new post-COVID era, there have likely been changes in your institution’s priorities and programming. What has changed for you at your library? I’d love to hear from you with your interests and concerns about how our NEMLA chapter might address the challenges ahead. What is important to you, and how can we better meet your needs as a local chapter of MLA? I hope to hear from you.

Judith Pinnolis
NEMLA Chair
Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement
Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Boston, MA

NEMLA Spring 2024 Meeting Summary

*NEMLA Spring 2024 Meeting – Skyline Room, Neilson Library, Smith College*

NEMLA’s spring 2024 meeting took place partially virtually, but also fully in-person on the beautiful day of Friday, May 31st at Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts. The first part of the day was held in the beautiful newly renovated Skyline room in the Neilson Library. Following a lovely prelude entailing a Smith Dining Services catered continental breakfast, and some social networking, the day of conference events officially began at 9:15am. Terry Simpkins, Director of Discovery & Access Services at Middlebury College (VT), gave brief welcoming remarks to the meeting’s attendees both online and in person. He thanked Judy Pinnolis, Associate Director of Instruction & Engagement at Berklee College of Music (MA), and NEMLA’s Chair-elect, for her tireless hard work on bringing a fantastic program of events to fruition. Together, she and Terry introduced Susan Fliss, Dean of Smith College Libraries as well as Marlene Wong, Head of the Werner Josten Performing Arts Library, who both acknowledged the online attendees and welcomed the in-person attendees to Smith College, and gave a brief history of Smith College and associated libraries.

The theme of the morning sessions revolved around ‘AI in music and music libraries’. Judy eagerly introduced Dr. Christopher White, Associate Professor of Music Theory at UMass Amherst (MA), who delivered the first captivating presentation titled, “Why is AI so Bad at Music? (at least so far)?”, as the keynote, who set the tone. Leading up to NEMLA’s spring 2024 meeting, attendees were encouraged to bring and share “swag” from their respective institutional libraries, which was showcased at the meeting’s “insta-display” before the official start of the meeting, as well as during a brief coffee break interlude, taking place between the keynote and the following two sessions. The next two sessions were part of a panel discussion overall titled, “AI in Libraries and Industry: What’s Happening Now.” Peter Laurence, Librarian for Recorded Sound and Media at Harvard University (MA), hosted the panel. He first introduced Elise Gowen, Smith College’s own Science Librarian, who gave her presentation on “AI in Libraries: Confronting Change and the Future of Creativity.” The second presentation of the panel was enthusiastically given by Caleb Hall, Music Technology and Digital Media Librarian at the Lewis Music Library, part of MIT (MA). His innovative presentation was titled “AI Music Tools and their Impact on the Music Industry” and was the third and final session to wrap up the ‘AI in music and music libraries’ theme of the morning. [The presenters’ slides are available on the NEMLA presentations webpage. Videos will be available soon.]

NEMLA’s business meeting followed at approximately 11:30am. (See minutes below.) Once again, a lovely spread of lunch catered by Smith College’s Dining Services was put out, while attendees were strongly encouraged to enjoy their lunch outside on the terrace, just outside of the Skyline room. Three distinct tours took place after lunch. Folks divided themselves into groups depending on which tour they wanted to attend. The first optional tour was that of the Neilson Library/building, led by of Smith College employees, while the other two optional tours were either a visit to the Museum of Art or the Lyman Plant House and Conservatory–otherwise known as their botanical gardens–both of which, were self-guided, self-paced tours. I, along with a few others, chose to visit the beautiful Lyman Plant House and Conservatory/botanical gardens. Here are a few photos from my visit:

*Lyman Plant House and Conservatory (photos by Emily Colucci)*

Everyone reconvened in the Josten Library mezzanine when they returned from the tours, for the remaining afternoon portion of NEMLA’s spring 2024 meeting program. The first afternoon session featured Judy interviewing Steve Waksman, Associate Professor of Music, and American Studies at Smith College, and acclaimed author of Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé, which won the American Musicological Society’s Music in American Culture Award. This award acknowledges a particular book of “exceptional merit that both illuminates some important aspect of the music of the United States and places that music in a rich cultural context.” The conversation during this interview between Judy and Professor Waksman was fascinating!

The second afternoon session and final presentation of the day, before a brief tour of the Josten Library/Mendenhall Performing Arts Center, was a lecture-demonstration introduced by Josten Library’s own Access Services Coordinator, Janet Spongberg, and led by the acclaimed musician, ethnomusicologist and professor, Tim Eriksen. His lecture-demonstration was on the eighteenth-century congregational concept of shape note singing, as well as an homage to the twenty-fifth anniversary of “The Sacred Harp” community singing circle at Smith College.

Professor Eriksen enthusiastically instructed the audience to position their chairs in a circular formation within the room. He then invited the attendees to sit according to their chosen soprano, alto, tenor, or bass vocal part, and led them in singing a few short hymns from the Sacred Harp book.

The postlude entailed a lovely closing/farewell reception for all NEMLA hosts, presenters, and attendees to share light refreshments of lemonade and homemade cookies contributed by fellow meeting hosts and attendees before beginning their journeys home.

Summary and botanical photos respectfully submitted by Emily M. Colucci, NEMLA Member-At-Large & Library Assistant, Access Services, at the George and Helen Ladd Library, Bates College. Photos of Elise Gowen and Caleb Hall by Judy Pinnolis. Remaining images by Jennifer Hadley.

NEMLA Spring Business Meeting Minutes

May 31, 2024

Committee/Officer Reports

Terry Simpkins (Outgoing Chair)

Donna Maher (UMaine, Augusta) is new Web Editor (previously Peter Laurence).
- Jonathan Paul (MIT) is the new Archivist (position previously vacant).

Emily Colucci (Education/Outreach)

MLSteP has a new liaison for the New England area. Emily has met with them to lay the groundwork for a growing connection between that program and NEMLA.

Patrick Quinn (EDIJ)

The new diversity statement is up on the website!

Judy Pinnolis (Program/Incoming Chair)

Link to full report

Hannah Ferello (Secretary-Treasurer)

Link to full report

Old Business

Revisiting conversation from 2023 spring meeting regarding amending the bylaws

Members are still interested in amending the bylaws so that officer terms align with the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).
The new proposed language will be shared prior to the Fall 2024 meeting — 8 weeks before to the Exec Board, 4 weeks prior to membership.

New Business

We do not currently have a Vice-Chair / Chair Elect (and therefore, no chair of the Program Committee).

Bylaws: “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.”

– May want to consider revising bylaws so that an officer can be appointed at any point, not just mid-term.

– May also want to formally establish a mechanism for organizational leadership when major offices are vacant.

Program Committee is currently very small; growing this committee would ease the vice-chair’s workload.

– Consider shifting the Program Committee responsibility to the past-chair?

Anne Adams volunteered to be Vice-Chair with the stipulation that members volunteer to join the Program Committee.

– Several members volunteered to join the Program Committee, and a sign up sheet was circulated.

Meeting adjourned

Submitted by Hannah Ferrello, NEMLA Secretary-Treasurer
Catalog and Serials Librarian, New England Conservatory

NEMLA Membership Renewal

Membership renewals are now open on the MLA website. Please take a moment to renew if you have not already done so. If you have any questions about renewing your membership, please contact Hannah Ferello at hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu.

Noteworthy News

Lisa Read moving to Princeton

Lisa Read will begin a new position as Music Librarian at Princeton University’s Mendel Music Library beginning July 31. Her final day at the University of Hartford’s Allen Library was July 11.

Congratulations, Lisa!

Her former position, Public Services Librarian at the University of Hartford, is still posted on the Music Library Association jobs website as of July 18, 2024.

Berklee Library joining FLO

As of July 1, 2024 Berklee Library will become a full member of FLO (Fenway Library Organization). Berklee will soon start the migration process to FOLIO LSP and ReShare (FLO’s resource sharing solution), and begin resource sharing with FLO’s other full members once they are live. Their go live date for FOLIO will be January 13, 2025.

Submitted by Jennifer Hunt, Associate Dean, Library, Berklee College of Music

Jody Cormack Viswanathan retires from the World Music Archives

Jody Cormack Viswanathan retired from Wesleyan’s World Music Archives & Music Library in April 2024. After earning an MFA in Music from CalArts, she came to Wesleyan in 1975 and completed her doctorate in ethnomusicology with a specialty in South Indian music in 1992. In 1991, Jody joined the World Music Archives as part of the NEH grant-funded team tasked with cataloging and preserving the WMA collection, which had only recently become part of the library. Since then the archives has grown, shifted from analog to digital preservation, and migrated through numerous cataloging systems. Jody mentored two generations of international graduate students who worked in the WMA before going on to careers as scholars, musicians, and archivists around the world. Outside of her work at Wesleyan, Jody is well known as the organizer and host of the long-running Middletown House Concerts series and continues to actively research and perform Irish traditional music.

Wesleyan music graduate students showcase archives projects

This spring two Wesleyan graduate students, who had worked as graduate assistants in the World Music Archives under the guidance of director Aaron Bittel, showcased their projects. Chance Kinyange Hakizimana Boas opened his multimedia exhibition, Finding the Spirit of Inanga: Musical Instruments from Africa, on April 5, and gave a presentation to Wesleyan alumni at reunion on May 24. The inanga is a distinctive musical instrument found in six countries in Africa’s Great Lakes region.

Here is an audio clip of guest musician Gideon Ampeire MA ’11 introducing and playing a Ugandan enanga at the opening .

*Chance (wearing a tie) speaking to alumni and parents at the exhibit in Olin Library*

You can explore Chance’s accompanying online exhibit here. It includes audio and video clips, as well as photography and 3D models of the instruments created by Charlie Coffey, Wesleyan’s Visual Resources Curator. Below is an image of the 3D model of a balafon, but it is best seen and interacted with by clicking on this link.

On April 12, Mohammad Geldi Geldi Nejad M’23 launched his digital collection of bardic tradition songs from Turkmenistan and Iran. The songs are drawn from his fieldwork recordings, which he processed and archived at the World Music Archives. With help from Francesca Baird, head of Digital Initiatives, and Megan St. Lawrence, library assistant in Cataloging and Digital Initiatives, the collection is available through Wesleyan’s digital collections platform. At the event, Mohammad performed on the dutar, along with his wife, Zyyada Jumayeva, also an accomplished musician. Mohammad will be entering the Ph.D. program in ethnomusicology at Brown in the fall.

Video from the World Music Archives, Wesleyan

Submitted by Jennifer Thom Hadley, Wesleyan University

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

Newsletter

NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: March 2024, NO. 216

March 26, 2024 nemlaadmin

Flowers — *(Spring flowers and grass in melting snow)*

Message from the Chair
NEMLA Spring 2024 Meeting Preview
Call for Nominations for NEMLA Positions
March 2024 NEMLA Chapter Meeting Summary
Noteworthy News:
— Liz Berndt has joined NYU
— New Book Chapter Publication and Conference
— MLA Award Winners
— A glimpse of MLA 2024
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

**************************************************

Message from the Chair

Dear NEMLA members

Even though the forecast calls for a foot of snow this weekend, I can officially say “Happy Spring” to everyone. I hope your semesters are going well.

It was great to see many new and familiar faces at the post-MLA chapter zoom meeting. There was some terrific conversation about presentations from the meeting that were particularly inspiring, as well as a bit of excitement concerning our spring chapter meeting on May 31. The range of interests and knowledge in this group is truly phenomenal.

There will be more information about the upcoming spring meeting elsewhere in this newsletter, but I know the program will be timely and fascinating. Thanks again to Judy Pinnolis and Marlene Wong for making this happen.

Finally, we are still in need of a NEMLA archivist. Please contact me (tsimpkin@middlebury.edu) if you are interested.

Have a terrific remainder of the semester!

Kind regards,

Terry Simpkins
Director, Discovery and Access Services
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
tsimpkin@middlebury.edu

NEMLA Spring 2024 Meeting Preview

Save the Date! NEMLA Spring Meeting on May 31, 2024 at Smith College

Neilson Library at Smith — *Neilson Library — https://libraries.smith.edu/*

The Program Committee of NEMLA has been working hard to create an interesting and timely program for members for this Spring’s Annual Meeting being held May 31, 2024 at Smith College. Thanks especially to the efforts of local arrangements by Marlene Wong! The program will have several components. In the morning will be a series of presentations on “AI and Music” and in the afternoon will be the Business meeting, lunch, and a wonderful musical presentation on Sacred Harp music by Tim Eriksen.

The keynote speaker in the morning will be Dr. Christopher White, Associate Professor of Music Theory, UMass Amherst on “Why is AI so Bad at Music? (at least so far)?” followed by two librarians on a panel called “AI in Libraries and Industry”. Elise Gowan, Science Librarian at Smith College will address “AI in Libraries: Confronting Change and the Future of Creativity,” and Caleb Hall, Music Technology and Digital Media Librarian at MIT will speak about “AI Music Tools and Their Impact on the Music Industry.”

In addition, there will be a brief book discussion by Judy Pinnolis with musicologist and author Steve Waksman –about his newly acclaimed and award-winning music history Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé.

*Christopher White, Elise Gowan, Caleb Hall, Steve Waksman, Tim Eriksen*

The day is scheduled so that there is ample time to visit and tour many of the interesting sites and museums at Smith. It should be quite an interesting and fun day — so plan ahead to come in person, see friends, hear some great music, eat good food, and learn useful and interesting facts about the dramatic changes on our near horizon with AI in music libraries. Registration will open on April 8, so look for the Registration form on the NEMLA website in the near future! A schedule of the day has been published on our website for upcoming meetings. I personally hope to visit the Smith botanical plant house — since I am definitely ready for some Spring! Hope to see you there!!

Submitted by Program Chair, Judy Pinnolis, Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement, Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Call for Nominations for NEMLA Positions

NEMLA is seeking nominations for the following positions in our upcoming election.

Members may nominate themselves and/or others using the 2024 Nomination Form. Nominations must be submitted no later than April 19, 2024.

Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025):

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.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) Officer

Serves as Chair of the EDIJ Committee.
Leads the chapter’s EDIJ efforts to identify and dismantle barriers to equity, diversity, inclusivity, and justice within NEMLA and related organizations.
The term of office shall be two years.

Member-at-Large

Acts 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.
Serves as Chair of the Education & Outreach Committee.
Writes summaries of the biannual NEMLA meetings to be published in NEMLA newsletters.
The term of office shall be two years.

Web Editor (board-appointed/non-elected position)

Maintains the NEMLA website, listserv, and Board listserv.
Serves as an ex-officio member of the Board.
Serves as a member of the Publications Committee.
The term of office shall be two years.

NEMLA Archivist (board-appointed/non-elected position)

Collects and preserves documents, photographs and other materials of enduring historical value produced by and about the NEMLA chapter
Develops and maintains a records retention schedule to ensure materials worth preserving are deposited into the chapter archives on a regular basis
Serves an unlimited number of consecutive terms

Questions about the nomination process or duties of the positions open for election may be sent to Memory Apata, Chair of the Nominating Committee at Memory.R.Apata@Dartmouth.edu.

Submitted by Memory Apata, Music and Performing Arts Librarian, Dartmouth College

March 2024 NEMLA Chapter Meeting Summary

On March 6, 2024, NEMLA members gathered virtually for a Chapter meeting in conjunction with the national MLA meeting. The meeting opened with details regarding NEMLA’s upcoming Spring Meeting, to be held at Smith College on Friday, May 31, 2024. The program includes multiple sessions on the use of AI in music, a Sacred Harp event, and the annual business meeting. Registration will open in late April. There will be a dinner planned on Thursday night for anyone arriving early in Northampton. There was also discussion of hiking Mount Holyoke on Saturday.

Attendees also spent time sharing their experiences at the MLA conference. Shoutouts were given to NEMLA members who gave presentations and/or served in official roles during MLA. Remote conference attendees reported a varied experience with streaming. It was noted that many presenters added their slides to CVENT for future access, and that once posted, the quality of the recordings will likely be much higher than the quality of the streams. Finally, NEMLA members were encouraged to consider applying for the various open MLA committee positions. It would be great to see more NEMLA representation in the wider MLA community!

Submitted by Hannah Ferrello, NEMLA Secretary-Treasurer
Catalog and Serials Librarian, New England Conservatory

Noteworthy News

Liz Berndt has joined NYU

Liz Berndt’s last day at Harvard was March 5th. She has taken the position of Librarian for Music at New York University Libraries. She’ll be splitting her time between Boston and NYC while working hybrid for the foreseeable future.

Submitted by Liz Berndt, Librarian for Music, NYU

New Book Chapter Publication and Conference

Judy Pinnolis was invited to give the opening talk at the Digital Humanities conference “Building a Database of Recorded Music Data for Analysis, Research, and Access” at UCLA in Los Angeles on March 7, 2024. She based her talk on her recently published chapter, “Jewish Music Sound-Recording Collections in the United States” which appeared in The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Music Studies, published in October, 2023 by Oxford University Press.

Submitted by Judy Pinnolis, Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee

NEMLA MLA Award Winners

Congratulations to Anna Kijas, who was presented with the A. Ralph Papakhian Award at the MLA conference! “The A. Ralph Papakhian Award is given to recognize extraordinary service to the profession of music librarianship over a relatively short period of time. The Board MLA unanimously voted to confer the Papakhian award on Anna E. Kijas for her efforts to preserve the cultural heritage of Ukraine as it struggles against the Russian invasion through the co-founding of the organization Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online or SUCHO” (MLA News).

Congratulations also to Avery Boddie, who won the Richard S. Hill award is an annual award for the best article on music librarianship or article of a music-bibliographic nature, along with co-authors Jessica Abbazio and Ellen Ogihara! Their article “Music Libraries and an Expanding Repertory: Suggested Strategies for Building Diverse Music Library Collections” appeared in in Notes, volume 78, number 3 (MLA News).

Read more and see photos in the MLA newsletter.

(Note from the editor: If I’ve missed anyone from NEMLA, let me know and I’ll add them!)

A glimpse of MLA 2024

The MLA Big Band 2024 — in the Hall of Mirrors *(photo courtesy of Lisa Read)*

The MLA Rock Band 2024 *(photo courtesy of Lisa Read)*

A clip from the community performance of In C organized by MLA’s Contemporary Music Interest Group (courtesy of Jennifer Hadley)

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

Newsletter

NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: December 2023, NO. 215

December 7, 2023 nemlaadmin

Message from the Chair
NEMLA Fall 2023 Chapter Meeting Summary
Spring Meeting Save the Date!
NEMLA Membership Renewal
Noteworthy News
— Jewish Music Sound Recording Collections in the United States
— Monica Ruiz Joins Alphin Library
— Hidden Volumes Returned to Olin Library
— Library Praised in Wayang Kulit Performance
— More Photos from the Spring 2023 NEMLA Meeting
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

**************************************************

Message from the Chair

Dear NEMLA members

I’m sure everyone is looking forward to the end of our semesters and, hopefully for all of you, the opportunity to disconnect from our work lives and “recharge” a bit.

I want to thank everyone who participated in our fall virtual chapter meeting. Those of you who missed it will be able to read about the sessions in this newsletter, but in general it was a timely and fascinating discussion of various aspects of censorship in libraries both writ large and specific to music librarianship. Judy Pinnolis and the Program Committee did a terrific job of lining up speakers.

We are still (!!) looking for a NEMLA archivist, as well as new blood for the Program Committee as we head into the details of planning for the spring meeting at Smith College. Please contact me (tsimpkin@middlebury.edu) if you have interest in either position or Judy directly (jpinnolis@berklee.edu) if you would like to help with the Spring planning.

Have a great holiday break, everyone!

Kind regards

Terry Simpkins
Director, Discovery and Access Services
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
tsimpkin@middlebury.edu

NEMLA Fall 2023 Chapter Meeting Summary

NEMLA’s Fall 2023 Chapter meeting on the “all-too-timely” topic of “Censorship in (Music) Libraries” took place on Friday, October 27th, via Zoom. The highest (fluctuating) number of attendees resulted in approximately forty-six participants. The day started at 9:45am and wrapped up a few minutes after 3:00pm. Terry Simpkins, Director of Discovery & Access Services at Middlebury College Library in Vermont, and NEMLA’s President, introduced himself, graciously expressing his excitement for being in this presidential role, while also acknowledging Past-President, Memory Apata, for taking on such a strong, leadership role in NEMLA, previously. Terry welcomed everyone to the meeting, giving a few remarks. He started out by introducing each member of NEMLA’s Executive Board, and giving Judy Pinnolis, Associate Director of Instruction & Engagement at Berklee College of Music Library, NEMLA’s Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, and new Program Committee Chair, praise for organizing such a terrific program of events for the Fall 2023 meeting. Terry voiced the importance and need for NEMLA members interested to join any of the committees, giving strong emphasis to the Program Committee, since members involved, engage in planning future NEMLA Chapter meetings. Terry also mentioned the current absence of a NEMLA Archivist and asked anyone interested in fulfilling this role to reach out. After advertising the afternoon “schmooze” session to brainstorm ideas for the Spring 2024 meeting, Terry turned things over to Joanna Fuchs, Metadata Coordinator for Arts and Humanities at Brandeis University, to introduce the first speaker of the morning.

Joyce McIntosh, Assistant Program Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation at the American Library Association (ALA) presented the first session of the morning, at 10:00am. Her presentation titled “Protecting Access and Increasing Advocacy: Having the Right Tools in a Challenging Time”, brought about well-rounded perspectives surrounding the knowledge behind what types of book banning challenges have existed, and continue to do so, over the last ten years in the United States. Most book-banning challenges in public and school libraries concern race, LGBTQIA, and sex education content, and can impact Black and Indigenous populations disproportionately. School and public librarians/libraries and administrations alike, also deal with pushback from parents of minors, individuals and communities as a whole, who are threatening librarians and boards of trustees–those responsible for curating collections–to remove certain materials that they find offensive. They are going even further to defund such establishments. However, Joyce also talked about individuals having rights to access information, according to the First Amendment, which enable them to defend their statutes and rights to access the various materials they wish to read or listen to. The First Amendment also allows librarians and boards of trustees to consult their collection development policies every time a book is challenged in their library.

Lastly, Joyce expressed the ways in which individuals and communities can best serve as advocates for protecting against book bans and varying challenges against those who continue to attempt book-removal from library collections in public and school libraries. Some of these advocacy efforts include: running for office on the school or library board affiliate, educating oneself and others as much as possible, in addition to talking with people about what kinds of materials they want to see in libraries, as opposed to closing doors to accessibility, and instead, contributing to community resources. It is also extremely important to keep the Constitutional right to access information in mind, when defending patrons’ rights when they want to check out materials of their choosing. Lastly, not all materials are suitable for everyone. By the same token, it is the individual’s responsibility–including the parent’s responsibility if the individual is a minor–to select or ask for alternate material if he or she is not comfortable with the former. Joyce closed her presentation, giving a nudge to NEMLA members, to visit the website UniteAgainstBookBans for more information.

Carol Lubkowski, Music Librarian at Wellesley College (Massachusetts), introduced the next speaker of the morning, Dr. James Bradford. He is the renowned author of Poppies, Politics, and Power, Afghanistan and the Global History of Drugs and Diplomacy and Associate Professor of History, in the Liberal Arts and Sciences Department, at Berklee College of Music. His presentation, “Perilous Waters: Navigating Pressures of Censorship, Political Polarization and Intellectual Freedom in the College Classroom”, explored a variety of challenges intersecting with how he teaches upper-level political/cultural history classes, as well as those circling drugs and addiction, and how they are relative to issues surrounding human rights and crime. Throughout Dr. Bradford’s years in teaching various world themes he encounters in his courses such as Global History of Drugs, he finds the discussion aspect of class most crucial. Students are able to dedicate time to learning about what is going on in the world around them; they want to hone the proper tools and skills needed, to engage themselves fully to form well-rounded, unbiased opinions about issues brought up in classes.

The biggest challenges Dr. Bradford grapples with regularly is figuring out the best way(s) in which to educate his students amidst this present political climate on the issues they want to know more about, while also feeling out the limitations and willingness of what they can and cannot do time-management-wise, since they have competitive workloads for other music-centered courses. Dr. Bradford has observed over the years that while the students like to dive into various issues and be informed, they prefer to find information from possibly less-reputable sources such as YouTube videos/channels, X (formerly Twitter), and other social media platforms, and podcasts, as opposed to going a more wholesome, traditional route as simple as reading. He recognizes that going the former research route is more of an “instant gratification” for the students. It is much easier for them to grasp this material, because for one thing, it is all at their fingertips essentially. This also makes a strong case for the material to be more digestible, given their time constraints. Dr. Bradford finds that the best way to combat these challenges is to be deliberate and purposeful in material-selection that specifies relatable content and themes, hoping to captivate the students’ focus more effectively. His intention is to start building a more solid foundation for the students to form a different way of well-educated thinking that can be applied to his courses throughout the semester, as well as in life overall.

Judy hosted an informal “schmooze” gathering after lunch for the next half-hour, beginning at 1:30pm. This time was critically utilized for participants (roughly eighteen) to briefly introduce themselves, and to brainstorm potential themes and ideas for NEMLA’s Spring 2024 meeting held in-person–and possibly hybrid–at Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts, on Friday, May 31, 2024. While Terry, NEMLA’s President was introducing himself, he expressed his excitement for this session and future sessions carved out in the day, as an informal space for members to bounce ideas around for the next and forthcoming NEMLA Chapter meetings. Terry also gave one final pitch for anyone interested in joining NEMLA committees, and especially the Program Committee, to reach out to himself (tsimpkin@middlebury.edu) or Judy (jpinnolis@berklee.edu).

The two main goals for the Spring 2024 meeting are for (1) the presentations to be more musically focused, and within that, to (2) primarily concern activities that people are doing in (music) libraries today. Judy welcomes help from NEMLA members across the membership as well as those who were in attendance of the Fall 2023 all-virtual meeting, for receiving submissions for topic ideas, such as the pressing topic of AI (artificial intelligence) in music libraries, which was mentioned during the “schmooze”. AI in music libraries currently seems to be a strong contender, which Judy continues to explore in a more serious light, since she recognizes it as a prevalent initiative evolving in most places today. If anyone in the NEMLA membership has any ideas or suggestions, please reach out to Judy.

Marci Cohen, Head of Research Services for Instruction and Consultation at Boston University Libraries (Boston, Massachusetts), introduced the day’s third and final speaker that afternoon, at 2:00pm. Brett Milano, a prolific journalist and writer on his own merit, gave a fascinating talk titled “I Bet You They Won’t Play This Song on the Radio: The Uncensored History of Music Censorship”. The first part of his presentation’s title, cleverly comes from the eleventh track’s title on the final studio album by Monty Python, released in 1980, called “Monty Python’s Contractual Obligation Album”. It also set the tone for the presentation in its entirety. Brett took viewers (about twenty-eight) through a journey of musical censorship from the thirties and forties, through contemporary music and artists on the scene today. When it comes to censorship and what to play or not play on the radio, Brett pointed out that it is and has always been “cyclical”, and that popular music goes through “permissive” and “repressive” times at one point or another, and sometimes both, simultaneously.

Brett demystified the thought that musical censorship in terms of pop culture influences go back to Rock ‘n’ Roll. He instead contradicted that statement, saying they go back to the thirties and forties, such as in songs like “I Get a Kick Out of You” by the prolific composer, Cole Porter. This song is extremely well known. However, the proper and original lyrics that Cole Porter wrote are often never the ones heard today. American Swing-Jazz singer and actor, Frank Sinatra, sang this version. The lyrics in this version make direct references to alcohol and drugs such as champagne and cocaine. Brett points out that these lyrics were at the time, primarily censored because of the Hays Code, which set standards for what was and was not acceptable to show in a motion picture at that time. The song “I Get a Kick Out of You” was originally written for the musical “Anything Goes”, which was later adapted for the screen in 1936. Therefore, the lyrics were changed to reference perfume instead, which is what one hears in most versions recorded since. When dealing with the early days of pop culture and Rock ‘n’ Roll, there were many social norms that motivated the elimination of certain words and ideas, either in music or on the radio. This concept according to Brett was more acceptable and “free-willing” in Blues and Jazz traditions.

Moving on into the late seventies, Brett discussed the scandalous events happening in England over the Sex Pistols’ 1977 release, “God Save the Queen”, as it was viewed atrociously offensive–especially to the Queen of England–because of the repetitive mention of the word “God” in the title and the song. According to Brett, the charts refused to put the song in its rightful spot as number one, and replaced it with another record instead, resulting in pushing “God Save the Queen” into the number two spot. Despite the pushback, this particular record sold many copies generating a lot of money during that time. England did not actually suppress the record from stores; they only stopped talking about it, attempting to prevent people from listening to the record.

Brett rounded out the timeline and musical genres relating to the idea of censorship by introducing aspects of Hip Hop and Rap and how the battles were getting more serious, such as in the song “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar-Hill Gang, released in 1979. However, as more pressing issues were becoming increasingly political and global in the late 1980’s, Black communities were greatly affected and had a lot to say. America had its own rap version of “God Save the Queen”, as in a song by the NWA addressing police brutality and mistreatment of minorities, an example of the community’s response of fighting back through their lyrics. Extreme circumstances resulted in arrests for selling certain records in stores, such as was the case with a record seller in Florida, who attempted to sell the 1989 album “As Nasty As They Want to Be ” by 2 Live Crew. Law enforcement later also arrested the group for creating an album with vulgar, graphic and suggestive humor. Brett mentions that the group followed this album with another one, one year later in 1990, called “Banned in the USA”. Of course, they got permission from Bruce Springsteen to sample his song “Born in the USA”.

Despite some technical difficulties, NEMLA members including Marci, Judy and Terry, were able to provide a variety of resounding anecdotes that filled the vacant space with their own nostalgic contributions throughout. Brett closed his thought-provoking talk speaking about how the band formerly known as the Dixie Chicks criticized former President George Bush at a concert in London, during their World Tour in 2003. When the band, returned to the U.S., their music and name were completely boycotted. Brett noted that this was a shame, because they were just starting to reach current Taylor Swift status, in terms of popularity–not just in Country music, but also in the pop music realm. Even after so many years since starting fresh by changing their name to “The Chicks” and trying to make a comeback, they still have not risen back to the fame they once had. He closed by saying that the music industry has enough “clout” to defend themselves. Record companies will go to any heights to defend the rights of their artists to release anything they want–especially if they are selling an abundance of records.

The last few minutes of the meeting’s wrap-up consisted of Judy and Terry going back and forth. Judy thanked Brett for giving such a riveting and interactive presentation. Terry thanked Judy for all of her hard work in organizing the day of events, as well as thanked all of the speakers for delivering such captivating presentations. Judy also thanked everyone for coming, and asked anyone to reach out to her about ideas for the Spring 2024 meeting. She will be thinking about the topics informally discussed during the schmooze for the next NEMLA Chapter meeting in May.

Respectfully submitted,

Emily M. Colucci, Member-At-Large, NEMLA
Library Assistant, Access Services, George and Helen Ladd Library, Bates College

Additional note from Judy Pinnolis: Videos from the program can be viewed on NEMLA’s YouTube channel or via the NEMLA website . Thanks to the program hosts including Marci Cohen, Carol Lubkowski and Joanna Fuchs. Special thanks also to Marlene Wong, Memory Apata, Rebecca McCallum, Peter Laurence, Terry Simpkins and Elizabeth Berndt and all others who gave advice, ideas, and technical knowhow!!

Save the date for the 2024 Spring Meeting

scheduled for May 31, 2024 at Smith College!

Details to be announced soon.

NEMLA Membership Renewal

A friendly reminder that membership renewals are open on the MLA website. You are encouraged to take a moment to renew if you have not already done so. If you have any questions about renewing your membership, please contact me at hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu.

Submitted by Hannah Ferrello, NEMLA Secretary-Treasurer
Catalog and Serials Librarian, New England Conservatory

Noteworthy News

“Jewish Music Sound Recording Collections in the United States”

Judith Pinnolis recently had her chapter “Jewish Music Sound Recording Collections in the United States” published in the Oxford Handbook of Jewish Music Studies.

Judy’s chapter examines several significant Jewish music sound-recording collections in the United States providing insight into individual agency tied to different understandings of Jewish music. Discussion centers on their complexities from a library-science perspective focusing on conservation and preservation as well as bibliographic control and other issues in which the complexities of Jewish music unfold more clearly. Authenticity, comprehensiveness, and other constructions demonstrate how sound-recording collections reflect the overall difficulties of defining and delimiting Jewish music.

Submitted by Judy Pinnolis, Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Monica Ruiz Joins Alphin Library

Monica Ruiz was recently hired as the Circulation Manager for the Alphin Library at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and is the newest member of the Berklee Library team.

Monica brings experience with managing student employees, course reserves, canvas support, interlibrary loan and assisting with circulation. Monica was also part of the Alma Migration Fulfillment Team at MIT and holds a Bachelor of Science in Music.

Submitted by Jennifer Hunt, Associate Dean, Library, Berklee College of Music

Hidden Volumes Returned to Olin Library

It may sound like a series of occult books kept in an undisclosed location, or perhaps a hazing ritual for new library staff, but Hidden Volumes is actually a sort of musical happening in the spirit of John Cage’s Musicircus. Dreamed up by Wesleyan Professor of Music Paula Matthusen and visiting scholar Terri Hron in 2017, Hidden Volumes calls for performers to disperse around the library, playing for between five and ninety minutes, in an exploration of the sonic, visual, and architectural spaces of the library, while the “audience” wanders through the stacks in search of the source of the mysterious sounds coming from around the corner. The core group of performers are students in Matthusen’s class “Live-Electronics for Composition, Improvisation, and Sound Art”, but other members of the extended Wesleyan community are invited to join in as well.

For two hours on October 12, 2023, Hidden Volumes returned to Wesleyan’s Olin Memorial Library for a third run, with more participants than ever before, in a simultaneous double-feature with another of Matthusen’s projects, the electronic-music-and-weaving duo between systems and grounds, with Olivia Valentine. Here’s a five-minute video of the highlights:

More details are in a campus newsletter in an article titled, appropriately, Music in Unexpected Spaces.

I’ll close with one student piece that didn’t make it into the video or newsletter:

*A pair of bananas connected with wires to a large speaker; sign above reads “DON’T TOUCH THE BANANAS!!! (slap them)”*

Submitted by Aaron Bittel, Director, World Music Archives and Music Librarian, Wesleyan University

For fun: Library receives a shout out from a very learned puppet

Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with a variety of events, including a Javanese shadow puppet (wayang kulit) play on December 2, 2023, which commemorated the original performance opening the World Music Hall in 1973. A dozen alumni from that era, along with renowned Javanese musicians, joined the current Javanese Gamelan Ensemble under the direction of Professor of Music Sumarsam (the puppeteer for the evening) and I.M. Harjito. Below is a short clip in which a puppet mentions research in the library and heavy use of Interlibrary Loan. The clip ends with an in-joke reference to Sumarsam’s forthcoming book, History and Myth, Interculturalism and Interreligiosity: The In-Between in Javanese Performing Arts (Wesleyan University Press), which the World Music Archives helped celebrate with a performance and talk in the library last May.

If you’d like to actually hear the gamelan music and see the more humorous and exciting puppet work, scroll through the full video.

Submitted by Jennifer Hadley, World Music Archives & Music Library, Wesleyan University

More Photos from the Spring 2023 NEMLA Meeting

Submitted by Judy Pinnolis

*Celebrating Maria Jane Loizou’s many years as Collections Management Librarian at New England Conservatory*

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

Newsletter

NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: July 2023, NO. 214

July 25, 2023 nemlaadmin

*The calm after the fantastic NEMLA meeting at the Stan Getz Library, Berklee College of Music*

Message from the Chair
Spring 2023 Hybrid Meeting Notes
NEMLA Membership Renewal
EDIJ Committee Report
Nominating Committee Report
Noteworthy News
— Chris Schiff Gives Baccalaureate Address
— Marci Cohen’s New Role
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

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Message from the Chair

Dear NEMLA,

This is the first “hello membership” message I’ve had the honor to write to any organization, and I am pleased to serve as the new Chair of NEMLA for 2023-2024. My involvement with music librarianship dates back decades by now, and, although my career path as a librarian has veered away from a purely music focus, music and music librarianship has and will remain my joy and passion. I am currently a member of the library administration team at Middlebury College, but I have maintained an active interest in music librarianship issues as co-owner of a music contract cataloging service.

First of all, a warm welcome to our incoming board members Judy Pinnolis, Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement at Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, who is the Vice Chair/Chair Elect and Hannah Ferello, Catalog Librarian at New England Conservatory, who is our new Secretary/Treasurer.

Also, a huge thank you to the members of the Program Committee as well as our hosts at the Berklee College of Music for a successful in-person meeting this past June, our first such gathering since the pre-COVID “before times.” COVID changed everything for us, of course, and while virtual meetings are, for many reasons, valuable additions to our communal activities, human beings are social creatures and in-person interactions are crucial to our professional lives.

Finally, I would like to thank Memory Apata — our current Past-Chair — for her work over the past year, especially for her focus on ways to make NEMLA a more accessible and inclusive organization. I hope to maintain that focus during my term. Additionally, thank yous and kudos to Sandi-Jo Malmon, outgoing Past-Chair; and Carol Lubkowski, outgoing Secretary/Treasurer for their service on the NEMLA Executive Board.

Kind regards,

Terry Simpkins, NEMLA Chair
Director, Discovery and Access Services
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
tsimpkin@middlebury.edu

NEMLA Spring 2023 Hybrid Meeting Notes

NEMLA’s Spring 2023 hybrid meeting, graciously hosted at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, took place on Friday morning, June 2nd starting at 9:00 am, and concluding in the early evening at 5:00 pm. Thirty-three participants attended the meeting in person, and approximately 8 – 10 participants attended the meeting via Zoom. After a lovely opportunity for in-person attendees to socialize over coffee, NEMLA’s Chair, Memory Apata, gave some opening remarks and announcements, including welcoming everyone in-person and online to the Spring meeting, at 9:45 am. She also thanked Berklee and its colleagues for providing their space for hosting the meeting. She then welcomed Pablo Vargas, Dean of the Stan Getz Library and Learning Resources, who gave a brief history about how Berklee College of Music came to be the highly esteemed school of music that it is in Boston, and highlighting two other Berklee campuses –- one in Spain and the other in New York. Pablo also kindly expressed how he came to be the Stan Getz Library and Learning Resources Dean and emphasized that Berklee and the Stan Getz Library as a whole along with its wonderful community, is a great place to work. He closed by saying that he looks forward to working with others on “many amazing things.”

The morning continued with an engaging presentation from Andrea Cawelti, Ward Music Cataloger at Houghton Library, Harvard University, at 10:00 am. Andrea’s presentation introduced Rudolf Ackermann’s The Repository of the Arts. While the journal was published monthly from 1809 through 1829, Andrea’s presentation focused mainly on highlights from music reviews published between 1809 and 1816. These music reviews analyzed a number of composers’ scores for domestic music-making and made intriguing connections with events on the world stage, particularly during the concluding years of the Napoleonic Wars, and how the compositions tied into Britain’s perspective during this time. For an earlier version of the presentation, please consult the Jane Austen Society of North America: https://jasna.org/publications-2/persuasions-online/vol-42-no-1/cawelti/.

The NEMLA business meeting at 11:00 am was led by then Chair Memory Apata. Members discussed the proposed by-law changes, which had been voted on by virtual ballot prior to the meeting: 1) that new Board officer terms should begin July 1, 2) that fall NEMLA meetings should be virtual and spring meetings could be virtual, in-person, or hybrid, and 3) that voting for officers should take place virtually. A quorum was not achieved, and it was discovered that the current by-laws already include a provision for virtual elections. Members voted to rescind the ballot for further review by the Board. Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Board. At the end of the meeting, Jennifer Hunt presented Maria Jane Loizou with a bouquet to celebrate her many years as Collections Management Librarian at New England Conservatory. Her last day at NEC was May 31st, and she looks forward to devoting more time to teaching and writing.

After lunch, the afternoon schedule resumed with two rounds of two twenty-minute presentations, with a fifteen-minute break in between. The first afternoon presentation was given by Jennifer Hunt, the Associate Dean of the Library at Berklee . Jennifer’s presentation, “The Merger of The Boston Conservatory and Berklee: A Tale of Two Libraries,” took us on a methodical journey through how the Albert Alphin Library at Boston Conservatory and the Stan Getz Library at Berklee College of Music worked out the complex details of new workflows after the two institutions announced their merger seven years ago. The merger presented a number of challenges, such as how to coordinate communication between two different open-source integrated library systems, Evergreen and Koha. Some of the first projects after the merger included setting up cross circulation between the two schools, merging some of the collections, such as the classical scores, music teaching books, and all of the online resources, and establishing a unified workflow for ILL. Other positive opportunities to come out of the merger included a staff reorganization and the creation of a few new job positions that will allow library operations to run even more smoothly.

Garrett Groesbeck, a PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology, at Wesleyan University, presented next. He spoke about his in-depth research of Japanese music and how it is taught throughout higher education institutions in North America. For example, national living treasure of Japan Yamaguchi Gorō, a shakuhachi player, taught at Wesleyan in the late 1960’s. He, along with other influential figures in early North American ethnomusicology had a significant influence on the view of Japanese music in U.S. higher education today. Garrett gave a short introduction to Japanese music notation and also discussed his cataloging of Japanese scores in the Wesleyan Music Library and World Music Archives collections.

To begin the second round of presentations Kerry Masteller, Sandi-Jo Malmon and Christina Linklater, from Harvard University, spoke about a project recently launched by the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library at Harvard University, The Music in The Music of Black Americans, a digital appendix to The Music of Black Americans, the landmark book by Dr. Eileen Southern. Dr. Southern was the first Black woman to receive a tenured professorship in Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 1974, three years after the first edition of The Music of Black Americans was published; the book itself is a monumental work that develops an extensive musical and cultural history of Black Americans, spanning from before the trans-Atlantic slave trade and continuing through to the mid twentieth century.

The Music in The Music of Black Americans offers the first organized, openly accessible inventory of the musical examples in the first edition of The Music of Black Americans. It provides full-text open access to the complete scores of almost all of these examples, from sources in the collections of Harvard Library and nine other institutions. An open-access project, the appendix furthers Harvard Library’s commitment to champion access and share knowledge with users around the world — The Music of Black Americans was exceedingly popular and was most recently reprinted in 2022. The site bridges the gap between musical works as they appear in the book, and as they could appear in the hands or on the screen of a composer, conductor, or musicologist today. During the presentation, Kerry, Sandi-Jo, and Christina related their experiences locating the scores and building a delivery system for them, and shared useful insights for those contemplating their own digital humanities initiatives. You can view their presentation slides here.

Hope page of the website of The Music in The Music of Black Americans

Patrick Quinn, the Research and Instruction Librarian at the New England Conservatory, gave the final presentation along with the other members of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) Committee: Jenée Force, Yamil Suarez, and Jennifer Hadley. Patrick first explained the committee’s framework for a NEMLA statement of the organization’s commitment to combatting racism, ableism, anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment, and hatred, and to pursuing EDIJ efforts to create a positive future for music librarianship. Patrick led the in-person and online NEMLA attendees in an informal discussion about how NEMLA and the field of music librarianship could be a more inclusive community as a whole. Both the discussion and feedback provided by the NEMLA community via this form will assist the committee in drafting a statement for the NEMLA website. (See the EDIJ Committee report below.)

During the lunch break, meeting attendees were welcomed to tour the Creative Technology Center and Immersive Technology Lab to learn about the extensive resources and training offered. After the final presentation, attendees broke into two groups to take guided tours of the Stan Getz Library and the Albert Alphin Library at Boston Conservatory. Many thanks to all the staff who led the tours. It’s always inspiring to learn from other libraries.

To cap the wonderful day, the Esli Honore Quartet, a talented Berklee ensemble led by Haitian pianist Esli Honore, performed an enjoyable concert of original compositions and standards at the reception.

Esli Honore Quartet: Esli Durano Junior Honore (lead, guitar), Ciara Moser (bass), Amaury Cabral Jorge (drums), Paul July Joseph (keyboard)

Respectfully submitted,

Emily M. Colucci, Member-At-Large, NEMLA
Library Assistant, Access Services, George and Helen Ladd Library, Bates College
with contributions from Andrea Cawelti, Jennifer Hunt, Garrett Groesbeck, Christina Linklater, Patrick Quinn, and Jennifer Hadley

NEMLA Membership Renewal

A friendly reminder that membership renewals are now open on the MLA website. You are encouraged to take a moment to renew if you have not already done so. If you have any questions about renewing your membership, please contact me at hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu.

Submitted by Hannah Ferrello, NEMLA Secretary-Treasurer
Catalog and Serials Librarian, New England Conservatory

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice Committee Invitation for Input

As mentioned in the meeting report, the NEMLA EDIJ committee presented a framework for an official statement on NEMLA’s EDIJ principles at the Spring meeting. This framework will be used to craft a full statement, to be approved or adapted by the NEMLA board later this summer, so this is the perfect time to add your own feedback!

Current EDIJ Framework: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MqtfVgRfrFlHiXcpxN97p0CZnrMz6d8BFFbO_239Oyw/edit?usp=sharing

Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/bHDCUN1M3WyBexLQ8

Please make sure your voice is heard in this process by contributing your ideas! The EDIJ committee is hoping this will be a truly “NEMLA-owned” statement that reflects our shared commitment to EDIJ principles. We’ve already received some wonderful responses that will help us immensely in crafting a statement. Thank you to those who have already participated in person or online!

Submitted by Patrick Quinn, Chair, EDIJ Committee
Research and Instruction Librarian, New England Conservatory

Nominating Committee Report

NEMLA is looking for leaders! There are several vacant positions which need to be filled. If you are interested in nominating yourself or another NEMLA member for the following roles, please contact the Chair of the Nominating Committee at memory.r.apata@dartmouth.edu.

Vacant Volunteer/Chair-Appointed Positions:

Nominating Committee Members (2 or more new members)
Chapter Archivist
Chair, Technical Services Committee
Chair, Instruction Committee

Submitted by Memory Apata (she/her) Music and Performing Arts Librarian
Dartmouth College

Noteworthy News

Chris Schiff Gives Bates’ Baccalaureate Address

This past May, the Bates College Class of 2023 selected Chris Schiff, Music and Arts Librarian, as their baccalaureate speaker, or as the college chaplain Rev. Brittany Longsdorf explained in introducing him, the person they would most like to give them advice on the eve of their graduation. Students described Chris as a “mythical wise wizard, like Gandalf the Grey,” while Longsdorf praised his “wisdom on how to research, structure, and write about the arts and music” and his “boundless tender heart in helping students as they sift through challenging subject matter.” You can read the full story in the Bates News, and watch the video of his heartfelt speech, “Drink the wave.”

Chris shared his thoughts about the experience:

While my heart will always be in music and the performing arts, in the last few years I have been called upon to serve as the bibliographer and research librarian for disciplines across the humanities. I count these years as the most productive and personally rewarding of my career!

I came to the attention of this particular class through a research seminar which combined Africana, American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Religion. It took place on my very first face-to-face day after dispersal. I found the topic of our research – civil rights pioneer Pauli Murray – to be exciting and I was NOT afraid to show it! The students and their professor responded in kind, because we were all – at that point – starved for close and personal communication. That single library session set the tone for the next two years, and I worked with many of those same students on their Senior Thesis. When it came time to choose a speaker, one of the Religious Studies students that I had helped asked me if she could nominate me. I didn’t hesitate to accept. I knew that – although I have been in academia off and on since 1976 – I had finally found my graduating class!

Congratulations, Chris!

Marci Cohen’s New Role

Marci Cohen has moved into a new role in Boston University Libraries. Previously the Assistant Head of the Music Library, she is now Head of Research Services for Instruction and Consultation.

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.

Newsletter

NEW ENGLAND QUARTER NOTES: March 2023, NO. 213

March 29, 2023 nemlaadmin

Message from the Chair
Proposal for Changes to By-Laws
Spring 2023 Meeting Call for Proposals
NEMLA Membership Renewal
EDIJ Committee Report
Establishing Collaboration with Other Organizations
Noteworthy News
— The Music in The Music of Black Americans
— NEMLA Dinner at MLA
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

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Message from the Chair

Dear NEMLA,

It was truly lovely to catch up with many of you at MLA in St. Louis. This was my first time seeing another music librarian face-to-face since the 2020 MLA meeting in Norfolk! I was really inspired by the program this year and was reminded that it’s so important to spend time together as professionals outside of committee meetings.

I’ve got some brief updates from the board: First, the proposed by-laws changes will be posted to NEMLA website soon for your review and are include below. A virtual ballot is forthcoming and results will be announced at the spring meeting. Second, the work on the NEMLA virtual archive is ongoing. After this first pass through materials in our GDrive, we hope that an incoming NEMLA Archivist will be willing to advise and check our work. The NEMLA Archivist position remains vacant and interested members are encouraged to express interest to me via email. Third, the annual reports for the last three years are live on the NEMLA website. We hope that sharing our goals in this way will create some accountability and continuity in work as the board changes each year.

And finally, it is my great pleasure to thank our colleagues at Berklee College of Music for agreeing to host our spring meeting. The call for program proposals is included in this issue of Quarter Notes.

Looking forward to seeing you in June,

Memory Apata
NEMLA Chair
Music & Performing Arts Librarian | Dartmouth College

Proposal for Changes to By-Laws FY23

The following are proposed amendments to the NEMLA by-laws, as approved by the executive board. Members may vote on the proposed changes by using this virtual ballot.

Proposal 1: Regulation of Officer/Committee Chair Terms

This change will standardize the length of terms for officers and committee chairs. Terms will start on July 1st, decoupling the start of terms from the spring meeting date. Proposed additions are in red. Strikethrough text will be excluded from the new version of the by-laws.

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.
There shall be a Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) Officer who shall be responsible for leading the chapter’s EDIJ efforts. The EDIJ Officer shall also serve as Chair of the EDIJ 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~~ on July 1st.
No officer shall be eligible for more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

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, the Education & Outreach Committee, and the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) 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. The start of term for incoming committee chairs is July 1st.

Reasons for changes:

The amount of time that the Vice Chair/Chair Elect (de facto Program Committee Chair) has to plan for the fall meeting varies from year to year, depending on the date of the spring meeting. This ranges from 3-9 months.

Proposal 2: Fall Meeting Location

This addition to the by-laws will require NEMLA to hold at least one virtual meeting per year. Proposed additions in red:

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.
The fall meeting shall be virtual. The spring meeting may be virtual, hybrid, or in-person.
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.

Reasons for changes:

Virtual meetings align with our organization’s purpose to “bring together […] all persons in the region interested in music libraries…”
A majority of members indicated a preference for an online option at NEMLA meetings in a recent survey.
Virtual meetings allow for a greater number of attendees from the New England area, in particular students and library staff who would not be able to attend in person due to geographical distance or financial constraints. Mandating that at least one meeting occur virtually is a step toward equitable representation and inclusion of these members. This would differ from mandating a hybrid meeting, because remote attendees would not be able to engage equally with in-person meeting activities.
Planning for a virtual meeting requires considerably less lead time. The planning of a virtual meeting for the fall will allow for much more flexibility in the choosing of a date for the meeting and will ease the workload of the incoming Vice Chair/Chair Elect.

Proposal 3: Virtual Voting Procedure

This addition to the by-laws will require that elections and voting for changes to the by-laws occur virtually, rather than in person.

ARTICLE V. ELECTIONS

1. Officers shall be elected by a plurality of the ballots cast.
2. Ballots shall be distributed to members at least four weeks before the Spring business meeting. Ballots shall be submitted ~~returned by mail~~ to the Secretary/Treasurer as specified thereon.
3. A majority vote of the Executive Board shall break a tie.
4. Voting for officers shall take place virtually.

ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote according to the following procedures and conditions:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 shall be ~~returned by mail~~ submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer as specified thereon.
4. Voting for changes to by-laws shall take place by virtual ballot.

Reason for changes:

It is already common practice for voting to occur virtually, but this convention is not stated in the by-laws.
A virtual ballot allows for greater participation of members who are unable to attend in-person meetings.

Spring 2023 Meeting Save the Date and Call for Proposals

Save the date! The spring 2023 meeting of NEMLA will be held at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA, June 2, 2023. If you would like to present at the meeting, please submit your idea via this (brief) form or click on the QR code below.

Registration details will be announced shortly.

We hope to see you there!

Terry Simpkins, on behalf of the NEMLA Program Committee
Memory Apata
Elizabeth Berndt-Morris
Carol Lubkowski
Rebecca McCallum
Jared Rex
Marlene Wong

NEMLA Membership Renewal

Membership renewal will be coming up soon. Carol Lubkowski, the Secretary/Treasurer, will be sending out a message in the next few months with rates and instructions. If you have any questions about your membership status, renewal, or joining NEMLA, please contact Carol at clubkows at wellesley.edu.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice Committee Report

The EDIJ Committee recently met with the Board to discuss the future of the committee and its goals. The combined group has committed to creating a framework to help guide the committee in future iterations and leadership. We discussed the possibility of NEMLA conducting an EDIJ self-assessment in order to gauge where the organization stands, what progress has been made, and what needs further attention.Additionally, the EDIJ Committee will be reaching out to individual committees to further understand the individual needs each NEMLA committee may have and how best to support those needs.

The EDIJ Committee is also looking to help revive the currently inactive Oral History Project working group, with a particular focus on collecting a wide diversity of experiences throughout New England music librarianship. Through this revival, we hope to encourage the capture of voices heard less often, including from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, early career librarians, library students, paraprofessionals, and even those who have chosen to leave the profession. The Committee looks forward to moving forward on these projects and will put out calls to action in the future – we hope you’ll consider taking part or lending aid!

Patrick Quinn, Chair, EDIJ Committee
Research and Instruction Librarian, New England Conservatory

Establishing Collaboration between NEMLA and Other New England Library Organizations

Collaboration between organizations presents a vital opportunity to support one another and promote information exchange. Successful collaboration enables individuals and organizations to evolve their knowledge capacity to foster new ideas and expand upon them within the (music) librarianship profession as a whole. With this in mind, I have been busy rejuvenating efforts over the last few months to build professional relationships between NEMLA and each of the New England library organizations. Within the last couple of months, I have had the pleasure of speaking with the Maine Library Association (MLA) Board, the Connecticut Library Association (CLA) Board, and the Rhode Island Library Association’s (RILA) President. I appreciate that they all kindly invited me to speak to them about NEMLA and start generating conversations about how NEMLA can collaborate with and support such organizations. I would like to share some notable takeaways from speaking with the Maine Library Association Board and the Rhode Island Library Association’s president.

The MLA Board meeting was on the morning of Friday, February 24, 2023, on Zoom. The current MLA President, Wynter Giddings (Past-President after July 1, 2023) invited me to attend at least 3-4 board meetings per year, to serve in an ex-officio capacity, and to possibly have a seat on a committee or roundtable. We also briefly discussed the question of how NEMLA can support academic librarians to best store/house their libraries’ rare, print sheet music collections. Over time, the MLA Board and I intend to revisit these conversations and ideas in the near future.

The RILA President, Rachael Juskuv, and I had an informal conversation via Zoom on Monday, March 20, 2023. She first suggested that NEMLA share notable updates, accomplishments, and information about upcoming chapter meetings/events via the RILA listserv and/or their bi-monthly newsletter, the RILA Bulletin. While individuals must be a member of RILA to contribute to the listserv and the newsletter, being a former, long-time Rhode Islander, I am still a member of RILA. Therefore, I am happy to share anything with them on your behalf if interested in sharing anything with RILA. Rachael also explained that the association welcomes any invigorating proposal ideas from NEMLA members–regardless of what New England state they reside in–interested in presenting at RILA, whether individually or collectively with other librarians in Rhode Island. In regards to conferences, Rachael offered the potential use of their Zoom license for NEMLA to host virtual/hybrid chapter meetings. Similarly, she offered for NEMLA to use RILA’s physical library spaces to host upcoming in-person meetings. Of course, my hope is that NEMLA reciprocates many of these outlets for information exchange, collaboration, and support with RILA.

While meeting with the MLA Board, the CLA Board, and the RILA President, I provided information and links for them to look into NEMLA’s membership, meeting structure, First-Time Attendees Program for meetings, the newsletter, and social media links and how to join NEMLA-L. I want to continue nurturing these connections and make new ones over the course of my term as NEMLA’s Member-At-Large. Overall, my hope is that NEMLA and these affiliated New England organizations work together in the most beneficial way(s) possible, and maintain these relationships going forward.

Respectfully submitted,
Emily Colucci, Member-At-Large, NEMLA
Library Assistant, Access Services
George and Helen Ladd Library, Bates College

Noteworthy News

Harvard launches The Music in The Music of Black Americans

The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library at Harvard University has launched The Music in The Music of Black Americans, a digital appendix to The Music of Black Americans, the landmark book by Dr. Eileen Southern. Dr. Southern was the first Black woman to receive a tenured professorship in Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 1974, three years after the first edition of The Music of Black Americans was published; the book itself is a monumental work that develops an extensive musical and cultural history of Black Americans, spanning from before the trans-Atlantic slave trade and continuing through to the mid twentieth century. The site bridges the gap between the text and music as it appears in the book, and as it could appear in the hands or on the screen of a composer, conductor, or musicologist today.

This appendix to the book was created with the support of an Advancing Open Knowledge grant from Harvard Library and is included on the website already designed for the Eileen Southern Project, launched in 2022. The Music in The Music of Black Americans, available at https://musicinmoba.harvardmusiclib.share.library.harvard.edu/, offers the first organized, openly accessible inventory of the musical examples in the first edition of The Music of Black Americans. It provides full-text open access to the complete scores of almost all of these examples, from sources in the collections of Harvard Library and nine other institutions. As an open-access project, the appendix furthers Harvard Library’s commitment to champion access and share knowledge with users around the world. (The Music of Black Americans was exceedingly popular and was most recently reprinted in 2022). Digital scores available on The Music in The Music of Black Americans include:

Scott’s Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag (digital score provided by Indiana University Library)
R. Nathaniel Dett’s In The Bottoms (digital score provided by University of Rochester Library)
Bob Cole’s Under the Bamboo Tree (digital score provided by Harvard Library)

Should you have a question about the project, please feel free to reach out to the project partners, Christina Linklater, Kerry Masteller and Sandi-Jo Malmon.

Submitted by Sandi-Jo Malmon, Librarian for Collection Development Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard University

NEMLA Dinner at MLA

Photos thanks to Marci Cohen!

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:
Carol Lubkowski
clubkows at wellesley.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.

Chair: Anne Adams Metadata Manager Loeb Music Library Harvard University Cambridge, MA anneadams at fas.harvard.edu
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Emily Colucci Library Assistant, Access Services George and Helen Ladd Library Bates College Lewiston, ME ecolucci at bates.edu emcguitar at gmail.com
Past Chair: Judith S. Pinnolis Retired: Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee Boston, MA jpinnolis at gmail.com
Secretary-Treasurer: Hannah Ferello Catalog & Serials Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice: Patrick Quinn Research and Instruction Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA patrick.quinn at necmusic.edu
Member-At-Large: Marci Cohen Retired: Head, Music Library Boston University Arlington, MA rockhackcohen at yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor: Jennifer Thom Hadley Library Assistant Music Library and World Music Archives Wesleyan University Middletown, CT 06457 jthom at wesleyan.edu
NEMLA Archivist: Jonathan D. Paul Reference Associate Distinctive Collections MIT Libraries Cambridge, MA jdpaul at mit.edu
Website Editor: Donna Maher Reference and Instruction Librarian University of Maine at Augusta Libraries Augusta, ME donna.maher at maine.edu

Chair: Anne Adams Metadata Manager Loeb Music Library Harvard University Cambridge, MA anneadams at fas.harvard.edu
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Emily Colucci Library Assistant, Access Services George and Helen Ladd Library Bates College Lewiston, ME ecolucci at bates.edu emcguitar at gmail.com
Past Chair: Judith S. Pinnolis Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee Boston, MA jpinnolis at berklee.edu
Secretary-Treasurer: Hannah Ferello Catalog & Serials Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice: Patrick Quinn Research and Instruction Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA patrick.quinn at necmusic.edu
Member-At-Large: Marci Cohen Retired: Head, Music Library Boston University Arlington, MA rockhackcohen at yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor: Jennifer Thom Hadley Library Assistant Music Library and World Music Archives Wesleyan University Middletown, CT 06457 jthom at wesleyan.edu
NEMLA Archivist: Jonathan D. Paul Reference Associate Distinctive Collections MIT Libraries Cambridge, MA jdpaul at mit.edu
Website Editor: Donna Maher Reference and Instruction Librarian University of Maine at Augusta Libraries Augusta, ME donna.maher at maine.edu

Chair: Judith S. Pinnolis Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee Boston, MA jpinnolis at berklee.edu
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Anne Adams Metadata Manager Loeb Music Library Harvard University Cambridge, MA anneadams at fas.harvard.edu
Past Chair: Terry Simpkins Director, Discovery and Access Services Davis Family Library Middlebury College Middlebury, VT tsimpkin at middlebury.edu
Secretary-Treasurer: Hannah Ferello Catalog & Serials Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice: Patrick Quinn Research and Instruction Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA patrick.quinn at necmusic.edu
Member-At-Large: Emily Colucci Library Assistant, Access Services George and Helen Ladd Library Bates College Lewiston, ME ecolucci at bates.edu emcguitar at gmail.com
Newsletter Editor: Jennifer Thom Hadley Library Assistant Music Library and World Music Archives Wesleyan University Middletown, CT 06457 jthom at wesleyan.edu
NEMLA Archivist: Jonathan D. Paul Reference Associate Distinctive Collections MIT Libraries Cambridge, MA jdpaul at mit.edu
Website Editor: Donna Maher Reference and Instruction Librarian University of Maine at Augusta Libraries Augusta, ME donna.maher at maine.edu

Chair: Judith S. Pinnolis Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee Boston, MA jpinnolis at berklee.edu
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Anne Adams Metadata Manager Loeb Music Library Harvard University Cambridge, MA anneadams at fas.harvard.edu
Past Chair: Terry Simpkins Director, Discovery and Access Services Davis Family Library Middlebury College Middlebury, VT tsimpkin at middlebury.edu
Secretary-Treasurer: Hannah Ferello Catalog & Serials Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice: Patrick Quinn Research and Instruction Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA patrick.quinn at necmusic.edu
Member-At-Large: Emily Colucci Library Assistant, Access Services George and Helen Ladd Library Bates College Lewiston, ME ecolucci at bates.edu emcguitar at gmail.com
Newsletter Editor: Jennifer Thom Hadley Library Assistant Music Library and World Music Archives Wesleyan University Middletown, CT 06457 jthom at wesleyan.edu
NEMLA Archivist: Jonathan D. Paul Reference Associate Distinctive Collections MIT Libraries Cambridge, MA jdpaul at mit.edu
Website Editor: Donna Maher Reference and Instruction Librarian University of Maine at Augusta Libraries Augusta, ME donna.maher at maine.edu

Chair: Judith S. Pinnolis Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement Berklee College of Music/The Boston Conservatory at Berklee Boston, MA jpinnolis at berklee.edu
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Anne Adams Metadata Manager Loeb Music Library Harvard University Cambridge, MA anneadams at fas.harvard.edu
Past Chair: Terry Simpkins Director, Discovery and Access Services Davis Family Library Middlebury College Middlebury, VT tsimpkin at middlebury.edu
Secretary-Treasurer: Hannah Ferello Catalog & Serials Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA hannah.ferello at necmusic.edu
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice: Patrick Quinn Research and Instruction Librarian New England Conservatory Boston, MA patrick.quinn at necmusic.edu
Member-At-Large: Emily Colucci Library Assistant, Access Services George and Helen Ladd Library Bates College Lewiston, ME ecolucci at bates.edu emcguitar at gmail.com
Newsletter Editor: Jennifer Thom Hadley Library Assistant Music Library and World Music Archives Wesleyan University Middletown, CT 06457 jthom at wesleyan.edu
NEMLA Archivist: Jonathan D. Paul Reference Associate Distinctive Collections MIT Libraries Cambridge, MA jdpaul at mit.edu
Website Editor: Donna Maher Reference and Instruction Librarian University of Maine at Augusta Libraries Augusta, ME donna.maher at maine.edu

Table of Contents

Letter from the ChairCFP for NEMLA’s Spring 2026 MeetingNEMLA Fall 2025 Virtual Meeting SummaryNEMLA Fall 2025 Listening Party PlaylistBeware of Phishing AttacksNews from our Members— Catching up with Judy Pinnolis and Beth Iseminger NEMLA OfficersPublication Information

Letter from the Chair

CFP for NEMLA’s Spring 2026 Meeting

NEMLA Fall 2025 Virtual Meeting Summary

NEMLA Fall 2025 Listening Party Playlist

Beware of Phishing Attacks

News from our Members

Catching up with Judy Pinnolis and Beth Iseminger

NEMLA Officers

Publication Information

Table of Contents

Note from the ChairCFP for NEMLA’s Fall 2025 Virtual MeetingMLA/NEMLA MembershipCommittee ReportsNoteworthy News— Alex Waterman Joins Wesleyan World Music Archives— Progress Made on Houghton Library’s AI Grant Project NEMLA OfficersPublication Information

A Note from the Chair

CFP for NEMLA’s Fall 2025 Virtual Meeting, Friday, November 14, 2025

MLA/NEMLA Membership

Committee Reports

Program Committee

Noteworthy News

Alex Waterman Joins Wesleyan’s World Music Archives & Music Library

Progress Made on Houghton Library’s AI Grant Project

NEMLA Officers

Publication Information

Table of Contents

A Note from the Incoming Chair

NEMLA Elections

NEMLA Spring 2025 Meeting Summary

NEMLA Business Meeting Summary — April 11, 2025

Noteworthy News

Retirement Announcement: Judy Pinnolis

“Voices of Change” Articles Published

“A day in the life of a ‘helluva building,’ Ladd Library at Bates College“

“Singing the Sacred” Exhibition

Grant Project Underway

NEMLA Officers

Publication Information

Table of Contents

A Note from the Chair

Register for NEMLA’s Spring 2025 Meeting

April 11, 2023 at Hayden Memorial Library, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Noteworthy News

Changes for Brendan Higgins

Welcome to David Moore

Marci Cohen retires

Patrick Quinn moves to Tufts

Book Launch Celebration

Berklee Library Migrates to FOLIO

Bringing an Opera by Edmond Dédé to the Stage

Harvard AI Cataloging Project Update

Performance by Rwandan guitarist Deo Salvator

NEMLA Officers

Publication Information

Table of Contents

Message from the Chair

NEMLA Fall 2024 Virtual Meeting Summary

NEMLA Fall Business Meeting Notes

Proposed By-laws Amendments

NEMLA Membership Renewal

Spring Meeting Save the Date!

Noteworthy News

24 Hour Performance of Drift/Loop in Olin Library

NEMLA Officers

Publication Information

Table of Contents

Message from the Chair

NEMLA Spring 2024 Meeting Summary

NEMLA Spring Business Meeting Minutes

Committee/Officer Reports

Old Business

New Business

NEMLA Membership Renewal

Noteworthy News

Lisa Read moving to Princeton

Berklee Library joining FLO

Jody Cormack Viswanathan retires from the World Music Archives

Wesleyan music graduate students showcase archives projects

NEMLA Officers

Publication Information

Table of Contents

Message from the Chair

Letter from the Chair
CFP for NEMLA’s Spring 2026 Meeting
NEMLA Fall 2025 Virtual Meeting Summary
NEMLA Fall 2025 Listening Party Playlist
Beware of Phishing Attacks
News from our Members
— Catching up with Judy Pinnolis and Beth Iseminger
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

Note from the Chair
CFP for NEMLA’s Fall 2025 Virtual Meeting
MLA/NEMLA Membership
Committee Reports
Noteworthy News
— Alex Waterman Joins Wesleyan World Music Archives
— Progress Made on Houghton Library’s AI Grant Project
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information

Message from the Chair
Spring 2023 Hybrid Meeting Notes
NEMLA Membership Renewal
EDIJ Committee Report
Nominating Committee Report
Noteworthy News
— Chris Schiff Gives Baccalaureate Address
— Marci Cohen’s New Role
NEMLA Officers
Publication Information