Music Library Instruction

by Gregg S. Geary (Editor), Gregg S. Geary (Contributor), Laura M. Snyder (Contributor)

The goal of the MLA Basic Manual Series is to present definitive discussion on specific aspects of the music library profession, but this third volume in the series is a bit atypical. Although it focuses uniquely on instruction in the music library, because music library users' needs, curricular content, or institutional designs differ, it would be impossible to present a single viewpoint on this subject. Because the nature of such instructional programs meshes intimately with the institution itself, to divorce a program from its library would negate the context for its development. As a result, this volume provides three different approaches to instructional programs. Gregg Geary demonstrates how plans for teaching non-music majors about music resources match educational competencies established at the University of Hawaii; Laura Snyder presents the course she helped develop while teaching a graduate-level class on music bibliography at Eastman; and Kathleen Abromeit offers an overview of the program employed at Oberlin Conservatory Library for training undergraduate students to serve as reference assistants. This easy-to-read manual enables the reader to learn about the traits of these programs, adapt ideas to make them applicable to their own settings, and ultimately benefit from the experiences of these authors.

Genres: Librarianship

137 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of the Music Library Association's Basic Manual Series of books on different aspects of music librarianship. Since I will be teaching a music information literacy course in the fall, I figured it was a good time to read this book. It's not so much a how-to manual as a set of three case-study type essays about different information literacy instruction classes. The first describes the undergraduate course at the University of Hawaii, the second the graduate course at Eastman, and the third the training of student reference assistants at Oberlin.
The information in this book was indeed basic, but still pretty helpful. There is hardly any discussion of instructional theories or techniques per se - the authors instead focus on what they actually did and how it worked. There are lots of examples of class assignments after each chapter, too. It's all very practical and a good start to my preparations for this fall's class.

[Joe Matson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read chapter 2 (of 3) because that was the only one relevant to my needs. This was a great resource for suggested textbooks, sample assignments, and some crucial advice about how to make a class on using music libraries successful.

[Mills College Library]

025.56678 G292 2004