Music

Music at OSU

Library resources for music at OSU are in two locations on campus:

1. The Valley Library contains:

2. The Music Resource Center in Benton Hall (part of the Music Department) contains:

Phone number for the MRC is 737-3634; hours are 8 am - 6 pm during the term.

Recordings

The Music Resource Center in Benton Hall contains 900+ music CDs that do not circulate (listen in the MRC). These are NOT in the OSU Libraries catalog.

The Valley Library has recently started to collect CD and DVD recordings of classical music and opera that can be checked out. It is still a small collection, but it is fully cataloged and included in the OSU Libraries catalog. Click on the "Audio & Video" button when you do your search there.

Another option for finding recordings in the library is to browse or search the collection on the web page under Find It -> Find Other Materials -> Audio & Video -> Multimedia Listing. (Here is a direct link) You cannot browse the physical collection; you must request the item using its call number from the Circulation Desk.

Another alternative is the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. Anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in the Benton County Library District may get a free library card. Also available from CBCPL is the Classical Music Library database with recordings that include music written from the earliest times (eg Gregorian Chant) to the present. You can access this with your library card number and stream the recording to your computer.

Writing Guides

Music Reference - Online

Music Reference - Print

Dictionaries & thesauri

Encyclopedias

Handbooks & directories

Biographical information

Bibliographies

Indexes

Music Databases

Free Music Databases

You don't need to be at OSU to access the following: 

Music Articles in Journals

If you are looking for articles on a topic and do not know which journals they may be contained in, please use a periodical database to search for them. (See section on Music Databases)

If you already know the title of the journal you want, or want to browse what journals are available, they are cataloged in the OSU Libraries Catalog.  They can be searched by the name of the periodical or found by searching using a broad subject search, such as Music - Periodicals.

There are a variety of electronic journals about music available by library subscription or full-text within various databases. They can be found in two ways: through their OSU Libraries Catalog records, or from the complete E-Journals list  linked on the Libraries' home page.

Finding Books and Scores

Books: Books are listed in the OSU Libraries Catalog by author, title, and subject. The Library of Congress Subject Headings books (located at the Reference Desk) can aid you in selecting the appropriate subject heading.

Scores: Since both The Valley Library and the Music Resource Center at Benton Hall have score collections, look both places and ask for assistance if necessary to determine if a desired composition is located in either collection. Individual scores in the Library are listed in the OSU Libraries Catalog with the composer as author, and sometimes by distinctive title, if there is one.

Scores are also listed under their form, such as Harpsichord music or Symphonies - Scores.For works of music issued in parts of collections, see books listed in the Music Research Guide under the heading Indexes to Music.

To locate and request scores from other libraries, use the new Summit catalog. With one search, the new catalog presents results from the collections of regional academic library catalogs (indicated by the heading Held by: Summit), followed by results from libraries around the world (Held by: WorldCat Libraries). If OSU does not own the item you may request it through Summit. If it is not in Summit, request through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Summit requests generally arrive within 3 working days; ILL often takes longer, so use Summit first.

Lyrics and Translations

Music Copyright

Subject Directories

These websites, also known as "pathfinders," contain links to other internet sites. Unlike general interest search engines, the resources listed in subject directories have been organized and evaluated, simplifying a researcher's information search.

General Music

Classical Music Directories

Show Music Directories

Research Directories