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)

Stephen, J. Drew

Sea to Sea: The St. Lawrence String Quartet Celebrates  20 Years (CD Review)

Louis Riel (DVD Review)

Gonder, Jon

Wild Bird - Duo Concertante (CD Review)

Neue Bilder: Music of James Harley (CD Review)

The Six Piano Sonatas: Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté (CD Review)

Boyd, Alastair

 
CAML REVIEW 39, NO. 2 (AUGUST 2011)   PAGE 39 
NOTES FROM A NOVICE: COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT FOR THE 
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MUSIC LIBRARY 
 
BY ALASTAIR BOYD  
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO 
 
For over thirty years the University of Toronto’s Music Library enjoyed the services of a 
dedicated music selector, John Whitepost. He worked at the central technical services 
of the Robarts Library, as I still do. Since his retirement in 2009, I have been struggling 
to fill his shoes, while still remaining the Head of the Cataloguing Department, and the 
Music Cataloguing Supervisor. Mr Whitepost was not replaced with a full-time 
successor because of budgetary constraints: in the current climate of retrenchment, our 
librarians increasingly are expected to be jacks of all trades, covering Reference and/or 
Cataloguing and/or Collection Development. This is a departure from tradition for U of T 
/ Robarts, although of course very much the norm at many other libraries. Historically, 
the decision more than forty years ago to hire librarians to specialize in Collection 
Development at Robarts was taken to insure a breadth and impartiality of coverage, so 
that acquisitions did not reflect only the current interests and biases of certain faculty, 
but were purchased with an eye to posterity and for the benefit of a broad range of 
potential scholars. These specialist selectors were subsequently responsible for setting 
up and maintaining approval plans with vendors, thereafter adjusting the approval 
profiles where necessary, and monitoring vendors’ compliance. The sheer scale of our 
current operations (on average, 8000 books and scores per month are received and 
catalogued at the Robarts Library) means that such monitoring can be a time-
consuming process.  
APPROVAL PLANS 
The new reality of part-time selectors (very part-time in my case) means a greater 
reliance than ever on these approval plans. These seem to be working reasonably well 
for the mainstream and academic music publications available from the big vendors in 
Europe, and North and South America. It means that U of T’s acquisitions of such 
material will be pretty much in line with those of other North American academic 
libraries. (This includes music scores, from our approval plans with Otto Harrassowitz 
and J.W. Pepper.) The more esoteric items, on the other hand, are no longer getting 
covered so fully. These include publications from small presses, self-published items, 
etc. particularly in French, German and Italian—titles that our previous full-time selector 
would probably have discovered by poring over national bibliographies, European 
journals, publication lists, reviews, and so on. These are typically the kinds of things that 
are not being acquired everywhere else, and for which there may be relatively little 
anticipated demand; but which nevertheless a major music library ought to collect, if it is 
trying to uphold the principles I alluded to earlier regarding posterity and a broad range 
of scholarship. 
 
CAML REVIEW 39, NO. 2 (AUGUST 2011)   PAGE 40 
PATRON-DRIVEN ACQUISITIONS  
Fundamentally the problem stems not only from restricted budgets for salaries or 
acquisitions, but also from an increasingly utilitarian administrative attitude across the 
continent. University administrators are succumbing to the prevailing view that the 
marketplace is the ultimate measure of all things, including education. But a cost-benefit 
approach to libraries ends up begging the question, since the costs are all too precisely 
measurable in dollars, but the benefits, like the benefits of scholarship itself, are diffuse, 
nebulous, a Social Good, to be “monetized” in dozens of different ways according to 
your politics. From a strictly utilitarian point of view, what could be more appalling than 
to spend money to buy, catalogue and house books or scores that will seldom—
perhaps never!—be used? However, it remains an economic fact that the cheapest and 
best time to buy a book or score is usually upon publication. Moreover: just because 
something has not circulated in twenty years does not mean, for a research library, that 
it was a waste of money. Who can tell what obscure titles might prove useful for a 
doctoral dissertation in the year 2067? One of the functions of a research library, unlike 
most public libraries, is to anticipate the needs of posterity as well as those of the 
present. And even those needs which are commercial as well as scholarly can benefit 
from the fact that research libraries are willing to put a roof over a book’s head in 
perpetuity. If all libraries were to become as market-driven as publishers, then how 
would things like Dover reprints ever be possible in years to come?  
This is a discursive preamble to the subject of Patron-Driven Acquisitions (PDA), which 
for some is becoming an easy solution to the Accountant’s Nightmare mentioned earlier, 
namely, the so-called squandering of money on items that get little or no immediate use. 
From that short term point of view, it seems the ideal approach: find some way to supply 
users with comprehensive lists of new and recent publications, and let them decide 
what we should buy. As long as your users are undergraduates and scientists primarily 
interested in current publications, how can anything go wrong? On the other hand, if you 
are building a collection that you hope will also provide primary research material for 
historians and scholars as yet unborn, then responding only to contemporary demands 
may result in gaps in your holdings that will subsequently be difficult, expensive, or 
impossible to fill. This is why we have not yet resorted to the “PDA” technique at 
Robarts, except in the sense that we always attempt to buy titles requested by students 
and faculty as a matter of course. But the point is, that is not all that we buy, or even a 
significant proportion of what we buy.   
PRINT VERSUS ELECTRONIC  
The rise of e-books is not yet yielding significant cost reductions except when titles are 
purchased in large packages and/or through consortiums. But economic considerations 
aside, there are added benefits, such as the convenience of remote access which 
library users are increasingly taking for granted when it comes to journals and certain 
kinds of monographs. Music scores are as yet somewhat outside the mainstream 
market of electronic publishing. For public domain scores, the International Music Score 
Library Project (IMSLP) “Petrucci Music Library” provides an ever-growing trove of free 
music scores (currently almost 100,000) to consult and/or download and print on 
 
CAML REVIEW 39, NO. 2 (AUGUST 2011)   PAGE 41 
demand.1 For “in copyright” titles, Alexander Street Press continues to expand its (far 
from free) collections, which are provided for individual study and consultation rather 
than performance. As things stand, their Classical Scores Library Vol. 1 (with Vol. 2 
forthcoming later this year) includes around 25,000 scores, which is still only one-tenth 
of what can be found on the shelves of the U of T Music Library. The question is 
whether the Classical Scores Library database search features, and the ability to view 
scores online, will provide sufficient added value to make it worth offering to our users, 
even without the ability to download and print scores from the collection as performance 
material. Once the coverage improves, I think the answer will be “yes”. 
STRIKING A BALANCE  
It is necessary, or soon will be, to refocus our acquisitions, to strike a balance between 
the ideal (“buy everything” plus “the best time to buy something is when it is first 
published”) and the pragmatic (cuts to acquisitions budgets and staff). I anticipate some 
major work ahead on adjusting the approval plan profiles to improve the coverage for 
music books. Our approval plans are by vendor, and our vendors are by language 
rather than discipline, so we will have to try issuing more precise instructions to 
Brockhaus (German), Aux amateurs de livres (French), and Casalini (Italian). The object 
is to get more of what we want (e.g. German books about German musicians) and less 
of what we don’t want (German popular biographies of Elvis Presley). It will never be 
completely satisfactory to turn over selection entirely to our vendors. But careful 
monitoring of their choices and a constant effort to refine approval plan profiles will, I 
hope, compensate at least to some extent for the loss of in-house expertise. 
 
This article is based on notes for the session “Music Library Collection Development 
Policies and Their Impact on the Academic Enterprise,” held as part of the 2011 
CAML/CUMS Conference in Sackville. 
                                               
1 See http://imslp.org/wiki/ (accessed June 30 2011) 
 


English

Notes from a Novice: Collection Development for the University of Toronto Music Library

Meyers Sawa, Suzanne

------------------------------------ 
© 2011 The author and the Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres / L’auteur et 
l’Association canadienne des bibliothèques, archives et centres de documentation musicaux 
 
34 
 
REPORT ON THE “DIGITAL ARCHIVING AND DELIVERY OF WORLD MUSIC 
SOUND AND VIDEO” SESSION (MLA 2011)  
 
SUZANNE MEYERS SAWA 
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO 
 
 
The session opened with Atesh Sonneborn of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. He stated 
that they survived by selling recordings, and that they received no federal or trust money. 
Their primary way to acquire rights is to acquire labels, with a contract confirming digital rights, 
including current technology and any technology to come. They also partner with other 
institutions in digitization projects. He discussed the problem with new material, using the 
example of people from tribes feeling that they cannot give rights to performances away, 
because they are not the composers themselves but merely the mouthpiece for the voices of 
ancestors. Sonneborn expressed concern for artists and their need for proper compensation 
when their material is streamed, but he also made it clear that some performers were also 
highly interested in having their names known, compensation or not.  
 
Tim Lloyd of Alexander Street Press discussed the company's Dance on Video (286 titles) and 
Ethnographic Video Online (750 hours) series. He said they definitely take risks with regard to 
rights and permissions from the performers/culture groups represented, stating that the 
company does not employ in-house lawyers, and would not be in business if they did. 
Sonneborn interjected with a short description of the UNESCO convention on the intangible 
cultural heritage of humanity. 
 
Scott Landvatter, the moderator of the session, closed with a description of the Digital Media 
Archives at the University of Chicago, which dates from the 1920's. Their mission is two-fold: 
to digitize all of their archival materials and to stream them to the University of Chicago 
community. The question the legal office always has to consider is whether or not the person 
making the recording (as opposed to the one being recorded) actually has the legal right to 
give those rights away. 


Report on the “Digital Archiving and Delivery of World Music Sound and Video” Session (MLA 2011)

s.n., s.n.

Complete issue

Jalsaghar - Vivienne Spiteri (CD Review)

Walsh, Kirsten

 3 
 
PRESIDENT’S REPORT / MESSAGE DE LA PRÉSIDENTE 
 
 
Winter has flown by, and spring is 
upon us. The CAML Board met 
twice by teleconference, on October 
31st and March 20th. We welcomed 
Cathy Martin, who joined the Board 
in January 2011 as 
Communications Officer. Cathy 
replaces Stacy Allison-Cassin, who 
is busy being a new mother. 
 
Welcome to this first online-only 
edition of the CAML Review. It 
marks the beginning of a new era 
for our journal, and publishing in 
this format will enable considerable 
financial savings for CAML. 
 
Plans are proceeding for our annual 
conference on June 2-5, 2011. We 
will meet conjointly with CUMS, the 
Canadian University Music Society, 
on the beautiful campus of Mount 
Allison University in Sackville, NB. 
Suzannne Meyers-Sawa has 
planned a stimulating programme 
with sessions covering a range of 
topics and two plenary sessions 
with CUMS. We can look forward to 
hearing our Keynote Speaker, 
Robin Elliott, who will speak about 
the music and career of the 
Canadian composer Istvan Anhalt.  
Peter Higham is charge of the local 
arrangements, and has worked with 
Mount Allison’s Conference 
Services to organize registration 
and accommodations on campus. 
Full details can be found on our 
website at http://www.yorku.ca/ 
caml/drupal/. Our meetings are 
always a great opportunity to learn 
from each other, catch up on our 
activities, share ideas, and meet 
  
L’hiver a passé vite et le printemps est à 
nos portes. Le conseil d’administration de 
l’ACBM s’est réuni deux fois par 
téléconférence, soit le 31 octobre et le 
20 mars. Ses membres ont souhaité la 
bienvenue à Cathy Martin, qui s’est jointe 
au conseil d’administration en janvier 
2011 à titre de directrice des 
communications. Cathy remplace Stacy 
Allison-Cassin, très occupée à jouer son 
nouveau rôle de mère. 
 
Voici le tout premier numéro de la version 
uniquement électronique de la Revue de 
l’ACBM. Ce numéro marque le début 
d’une nouvelle ère de notre revue et ce 
format permettra des économies 
financières considérables pour l’ACBM. 
 
Les plans se poursuivent pour notre 
congrès annuel qui se déroulera du 2 au 5 
juin 2011. Nous tiendrons un congrès 
conjoint avec la Société de musique des 
universités canadiennes (SMUC) sur le 
magnifique campus de l’Université Mount 
Allison, à Sackville, au Nouveau-
Brunswick. Suzanne Meyers-Sawa a 
planifié un programme captivant 
comprenant des présentations couvrant 
une gamme de sujets et deux plénières 
avec la SMUC. Nous avons hâte 
d’écouter notre conférencier principal, 
Robin Elliott, qui parlera de la musique et 
la carrière du compositeur canadien 
Istvan Anhalt. Peter Higham est 
responsable de la logistique et a travaillé 
avec les Services des congrès de 
l’Université Mount Allison pour organiser 
l’inscription et l’hébergement sur le 
campus. Pour obtenir de plus amples 
renseignements, consultez notre site Web 
à l’adresse suivante : http://www.yorku.ca/ 
caml/drupal/?q=fr/. Nos rencontres sont 
 4 
 
new colleagues. I hope you will 
attend. If you haven’t already done 
so, please renew your association 
membership. 
 
Following on the meeting last 
summer in Regina of the Presidents 
of CUMS, CAML, and the Canadian 
Music Educators’ Association 
(CMEA), the CMEA has 
spearheaded an initiative to discuss 
how we might collaborate for the 
betterment of music education 
across the country. CMEA is 
hosting a National Leadership 
Summit on Music Education in 
Toronto on May 14th, to which 
twenty-one organizations with an 
interest in music education have 
been invited. Janneka Guise, our 
Vice-President/President-Elect, will 
represent CAML, and I look forward 
to Jan’s report at our Annual 
General Meeting in Sackville. Your 
suggestions for collaboration are 
most welcome. Please send them 
to either Jan or me. 
 
Although Library & Archives 
Canada (LAC) has been CAML’s 
organizational mailing address for 
many years, this has never been 
formally recognized by LAC. I have 
been working to get formal 
acknowledgement from LAC, and 
hope it will be forthcoming in the 
spring. Thanks must go to Richard 
Green for assisting with this. 
 
Also at LAC, Gilles Leclerc has 
received training from Lisa 
Emberson on the co-ordination of 
RILM contributions for Canada. 
CAML is thankful to Gilles and to 
LAC for continuing the essential 
work of sharing information about 
toujours une excellente occasion 
d’apprendre l’un de l’autre, de se mettre 
au courant de nos activités, d’échanger 
des idées et de rencontrer de nouveaux 
collègues. J’espère que je vous y 
retrouverai. Et si ce n’est déjà fait, veuillez 
renouveler votre cotisation annuelle de 
l’ACBM. 
 
Suite à la rencontre de l’été dernier, à 
Regina,  des présidents de la SMUC, 
l’ACBM et l’Association canadienne des 
éducateurs de musique (AECM), l’AECM 
a soutenu une initiative de discussion sur 
la façon de collaborer au 
perfectionnement de l’enseignement de la 
musique dans l’ensemble du pays. 
L’ACEM est l’hôte d’un Sommet sur le 
leadership national portant sur 
l’enseignement de la musique à Toronto 
le 14 mai. Vingt-et-un organismes ayant 
un intérêt pour l’enseignement de la 
musique y ont été invités. Janneka Guise, 
présidente désignée, représentera 
l’ACBM et j’ai hâte d’écouter son message 
lors de notre assemblée générale 
annuelle à Sackville. Vos suggestions de 
collaboration sont les bienvenues. 
Veuillez les faire parvenir à Jan ou à moi. 
 
Bien que Bibliothèque et Archives Canada 
(BAC) ait été l’adresse postale de l’ACBM 
depuis plusieurs années, cela n’a jamais 
fait l’objet d’une reconnaissance formelle 
par BAC. Je travaille à l’obtention d’une 
reconnaissance formelle de BAC et 
espère l’obtenir au printemps. Des 
remerciements s’adressent à Richard 
Green pour m’avoir épaulée dans ce 
dossier. 
 
De plus, à BAC, Gilles Leclerc a reçu une 
formation de Lisa Emberson sur la 
coordination des communications de la 
section canadienne du Répertoire 
international de littérature musicale 
 5 
 
Canadian scholarly writing on music 
with the world through RILM. 
 
The IAML 2012 Montreal planning 
group has continued to work on 
arrangements for the IAML 2012 
conference. A number of CAML 
members will attend this year’s 
IAML conference in Dublin, and it 
would be wonderful to have a 
strong showing of Canadians there 
to help support them and to 
encourage IAML members to come 
to Montreal next year. Do consider 
going, if you haven’t already made 
plans to go! Details can be found at 
http://www.iaml.info/iaml-uk-irl/ 
dublin_2011/index.html.  
 
It’s hard to believe that this is 
already my last report. It has been 
an honour to serve as your 
President, and I have greatly 
enjoyed working with the CAML 
Board for the past two years. I am 
most grateful to them for their 
enthusiasm and hard work, and 
look forward to serving as your Past 
President after passing the baton to 
Jan Guise this summer in Sackville. 
 
 
 
KIRSTEN WALSH 
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA 
kirsten.walsh@ubc.ca  
(RILM). L’ACBM remercie Gilles et BAC 
pour la poursuite du travail essentiel du 
partage d’information sur les chercheurs 
canadiens écrivant sur la musique avec le 
monde au moyen du RILM. 
 
Le groupe organisateur de Montréal du 
congrès 2012 de l’Association 
internationale des bibliothèques, archives 
et centres de documentation musicaux 
(AIBM) travaille de façon soutenue à la 
logistique. Quelques membres de l’ACBM 
assisteront au congrès de l’AIBM cette 
année à Dublin et ce serait formidable 
d’avoir une bonne participation de 
canadiens à ce congrès pour les appuyer 
et encourager les membres de l’AIBM à 
venir à Montréal l’an prochain. Pensez y 
aller si ce n’était pas dans vos plans. 
Vous trouverez les renseignements à 
l’adresse suivante : http://www.iaml.info/ 
iaml-uk-irl/dublin_2011/fr/index.html. 
 
Difficile à croire qu’il s’agit déjà de mon 
dernier message. Ce fut un honneur de 
vous servir à titre de présidente et j’ai 
vraiment aimé travailler avec les membres 
du conseil d’administration au cours des 
deux dernières années. Je leur suis très 
reconnaissante pour leur enthousiasme et 
leur travail. J’ai hâte de vous servir à titre 
d’ancienne présidente, une fois que j’aurai 
passé le flambeau à Jan Guise cet été, à 
Sackville. 
 
 
 
TRADUCTION FRANÇAISE : PAULINE PRINCE, 
TERM. A. 
 
 


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