CAML Review / Revue de l'ACBM (Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres / Association canadienne des bibliothèques, archives et centres de documentation musicaux)

Jurkowski, Edward

Voces Boreales - Yoko Hirota (CD Review)

Stephen, J. Drew

Critical Musicological Reflections: Essays in Honour of Derek B. Scott (Book Review)

-, -

CAML Letter to Dr. Daniel Caron, Library and Archives Canada

Keillor, Elaine

Out of Time: The Vexed Life of Georg Tintner (Book Review)

Complete Issue

Boyd, Alastair

Directions in Music Cataloging (Book Review)

Doi, Carolyn

 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 1 (APRIL / AVRIL 2013)  PAGE 15 
The Saskatchewan Music Collection: Presenting the Past, Present and 
Future of Our Regional Music History 
 
By Carolyn Doi 
 
 
Recognized for its expansive geographic features, extreme climates, diverse cultures and close-
knit communities, the province of Saskatchewan is an iconic part of the Canadian identity. The 
complex and dynamic life of the province is matched by the history of its music and a diverse 
arts community. To document and share this history, the University of Saskatchewan Library has 
created a collection focused specifically on the music of the province. The Saskatchewan Music 
Collection (SMC) aims to preserve local history, provide access to regional music resources and 
promote these items through online and on-site access.  
 
Collection History 
The SMC grew from the interests of Neil Richards, a Special Collections Assistant at the 
University of Saskatchewan Library, who amassed an impressive collection of rare and historical 
items, including memorabilia, recordings and sheet music. In 1997, Richards donated his 
collection to the University, where it was stored in the Special Collections Unit and named the 
Saskatchewan Music Collection. 
In 2001, the SMC moved to the Education and Music Library, in the same building as the College 
of Education and the Music Department. Moving the collection allowed the Library to improve 
public access while supporting teaching and research. Currently, the physical collection is 
accessible for on-site consultation, and members of the public, students and faculty may use 
the listening equipment to access audio in all formats. To further promote access, a project to 
digitize the collection was proposed in 2010, and a first look at the online collection was 
launched in 2011.  
 
 
 
_____________________________ 
Carolyn Doi is the Music & Education Liaison Librarian at University of Saskatchewan Library. 
 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 1 (APRIL / AVRIL 2013)  PAGE 16 
Collection Scope 
The SMC includes any items related to Saskatchewan, including works composed, written or 
performed by an artist with a Saskatchewan connection, and any work on a topic related to the 
province. This actively growing collection includes items from the early 1900s to the present day 
and represents a range of genres, including folk, country, popular, Aboriginal, religious, classical 
and jazz. As of March 2013, the SMC contained more than 2694 items, including sound 
recordings, sheet music, books, video and ephemera. Sound recordings make up the majority of 
the collection, and formats include CDs, LPs, 45s, 78s, cassette tapes and one eight-track tape.  
Other significant historical collections of Saskatchewan’s music can be found in provincial and 
national collections. The Saskatchewan Archives and the Western Development Museum have 
select historical materials, while select current popular recordings and scores can be found at 
the Saskatchewan Public Library. The complete works of several local composers are at 
provincial academic libraries, including those of Murray Adaskin and David Kaplan at the 
University of Saskatchewan, and Alain Perron at the University of Regina. Nationally, examples 
of Saskatchewan's historical sheet music and 78 rpm records can be found at Library and 
Archives Canada. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which features many new and 
emerging artists on its online digital music service CBC Music,1 provides streaming access to 
close to 1000 Saskatchewan artists' recordings.  
 
Collection Strengths 
The prairies are host to many immigrants from around the world, and Saskatchewan has 
particularly significant populations from Central and Northern Europe. When the Canadian West 
opened to settlement after the Dominion Lands Act in 1872, many immigrants came from the 
Ukraine to set up farming communities. Within the SMC are a number of recordings of music to 
accompany special events for these communities. There are also recordings from many 
churches in the Ukrainian Catholic community, including the Ukrainian Catholic Women's 
League Chorus, Ukrainian Orthodox Youth Choir and Orchestra, S.S. Peter and Paul Ukrainian 
Catholic Church Choir, Choir of the Ukrainian Baptist Church and the St. George's Ukrainian 
Catholic Cathedral. 
Aboriginal peoples form a significant percentage of Saskatchewan’s population. According to the 
2006 census, more than 14.88% of the population identified an Aboriginal background. This is 
the second largest Aboriginal population within the Canadian provinces. First Nations are the 
                                                          
 1. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, "CBC Music," accessed March 20, 2013, http://music.cbc.ca/.  
 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 1 (APRIL / AVRIL 2013)  PAGE 17 
largest group at 64%, while Métis people make up 34%.2 The SMC includes many examples of 
traditional First Nations music, such as hand drum, round dance and pow wow songs. Notable 
examples include the Sweetgrass Singers, a Cree singing ensemble from the Sweetgrass First 
Nation near North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and the Red Bull Singers, a family-based ensemble 
from Little Pine Cree Nation, represented by more than 24 albums in the collection. Also 
present are examples of Métis fiddling, a style of music to accompany both step dancing and 
square dancing, including a number of recordings by well-known Métis fiddlers Hap Boyer and 
John Arcand.3 
While traditional Aboriginal music makes up a large part of the collection, Aboriginal artists, 
including Andrea Menard and Donny Parenteau, also perform contemporary or popular styles. 
Lindsay Knight (aka Eekwol), has received much recognition for her "compelling and 
experimental storytelling rhymes,”4 which pay tribute to the Indigenous Cree culture using the 
hip hop genre. Singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie is also represented with a number of 
recordings, song books, magazine articles, photographs, concert programs and even a signed 
music contract. Born in Piapot near Craven, Saskatchewan before moving to the United States as 
a child,5 she has been an advocate for Aboriginal artists, helping to establish the annual Juno 
award for the Best Music of Aboriginal Canada. 
The province is also home to a number of large community and university ensembles, including 
two established orchestras: the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1926, and the 
Regina Symphony Orchestra, established in 1908. A notable item is a live recording from the 
debut concert of the Regina Symphony Orchestra. The university music programs have also 
supported a number of ensembles over the years, and the SMC includes examples from the 
University of Regina Jazz Band and Chamber Choir, the University of Saskatchewan Wind Band 
and the Greystone Singers. 
 
Collection Development 
Regional music is often difficult to locate and obtaining it can be challenging for the Library. 
Historical items are often few in number and hidden in private collections. These items are 
usually acquired through donation, or from used book and music dealers who regularly set 
                                                          
 2. Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, "Saskatchewan Aboriginal Population," accessed March 31, 2013, 
http://www.ccab.com/uploads/File/One%20Pagers/Saskatchewan-Aboriginal-Population.pdf.  
 3. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, s.v. “The Prairies.”  
 4. “Eekwol,” CBC Music, accessed March 30, 2013, http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Eekwol.  
 5. The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan, s.v. “Saint-Marie, Buffy,” accessed March 30, 2013, 
http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/sainte-marie_buffy_beverly_1941-.html.  
 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 1 (APRIL / AVRIL 2013)  PAGE 18 
aside potential SMC items for review. eBay has also proven useful for finding rare sheet music 
and historical recordings. 
Music by popular artists is usually available via large online vendors, but finding music by 
emerging or less known artists is more challenging. The Library has set up standing orders with 
local Aboriginal music labels, including Turtle Island Records, which distributes recordings by 
First Nations and Métis artists. Given the long history of First Nations and Métis people in the 
region, as well as the University of Saskatchewan priority planning area in Aboriginal 
engagement, Aboriginal music is a priority collection area serving the research and learning 
needs of many University and community members. 
Although increasing numbers of artists are producing music within the province, acquiring this 
new music can be challenging. While copies of albums are often available at live shows or 
independent music stores, they may not be available for purchase online. The 2007 
Saskatchewan Music Industry Review remarked on this trend, stating that “many Saskatchewan 
musicians approach distribution at an individual level, selling physical CDs at their live shows 
and on their websites. The market increasingly demands a digital approach to distribution."6 
The Library has established standing orders with several local record stores to systematically 
purchase new albums. Other sources of information include newspaper music columns, local 
music blogs and reports from arts organizations such as SaskMusic, which regularly announces 
new releases. Collecting digital-only releases has proven more challenging because licensing 
agreements often do not allow copying for library lending.  
Despite the challenges of collecting for the SMC, the relationship building and community 
interaction has raised awareness of the collection within the community. Seeking acquisitions 
from nontraditional sources, in addition to the usual music vendors, has resulted in a diverse 
collection that is increasingly representative of the musical history of the province. 
 
Digitization & Online Collection 
Digitization has also raised the visibility of the collection and of Saskatchewan's musical history. 
The first phase of this initiative focused on audio recordings and liner notes for historical 
albums, and a portion of the digitized collection is now featured at 
http://library.usask.ca/education/SaskMusic.php. Guiding principles help ensure that the 
digitization and online presentation practices are sustainable, long-lasting and searchable while 
                                                          
 6. Joanne Crofford, Saskatchewan Music Industry Review: Final Report: The Path to Cultural Commerce. 
(Regina, SK, Canada: Saskatchewan Ministry of Culture, Youth and Recreation, 2007), 26.   
 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 1 (APRIL / AVRIL 2013)  PAGE 19 
also remaining cost-effective and legally observant. Digitization and online implementation of 
the collection were undertaken collectively by the Music Librarian, Library staff members and 
Library IT.  
By observing existing and accepted standards for content formats, metadata and sharing, the 
Library aims to ensure long-term survival of the collection in the digital realm. The digitized 
collection includes formats for preservation (FLAC and TIFF) in addition to formats to facilitate 
quick streaming access (MP3 and JPEG). The Dublin Core Metadata standard is used to describe 
and organize the online collection, while the physical collection is fully catalogued according to 
current standards.  
To comply with intellectual property and copyright restrictions, digitized audio is presented in 
30-second streaming clips for non-commercial, educational purposes only. The 30-second clip 
was the subject of a Canadian court case brought by the music collectives against the use of 
such clips in iTunes and similar services without payment. The court ruled and the court of 
appeal agreed that the use of such clips in that context was fair dealing for research purposes. It 
would seem that a similar approach would serve Library users.  
 
 
  
 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 1 (APRIL / AVRIL 2013)  PAGE 20 
The Library used existing systems and support at the University of Saskatchewan to create a 
cost-effective and integrated online collection. Online access to the digitized collection is 
currently available through two access points: an online collection page and the OPAC. The 
collection page was created using OCLC’s ContentDM digital collection management software, 
which is shared with the Library Special Collections Unit. The software includes cover display 
browsing in addition to basic search functionality. It also allows for mobile access and provides 
indexing through Google. The OPAC records link directly to the digitized files. 
 
Looking Forward 
Currently, the Saskatchewan Music Collection serves to complement the University Library 
community engagement strategic planning objectives and also contributes to an increasing 
commitment to digital curation projects. Over the upcoming year, plans are in place to 
incorporate the digital SMC collection with Saskatchewan History Online (SHO),7 a newly 
launched digital history project which features historical collections from numerous provincial 
organizations. SHO aims to bring together Saskatchewan's provincial history in one online 
location. Aligning with this new provincial resource will help the SMC reach a larger and more 
diverse online audience while contributing to the documentation of Saskatchewan's history. 
Since the online launch of the collection in 2011, interest in the SMC has continued to grow, and 
research questions are increasing from around the province and country. As digitization efforts 
continue and more items appear online, the collection will become an ever more useful 
resource for study, research and investigation. Situated within a rapidly growing artistic 
community, there is sure to be much more to find, collect and explore in future years.  
 
 
 
  
                                                          
 7. "Saskatchewan History Online", accessed April 5, 2013, http://saskhistoryonline.ca/.  
 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 1 (APRIL / AVRIL 2013)  PAGE 21 
Bibliography 
 
Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. "Saskatchewan Aboriginal Population." Accessed 
March 31, 2013. http://www.ccab.com/uploads/File/One%20Pagers/Saskatchewan-
Aboriginal-Population.pdf. 
CBC Music. “Eekwol.” Accessed March 31, 2013. http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Eekwol. 
Cottrell, Michael. “History of Saskatchewan.” In The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian 
Plains Research Center, 2005. 
http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/history_of_saskatchewan.html. 
Crofford, Joanne. Saskatchewan Music Industry Review Final Report: The Path to Cultural 
Commerce. Saskatchewan Ministry of Culture, Youth and Recreation, 2007. 
http://www.tpcs.gov.sk.ca/MIR-Final-Report.  
Elvin, Florrie V., Kevin James, and Glen Gillis. "Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra." In The Canadian 
Encyclopedia. Accessed April 1, 2013. 
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/emc/saskatoon-symphony-
orchestra. 
Lewis, Merwin. "Music in Saskatchewan." CAML Newsletter 2, no. 1 (1973), 6-7. 
Simonot, Colette P. "Sainte-Marie, Buffy (Beverly)." In The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. 
Accessed March 30, 2013.  
http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/sainte-marie_buffy_beverly_1941-.html. 
Saskatchewan History Online. Accessed April 5, 2013. http://saskhistoryonline.ca. 
"The Prairies." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York: Garland, 2002. 
 
 


English

The Saskatchewan Music Collection: Presenting the Past, Present and Future of Our Regional Music History

Nowlan, Gillian

 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 2 (AUGUST / AOÛT 2013) PAGE 35 
Not Playing Second Fiddle: A Librarian as Adjunct Professor for a 
University Music Department 
 
By Gillian Nowlan 
 
Introduction 
Most music librarians have, at one time or another, been asked to perform the tricky task of 
delivering one-shot library sessions. Not only can it be difficult to cover everything students need to 
know about the library in one or two hours, but it is hard to foster a connection with both students 
and faculty in such short and brief interactions. One way to combat this is by serving as an adjunct 
professor. This provides the opportunity to form a richer and deeper connection with students and 
faculty which is usually not possible during a typical reference desk interaction or single instruction 
session.1  
This paper will look at one librarian’s experience as an adjunct professor in an academic music 
department, including the process of becoming an adjunct professor, some of the challenges this 
can bring, and the different ways it can impact and benefit relationships with students and faculty 
members.  
One Librarian’s Experience 
 As a liaison librarian at the University of Regina I have multiple responsibilities, particularly in my 
assigned subject areas of education, media production and studies, and music. Because of my 
undergraduate training in music, I found liaising with faculty and students in the music department 
very natural. We possessed the same language and understanding of some of the challenges of 
studying music. Although I had established a connection with this department, I was still struggling 
to further incorporate information literacy into music classes and develop a greater understanding 
of challenges faculty were facing: how classes were run, how I could better assist as their liaison 
librarian, and how to better connect with students needing assistance. As I pondered how I could 
better offer services to this department, a faculty member in the music department approached me 
asking if I would be willing to co-teach two classes with her in the upcoming term. In this instance I 
had great support from my fellow colleague in the music department, who requested that I be 
granted an adjunct position within the department, allowing me to co-teach in undergraduate 
                                                          
 Gillian Nowlan is the Music, Education, and Film Liaison Librarian at the University of Regina Library. 
 1. Janet Swan Hill, “Wearing Our Own Clothes: Librarians as Faculty,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 20, no. 
2 (1994): 71-76. 
 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 2 (AUGUST / AOÛT 2013) PAGE 36 
courses. I was lucky; while sometimes faculty will approach you about this, more often they will not. 
Sitting down with faculty members and demonstrating in department meetings how information 
literacy can be rolled into specific classes, and the benefits students can reap from developing these 
skills, can help influence the department to offer this type of position to you or allow you to help 
co-teach.  
Once my position was finalized, my first plan of action was to meet with the music faculty member 
and Iook closely at the class syllabus in order to gain a better understanding of the information 
literacy goals for students that semester. I would be co-teaching in two courses (second-year and 
fourth-year music history courses). Goals for the second-year music history course included being 
able to use the library catalogue to locate monographs, scores, and musical recordings, becoming 
familiar with music databases, being more fluent with the Chicago citation style, and gaining 
knowledge about peer-reviewed journal articles. Goals for the fourth-year music history class 
included learning how to properly evaluate and assess online resources, understanding the basics of 
Canada copyright and how it applies to music resources, and using bibliometrics.  
Once specific goals were established, it was clear how to carve out a plan that would incorporate 
the desired information literacy objectives. The faculty member and I decided that one assignment 
would be dedicated to information literacy in the second-year course and two in the fourth-year 
course. Two full in-class sessions would focus on the skills that would be required to complete the 
assignment in the second-year course, and I met individually with students in the fourth-year 
course because of low registration. Each second-year class and fourth-year individual session 
focused on taking students through library resources and services that would help them complete 
the assignments and on demonstrating certain concepts they would need to grasp in order to do 
well on their final paper. The assignments were built before my lesson plans were developed to 
ensure my lesson plan would include all the elements that would be required to complete each 
assignment.  
During that semester I set up specific office hours for students in both classes to make sure they 
had plenty of opportunities to ask questions after the sessions and while they were working on 
assignments. Once all the assignments were completed and submitted, I used a clear and simple 
rubric that would provide consistent guidelines for my marking. Marks for both assignments were 
high and it appeared that the students had a good grasp of the elements and goals we had set out 
in the planning for the course. Overall the experience was a very positive one, and at the end of the 
term I felt like I had made some great connections and developed a better understanding of the 
students and faculty in that department. 
Not Playing Second Fiddle 
There is still debate about whether librarians belong in the classroom or if they should even hold 
faculty status. Although this is still a contentious area in the profession, both the literature and my 
 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 2 (AUGUST / AOÛT 2013) PAGE 37 
own personal experience show clear benefits in serving as an adjunct professor within an academic 
department. Teaching as an adjunct can also help change how faculty members view librarians and 
enhance perceptions of librarians as educators.2 Some of the biggest rewards arising from adjunct 
participation in classrooms are the long-term relationships that are created with students. These 
relationships help build trust with students and also help them see how a librarian can assist them 
in their studies. For the librarian, it can help demystify some of the behaviours of the student 
researcher. More time co-teaching students helps librarians see the cognitive, technological, 
emotional, and physical roadblocks they encounter.3 Though there is no such thing as the “typical 
student researcher,” a more in-depth classroom experience with students can help librarians see 
some of the most common problems and issues students face and identify what services or 
resources can help mediate certain gaps.4 Teaching an entire course also allows librarians to survey 
the group throughout the term and find out what students like and dislike about your teaching 
style, the assignments given, how the class and syllabus is organized and so on. Overall, this 
feedback will improve your confidence as an instructor and provide some valuable and constructive 
feedback on how to improve your teaching methods and techniques.  
Co-instructing courses helps build strong relationships not only with students but also with faculty. 
Librarians can work towards developing a better understanding of faculty work. This can help create 
a better and more thorough understanding of some of the challenges faculty face on a daily basis, 
such as balancing workloads, preparing classes, creating assignments, and publishing.5 Librarians 
can take this knowledge and use it to offer library services that are better tailored to fit the needs of 
the university community, fill gaps in the collection or build certain areas (for example, materials 
required for students to complete assignments), and better understand the information literacy 
requirements expected of students.6   
Isn’t Being a Librarian Enough? 
Some might wonder, as Jane Kemp asks in the title of her article, “isn’t being a librarian enough?” 
Although there are many benefits to being an adjunct professor for a department, there are 
certainly some challenges that come with this added responsibility. Taking on this added role is a 
big time commitment. Not only are there more classes to teach, but time needs to be taken to 
create a syllabus, build assignments, meet more frequently with students, grade student work, and 
prepare lectures. This can also affect time scheduling within your library work environment and 
                                                          
 2. Adam Balcziunas and Larissa Gordon, “Walking a Mile in Their Shoes: Librarians as Teaching Faculty,” College 
& Research Libraries News 73, no. 4 (2012): 192-195. 
 3. Kimberley Donnelly, “Reflections on What Happens When Librarians Become Teachers,” Computers in 
Libraries 20, no. 3 (2000): 46-49.  
 4. Kathy Campbell, “When a Librarian Enters the Classroom: My Experiences Teaching a Freshman Experience 
Class,” College & Research Libraries News 69, no. 10 (2008): 606-617. 
 5. Balcziunas and Gordon, “Walking a Mile.”  
 6. Jane Kemp, “Isn’t Being a Librarian Enough? Librarians as Classroom Teachers,” College & Undergraduate 
Libraries 13, no. 3 (2006): 3-23. 
 CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM  41, NO. 2 (AUGUST / AOÛT 2013) PAGE 38 
make prior work commitments more challenging to organize. Depending on the workload of the 
course it is best to examine your schedule and decide if there are items you are willing and able to 
let go of or if there is any flexibility to your schedule or assigned duties. There is also some flexibility 
in duties as an adjunct. Being an adjunct professor can involve teaching many classes, or just one. 
The level of involvement can also be discussed in the beginning stages. If your schedule as a 
librarian is very heavy, you may only want to participate in the classroom time and leave the 
marking and assignment creation mostly up to the professor.  
Concluding Thoughts 
There are clear benefits to working as an adjunct. This type of position can help solidify connections 
with your department and strengthen the relationship between that department and the library. 
These connections are paramount in demonstrating the importance of the library and of librarians 
on campus and help librarians gain a better understanding of how to offer valuable services to our 
community. 
 
 
References 
 
Balcziunas, Adam, and Larissa Gordon. “Walking a Mile in Their Shoes: Librarians as Teaching 
Faculty.” College & Research Libraries News 73, no. 4 (2012): 192-195. 
 
Blakeslee, Sarah. “Librarian in a Strange Land: Teaching a Freshman Orientation Course.” 
Reference Services Review 26, no. 2 (1998): 73-78. doi: 10.1108/00907329810307678.  
 
Campbell, Kathy. “When a Librarian Enters the Classroom: My Experiences Teaching a 
Freshman Experience Class.” College & Research Libraries News 69, no. 10 (2008): 606-
617. 
 
Donnelly, Kimberley. “Reflections on What Happens When Librarians Become Teachers.” 
Computers in Libraries 20, no. 3 (2000): 46-49.  
 
Hill, Janet Swan. “Wearing Our Own Clothes: Librarians as Faculty.” Journal of Academic 
Librarianship 20, no. 2 (1994): 71-76. 
 
Kemp, Jane. “Isn’t Being a Librarian Enough? Librarians as Classroom Teachers.” College & 
Undergraduate Libraries 13, no. 3 (2006): 3-23. doi: 10.1300/J106v13n03_02. 
 


Not Playing Second Fiddle: A Librarian as Adjunct Professor for a University Music Department

Martin, Cathy

Not a member yet

Voces Boreales - Yoko Hirota (CD Review)

Critical Musicological Reflections: Essays in Honour of Derek B. Scott (Book Review)

CAML Letter to Dr. Daniel Caron, Library and Archives Canada

Out of Time: The Vexed Life of Georg Tintner (Book Review)

Complete Issue

Directions in Music Cataloging (Book Review)

Complete Issue

The Saskatchewan Music Collection: Presenting the Past, Present and Future of Our Regional Music History

Not Playing Second Fiddle: A Librarian as Adjunct Professor for a University Music Department

Complete Issue

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