A Virtual Tour: Allen Music Library
Presenter Notes
The Allen Music Library is here to serve not only our College of Music, but also the
larger FSU and Tallahassee communities.
We are here to serve you and welcome your suggestions for new services and
materials.
This presentation will introduce you to some of our services and resources (print,
electronic, and human!). Please feel free to contact the library directly if you have any
questions.
Signs around the Library
There are so many signs around the library, so let’s take note of a few specific ones.
Announcements about upcoming events, new policies, library services, etc. are
highlighted on our whiteboard as you walk in the door. Other signs appear throughout
the library that are worth noticing.
The Circulation Desk
First, don’t panic!! We are here to help you!
Our Circulation Desk on the ground floor functions as our location for circulation and
media material retrieval. If you are looking for CDs, VHS, LPs, DVDs, or other media,
we are happy to pull them for you. Course Reserves are also kept behind the
Circulation Desk and can be used in the library for two hours at a time.
Technology Centers
The Music Library offers more than 20 public computer stations complete with Microsoft
Office, Finale, and other basic computing needs.
In addition we have 3 photocopiers (2 black & white, 1 color), network printer, 2 digital
scanners, 1 flatbed scanner, microfilm reader, CD/LP players, and VHS/DVD players. If
you just are just wanting to quickly look up an item in the catalog to retrieve it from the
shelf, we also offer to catalog-only stations on the second floor.
Warren D. Allen Music Library 2014
Created by: Patrick Fulton & Sara Nodine
Research and Reference Collections
On our ground floor you will find our general Reference and Library Research
collections. We have print copies of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, and many other valuable reference resources.
Complete works of various composers can be found in the research collection. These
materials are available for use in the library, though faculty and teaching assistants may
check out Library Research materials for one week.
M, ML, and MT Collections
Our upstairs houses our circulating score and book collections. The scores are located
in the M collection and are categorized by instrument and ensemble type, according to
the Library of Congress classification schedule. Books on composers, performers,
world music, philosophy, and many other topics are located in the ML collection (Music
Literature). Finally, music teaching and theoretical materials are located in the MT
collection.
Feel free to browse these collections and place any items you don’t want to check out
on the stationary carts. We will be happy to reshelve them for you!
Periodicals
Our library still provides access to print periodicals relating to music subjects. For the
most part these volumes are bound in green and located upstairs, separate from our
circulating collections. There are some periodicals sprinkled in the other categories and
none of them are allowed to circulate or leave the library.
Many journals also provide online access to their issues, though some may not yet be
available in digital format. Electronic articles can be found through a variety of sources
like JSTOR, RILM, or RIPM. Access to these databases can be found on the Music
Library’s website. If you’re off campus, you can gain access by logging in via the off
campus proxy using your FSUID and password.
Special Collections
Our music library has its own, self-contained Special Collections. Most of these items
and collections are listed in our catalog or on the Special Collections section of our
website. To view any of these materials, you may request them at the Circulation Desk.
We have items dating back to the 1500s, rare first-edition music treatises, and original
manuscripts. Here on the screen you can see a photo of the piano/vocal manuscript to
Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah.
Warren D. Allen Music Library 2014
Created by: Patrick Fulton & Sara Nodine
In the future we are hoping to provide digital access to these and other materials
through the FSU Digital Library. You can see collections as they are added by clicking
on the “FSU Digital Library” link on our website.
Library Displays
Throughout the year you may notice our exhibit cases in use with various displays. We
are highlighting parts of our collections or celebrating various in the College of Music
and beyond! Here you see a recent display of our Player Piano Rolls and trinket piano
collections.
The Research Process (just the basics)
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We could spend an entire session talking just about the research process, but for now
let’s look at just the basic outline.
#1: Select a topic – Ask yourself “What am I interested in knowing more about?”
#2: Find resources – Using the online catalog, let’s see what the library has related to
the chosen topic.
#3: Gather facts – Dig, dig, dig to find the juicy details. Be sure to keep track of where
you find your information!
#4: Write the paper – Figure out what all the information you have found says about
your original question.
#5: Edit and format – Check to be sure your bibliography includes all the sources you
used and that your citations are formatted correctly. Be sure to reread your paper and
run spell check!
#6: Turn it in, you’re done! 
Using the Library Website
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So that second step in the research process said to find materials in the library. Here’s
how you can do that! The Music Library’s main website is www.music.fsu.edu/library
and the homepage is seen here.
Warren D. Allen Music Library 2014
Created by: Patrick Fulton & Sara Nodine
On the left side of the page you can access information on our hours, policies,
resources, and reference materials like this presentation kit! We also post new events
in the center of the page, so keep checking back to see what’s going on!
In the center of the page you see two search boxes. The “Catalog Search” will search
the library’s holdings including physical materials as well as some electronic resources.
This is a great place to start if you are looking for a list of items you can find on our
shelf, particularly if you are looking for something very specific. Below this is another
search box, “Search in Summon.” This is a broader searching option that will also list
digital items our libraries have access to, including newspapers, some streaming media,
and other resources. Searching in this way will provide more results, but may require
more digging that a catalog search. In both cases you can conduct an Advanced
Search by clicking on the appropriate link.
We spoke earlier about accessing electronic materials from home or anywhere off
campus. On the right side of the page you see links to our online resources and, at the
very top, a link to log in from off campus. Remember, this is your FSUID and password
combination you use to access your campus email and Blackboard.
Searching the Catalog
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On the last slide we discussed searching the library catalog. Here you see the
Advanced Search screen where you can add multiple search terms to limit the number
of results the system recalls. As you can see we have entered “Beethoven” as Author
and “Missa Solemnis” as Title. Searching just like this may return quite a number of
viable results, but what if you were just looking for a musical score? You can also
select a few options to limit your results further. In this case we have chosen to limit by
items only in the Allen Music Library that are Musical Scores. Let’s see what we get
with this search…
Basic Results List
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Once you submit your search, your results page will display. You can limit your search
further by selecting one of the facets on the left side of the screen. This can be
particularly helpful if your number of results is still pretty high.
Let’s look at an individual record. What you see displayed here is the basic
bibliographic record. On the next slide we will look at the full record for an item. The
basic information provided here can still tell you a lot about the item. First, you can see
Warren D. Allen Music Library 2014
Created by: Patrick Fulton & Sara Nodine
the specific collection, in this case the Music Library’s General Collection. If it were on
Reserve, in Special Collections, or housed elsewhere, this is where you would find that
information. Second, you can see the exact call number for the item. Using this
information you would be able to locate the physical item on the shelf. Want to know if it
is there before you even go to the library? The last bit of information here will tell you if
the item is available or checked out. We will talk in just a bit about what to do if the item
is checked out to another patron.
Full Bibliographic Record
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Once you select an item, the full bibliographic record will display. Here you can see
more detail about the item itself. If you are not wanting to physically locate the item at
that time you have several options, located just above the item information. One
popular option is to email the resource’s information to yourself or a colleague, you can
also text this information. If you are using a citation management system like Zotero
you can also export the record for later reference.
If you would like to grab the item from the shelf you can verify once more that the item is
still available. It looks like it is available! What should you do, though if an item you
want is checked out??
Placing Hold Requests
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If an item is checked out you can place a hold on it, which will require the current patron
to return it in a timely fashion for your use. Once you select “Place a Hold” you will be
prompted to enter some information. In the first field you will enter your Library account
number, located on the bottom of your FSU card. It starts with 206100… The
password here is your birthday MMDD.
Once the patron returns the item you requested, you will receive an email alerting you it
is available. You may pick up this item at the Circulation Desk in the library.
UBorrow
If the libraries on campus don’t have your item, you may be able to get it through the
state’s lending program called Uborrow.
Step #1: From our catalog results page click on the Uborrow link to show other items
you can request statewide.
Warren D. Allen Music Library 2014
Created by: Patrick Fulton & Sara Nodine
Step #2: Once you’ve located the item you want click the Uborrow link associated with
that item.
Step #3: Sign in using your FSUID and password. You can select the Allen Music
Library as your pickup location.
These items will arrive on campus within 5-7 business days.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
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If the Allen Music Library does not have a copy of a particular item you need, and it isn’t
available via the Uborrow state system, you may place an Interlibrary Loan request for
the item.
From the Music Library’s homepage, select “ILLiad” and login using your FSUID and
password (same as your email).
Once you are logged in you may place various types of requests (book request form
seen here) and see the status of any outstanding requests you have placed.
Items obtained through Interlibrary Loan can take two weeks or more to arrive, so plan
ahead!
Basic Reference Resources
Here are some of our basic reference resources. There are so many more in our
collection and several of them have online versions as well that you can access from
our website.
Streaming Media
In addition to our HUGE media collection housed in the music library, we also have
access to several online streaming databases. These include audio and video items
and, like our other electronic resources you can access these for our homepage.
AML Special Events
In addition to providing library services and our huge collection of resources, we also
like to have fun! During the year we host a number of events in the library from Go
Pink! Tallahassee to support breast cancer awareness, to our annual book sale, and
Warren D. Allen Music Library 2014
Created by: Patrick Fulton & Sara Nodine
various study break parties to keep you motivated during exams. Keep your eye out for
upcoming events!
Library Staff
Finally, if you need anything please don’t hesitate to contact one our music library staff
members. We are here to help you!!
Questions?
If time allows, spend a few minutes on the website either looking at some of your
favorite resources or do some sample searching. One activity that is particularly
engaging is doing a “live,” unplanned search. Start with very basic terms in a basic
search. Use the facets on the results page and/or advanced searching to see how you
can narrow down a huge number of results.
Warren D. Allen Music Library 2014
Created by: Patrick Fulton & Sara Nodine