MLA in Las Vegas Feb. 18-22,2002 By Lisa Rae Philpott Music Library, The University of Western Ontario

When one thinks of Las Vegas, aka Sin City, Taranto is the second musicologist at UN-LV. images of Wayne Newton, Liberace, casinos Jeffiey Koep (Dean, UN-LV College of Fine and scantily-clad, sequined showgirls come to Arts) spoke of the 18 percent growth in the mind: images seemingly at odds with a music fine arts department at their institution, and librarians' conference! (Although, an reminded the attendees: "Don't forget to entertainment capital must undoubtedly have gamble: to help us build our next building!" a musical aspect, mustn't it?) Unusually, I had travelling companions this year. My fiiends (with a seven-year-old son) informed Plenary Session I me they would be tagging along. ("Is that alright??") Given the venue, I expressed some The Music Industry in Las Vegas surprise, but they assured me that they had Vic Cardell (San Diego Public Library), always wanted to see the Grand Canyon! Our Moderator noontime descent into Las Vegas was bright and reassuring: an oasis in the desert, Ken Hanlon (UN-LV), jazz historian and surrounded by mountains, and palm trees; the trombonist, discussed his early career in Las Las Vegas Strip easily visible from the air, Vegas. In 1968, work was plentiful, despite a along with the Py-ramid and Sphinx of the 90-day "no work" policy for newcomers Luxor. By night, the Strip looks like a movie (professional musicians) to the city; casual backdrop, with the neon signs that are familiar jobs were permitted, but no long-tern from every movie you've ever seen. However, contracts. At that time, the rules were lax, and the hawkers flogging handbills for a wide Hanlon managed to hold down jobs with both range of "entertainment" services are a daytime and a nighttime band, playing somewhat disconcerting (use your trombone and doubling on euphonium at the imaginations)! Circus, Circus casino (daytime) and the FoIies Berggre. While this should have worked well, President James Cassaro opened the 71' given the timing of the shows, occasionally Annual Meeting of the Music Library things became a bit dicey when comedian Jack Association with greetings to attendees, Carter was more tenacious than funny, leaving visiting scholars and local luminaries. Hanlon a mere ten minutes to get to his next scheduled gig! At some time during the Kenneth Marks (Dean, U Nevada, Las 1960's, a rule had been instituted whereby a Vegas Libraries) invited attendees to visit the new bandleader could only retain one-third of UN-LV libraries as a distraction from the an existing band at a given venue. Hanlon Strip. Isobel Emerson (Chair, Department of decided to give his notice to Cy Zentner at the Music, UN-LV; President, Mozart Society of Folies (the less appealing gig, given the America) described the state of the music gruelling schedule and the repetitiousness of collection upon her arrival in 1979: one stack the repertoire). Shortly thereafter, Circus, of music scores and books, plus one cabinet of Circus gave notice to its house band, and uncatalogued recordings! Eventually, they Hanlon found himself completely out of work, became sufficiently enlightened to add a with a second child on the way. He had to call music librarian to the S@, in the fall of 200 1, contractors and grovel for employment. they got their new music library. Cheryl The appeal for musicians of venues like the likes of Wes Montgomery, Shirley Hom, the Sands was partly due to the constant and Peabo Johnson, to name a few. He scored change of acts and the musical variety of the the movie Shaft in Afiica and music for headliners (Jack Jones, Sammy Davis Jr., et several television series. Cardell played a al). Also, in those days, most performers were wonderful clip of "Satin Doll" with the Blue eager to release a "Live in Las Vegas" album. Note Trio and Duke Ellington. Pate National contracts specified that only 15 mentioned that he was practically the only minutes of a three-hour live session could be bass player that was permitted to sit-in with used, so a 45-minute LP guaranteed that three the Duke, because he "knew the boo k"...but, shows' worth of recording would be required there was practically no bass book! to meet the contract obligations. Or, if a show was one-and-a-half hours in duration, then it Pate retired to Las Vegas fiom Los would be necessary to contract for six shows, Angeles some 18 years ago, concerned about which would allow the luxury of choosing the raising a seven-year-old son in LA. When he best takes. The down side happened when the arrived he did not "put his card in" and did house band was required to be onstage for an not list his phone number. Despite his efforts act which didn't fit with the resident band. for anonymity, the word got out and his friend Buck Owens and his Buckaroos were not keen Joe Williams insisted that Pate was "not to pay for a band which didn't play, so the retiring on me!" He began conducting various contract specified that the house band had to benefit concerts for Williams (also resident in be onstage for the duration, and played only LV) as his regular music director, Norman the final chords! Eventually Hanlon heard the Simrnons, was in New Jersey. This Buck Owens recording on his car radio, and association garnered Pate an invitation to was amused to hear the hit "Losing my Money arrange "Let it Snow" and "Winter in Vegas" upon which he himself had played. Wonderland" for the U.S. Navy Band on the The entire recording had been sweetened with occasion of Williarns's invitation to sing at the strings, and the final chord (played by the Christmas 1991 official tree-lighting house band) had been faded-out to ceremony in Washington. It also transpired inaudibility: the entire house band had been that Pate went along to rehearse, and then paid not to be on the album! ended up conducting the performance; to his dismay, Joe started singing the second tune, Hanlon supplemented his income by but then smoothly segued into the correct one! copying parts and arranging music. At one point, the Ed Sullivan Show came to Circus, From the age of five or six, Pate was Circus; Sullivan's musical director, Ray accustomed to harmonizing to the music his Bloch, phoned Hanlon asking for string parts religious mother sang in church. He had a to be arranged for the show. Hanlon was good ear. By age 10 or 11, he had a tuba hired to add strings to the tune for Tanya the thrust into his hands, although at first his Elephant! Decades later, he received a mother carried it for him. By Grade 7, he was postcard in the mail: as an arranger for the Ed singing in glee clubs and choirs. During his Sullivan Show, Hanlon was invited to re-bill wartime service, he spent 13 weeks at the for his services when they re-aired the shows. Infantry Training Center. There was a band. So, for three percent of the work dues he was Pate played piano by ear; someone decided his paid 100 percent of his original fee. For this talent would be wasted on the field, so said work the residuals never stop, although that the band needed two tuba players (they eventually they will decline to 10 percent. For had one). There was also a bass fiddle musicians, entertainment is life itself. available, and Pate taught himself the instrument by borrowing a book. Upon Jazz bassist Johnny Pate began his career discovering the efforts of arrangers, Pate in Chicago, and was part of the house trio at decided he could do that too, and did! the Blue Note. He discovered he had a talent for composing and arranging, and wrote for Upon his Army discharge in 1946, Pate Laine suggested one, but didn't know the decided he would try to be a jazz musician. chart. The pianist who knew the chart was Having worked with Ella, Duke, Sara, Curtis rousted for the occasion. The tune? "That's Mayfield, B.B.King, it's obvious he succeeded My Desire." admirably! He became part of ABC Paramount, as an in-house producer whose mission was to find, record and produce new Delaney met B.B. King in Memphis, when artists... and B.B.King Live at the Regal was he was setting-up Coral Records. Visiting one of his many successes. Pate played a WDIA, the first 50,000-watt station staffed by 1965 clip with Wes Montgomery playing one black personnel, Delaney met B.B., who had of Pate's charts; in 1993 he heard the Tilo a ten-minute spot, which proved to provide the Berg Big Band (Germany) on the radio, and, impetus to his career and eventual status as a to his amazement, they were playing this same national treasure. AAer B.B.'s manager chart: the music never really ages! retired, Delaney managed both Gladys Knight and B.B. King's careers. During his tenure at ABC Paramount, Pate had a healthy expense account and, unusual As a youngster, Delaney saw Louis for a black man in the late 1950's and 1960's, Armstrong onstage at the Tropicana. Years travelled the trains first-class. He regularly later, he was involved with an event (whether took one of his colleagues to dinner, and she as a manager or record producer for the Dukes eventually insisted on cooking a meal for him, of Dixieland was not clear) where five bands and introduced him to her roommate, Barry were to play 10 minutes apiece; Armstrong Manilow. was the headliner. Well, "Pops" popped a button; suddenly there were 20 minutes to be filled, and the crowd was becoming hostile. Joe Delaney, journalist and record Delaney decided it was best to be honest and producer, would sneak out of bed to listen to explain the reason for the delay. This was in his crystal radio as a child. He has written for 1952; Frank Assunto and the Dukes of Down Beat and, following WWII, was a Dixieland were also on the ticket, and their set salesman for Decca. He has worked for Coral with Armstrong was incredible. Then and Records (Mills Brothers, "Ragmop"), as a there, Delaney decided he had to record columnist for the Las Vegas Sun, and has Armstrong on "Label X, Audio Fidelity." hosted a TV show. Nearly eight years later, despite the fact that Armstrong was under contract to Decca (who "Hits are accidents," says Delaney. Decca, had produced a highly successful anthology post-WWn, contracted with Woody Herman directed by Milt Gabler, through the efforts of to release eight selections on l 0-inch shellac his manager Joe Glaser), Delaney managed to 78s, which were to be issued in cardboard record Armstrong and the Dukes on Louis and binders. When the session was about to end, the Dukes (AFLP-1924), a personal career everyone realized only seven selections had highlight. His favourite memory of this been recorded, and that an eighth was needed. session was of Armstrong not liking a Herrnan suggested recording the band's particular tempo. Walking and wearing a signature riff with a couple of solos, which hanky on his head, a Hawaiian shirt and became the hit, "Woodchoppers Ball." bermuda shorts, Pops directed the band to Similarly, Erskine Hawkins and the "Watch my buns!" to get the proper tempo. Collegians scored a major hit with their riff, Remarkably, nine of the tracks were recorded ''Tuxedo Junction," which was another fill-in in one take. additional track required for a session. And Jirnmy Hilliard, in the midst of a recording for Mercury, needed another tune. Singer Frankie Bibliography Round Table - D. J. Hoek constantly being dropped, shuffled or updated (Kent State) to the point where it's difficult to guarantee how (or if) a book will be acquired by a particular library. Thomas Heck inquired Challenges in Publishing Music about Web CO-publishing,to which Carlin Bibliographies Brad Eden (UN-Las Vegas), responded, "How do you make money on the Richard Carlin (Routledge Publishing) Web?" In response to methods of acquisition (Amazon.com), publishers do not care where Brad Eden is involved with bibliography you buy a book, only that you buy it. While and metadata, musicology, has participated on there are still lesser-known composers to be the MLA Descriptive Cataloguing Sub- treated, even well-known composers have not Committee and is presently consulting with yet been well-documented (e.g., early Cage). Routledge Press. Richard Carlin is an editor with Routledge. Telemann's Cantatas. Alex Karass (College of the Holy Cross) The Routledge Music Bibliography Series, specifically the Composer Resource Manuals, Karass's research into Telemann began by which once sold 8,000 copiedtitle are now accident; he had planned to study Bach in the only selling 300-600 copiesltitle. This session first instance. However, Telemann's fimeral is a reaction to that statistic, since offering the cantatas captured his interest. This most "how-to'syy might suggest faculty andfor prolific 18~-century German composer librarian possibilities for publishing. exhibits French, Italian, German and Polish influences with a contrapuntal baroquelpre- The trend in bibliographies is to include the classical galant style. During his lifetime, transitory (i.e., Web-based items). While Telemann enjoyed a legendary status, and many of the big-name subjects are well wrote a huge quantity of music for interesting represented (Bach, Beethoven, Mozart), there vocal and instnunental combinations. Bach's are certainly areas and composers who have music was reassessed by Mendelssohn, and not as yet received a thorough bibliographic his works published by the Bach Gesellschaft. treatment. While Routledge is not a In contrast, Telemann's first edition seems to dissertation publisher, Carlin did post a call have been published with malicious intent! for proposals on MLA-L some months ago, Telemann scholarship is remarkably slender, directed to anyone doing music research. This and new and modem editions are not plentiful. could involve submitting a proposal (via e- Karass distributed a list of available editions. mail) with a sample chapter, proposed table of contents and an idea of completion date. Carlin trusts Eden's input, and titles can be Electronic Resources Subcommittee Martin rapidly approved in four to six weeks. Jenkins (Wright State U) Routledge's $85 list price was suggested Emusicquest: The Music-in-Print Online to be somewhat high, but Carlin pointed out Database Lisa Rae Philpott (UWO) that if one could actually sell 50 additional copies, then the price could be 50 percent The venerable Music-in-Print series was lower. (The margins are quite narrow.) If a discontinued after 30 years' existence as a Palestrina bibliography sold 600 copies, "we'd print resource. It has recently moved to an ' be dancing naked in our underwear!" An electronic platform. Somehow, I've always attendee suggested that there is a need for thought the publisher should have bitten the cityIcountry/geographical guides to music of bullet and changed the name to "Music Which a particular locale, for teaching purposes, and Was Once In Print," but in any case M-i-P is wondered whether Routledge could fill that one of the mainstays of our reference gap. Standing orders and approval plans are collections. The vendor offers a free trial to interested parties. Contact: info@emusicquest essentially doubles the cost of this product. (I to receive a namelpassword. compared the annual online subscription cost with the cost of the print volumes received One accesses individual databases in the over the last several years.) But it is a same manner as one would choose the reputable product offering convenient access appropriate print volume: choral music, to 30 years' worth of indexing which is crucial guitar music, choral music, etc. At present both to our users and our profession. there are eight databases. Institutional subscriptions are $400 USIyear, with access Finding Scores on the Internet Martin to all databases. When searching the various Jenkins (Wright State U) databases, it is best to be persistent: if unsure of the spelling of a composer's name, search 'Jenkins prefaced his session by saying that only the name (do not include titlekeywords); without Gordon Callon's site at Acadia U, he you will be given a cross-reference (not would have had no idea where to begin! He "clickable") to the form used. Some databases highlighted several sites which useloffer free spell out the names of the instruments; others software, providing a fascinating overview of do not. If searching for music for clarinet and the wide range of sources available. The voice, you might have to try several databases, range of software is dizzying: PDF, such as classical vocal music, woodwind Postscript, Sibelius (requiring a "scorch" music, and miscellaneous, to be sure to cover plug-in), Finale, Score, Ghostscript and all of the options. However, I was surprised to Noteworthy Composer. There are even sites find no clarinetfpiano version listed for the which present ASCII formats (mainly single- Vanhal clarinet concerto (there were listings line melodies). After the conference, Jenkins for a full score, plus an EMB edition with provided the site address for the following orchestral parts). Searching foreign-language handout: titles (songs) requires some creativity: Schubert's "Hirt auf dem Felsen" will www. libraries.wright.edu/libnet/subj Imusl sometimes be found by using "Hirt" as a printmusic.html keyword; in other databases, by using "shepherd." CD-ROM Sources for Printed Music H. Stephen Wright (Northern Illinois U) The functionality of emusicquest is being tweaked constantly. The vendor is very Wright wondered why it was necessary to responsive to suggestions for improvement, actually speak about these products (Presser's and is himself a musicologist and guitarist CD-Sheet Music): they're inexpensive, you who was also employed by M-i-P to produce buy them, you use them! The price range of a volume of Guitar M-l'-P. Given that beta these CDs ranges fiom $14.95 to$18.95 testing of Web-based music products seems to apiece, and they contain the music of "dead be de rigueur (Groveonline being a prime white European males" exclusively. He example), I don't believe that regular offered hints regarding their installation and tweaking can be construed as a criticism! The use. One needs to rutdinstall the "setup" once access points are: composer, titlekeyword, for the entire series. While networking is an instnunentation/voicing, nationality and advertised option, there is little information on historical period (the latter two not yet how to do so, nor is there anything to indicate available in all databases; composers7 given the cost (although this information was names are also searchable). available at the Presser booth). There is a copyright letter on the disc, which can be So, do you need emusicquest? If you are printed for presentation to music festival a large academic library, the answer is likely personnel; one is permitted to make an yes. If your University Librarian is keen on unlimited number of copies from the disc. electronic access, the answer is also yes! Bear in mind that the move to the online product The graphical quality of these scanned One important issue is the culture of the scores is lacking, especially when enlarged. institution: does it value ability, seniority, or The "named files" are sometimes good, or not, political acumen. Questions to consider are: depending upon the amount of thought that what is the management style of the person to was put into the production (or so one whom you report; what's your management imagines). It is also possible to copy these style; are there conflicting agendas between files onto your hard drive (possibly the the music school and the library; how are you publisher might protest). These products are measured for promotiodtenure; must you one-third to one-tenth the cost of similar publish or does singing in a church choir editions; they save wear and tear on your count; must you attend conferences; and are collection, take up little shelf space, and are there opportunities for training. Laudati is copyright-free. There are the usual problems fortunate to be granted release time from her associated with public domain editions (they job to travel to Italy for two months annually. are not "informed"); there are access/storage problems: where do you put them, and how do Other opportunities for advancement arise you inform your users that they exist (if from the retirement of senior colleagues. What they're not on the shelf, then browsing isn't is the potential for spousal hires? (Ask the going to happen). There are printing costs HR department if there are opportunities for associated with these CDs and cataloguing spouses.) Salary is important; Laudati asked issues such as the lack for contents' notes for for a nice starting salary and got it. (But, this piano music. There are also some errors: for information may not be provided to the missing/illegiblepages, one contacts customer interviewing body, cautioned Elliott.) If you support, which provides a replacement page are offered less than your present salary, are through downloading (which doesn't address there other mitigating benefits? the defective CD, since one cannot incorporate the new page onto the disc). When the Renee McBride described her experience subscription-via-Web version becomes in filling out a State Form for a position on available, there will be no need to worry about which she was asked to state her present the physical location; users will be able to salary. There was no place to indicate that access the Web version from home, and salary was not the prime consideration, and presumably it will be easier to find. she felt disclosing her salary might have put her beyond the committee's consideration. Interview Workshop. Paula Elliott Laudati emphasized the need to stay vital. (Washington State U) One can wait one's turn, but it is important to do your job. Partnering with different Moving, Choosing, Waiting your Turn departments can keep one's interest; working with students is a guarantee that one remains Paula welcomed the panel: Geraldine vital. Express an interest in interdisciplinary Laudati (U Wisconsin), Michael Rogan studies; Laudati never expected she would be (Tufts), and Renee McBride (UCLA and MLA learning Indonesian, but she has. Laudati Placement Officer). described herself as terminally enthusiastic and she enjoys her adventures with students. Laudati described herself as being occupied, vitally interested, and never bored. Michael Rogan offered his perspectives on She presently has the job of her dreams and, the employer's viewpoint, having recently unusually, has spent her entire 25-year career been unable to fill a position. He suggested as either an acting director or director in all of that when going in to an interview situation, her jobs. Certainly, there are gender issues, there is a house advantage in that the applicant but it is also important to have a sense of self pool must be presented through the HR and make the decision to apply for a position. department. The employer wants to make a good match; the candidate wants to buy in. Recently, a search had to be extended in order contract positions fiequently involve the to have a pool fiom which to select: one cataloguing of sheet music collections. qualified candidate applied, but it was decided Technical-service positions generally involve to wait for more. Rogan ended up with two serials and acquisitions duties. Archives candidates who met the qualifications: a positions often occur with museums that deal young man who was creative and who with music and something specific to collect. possessed growth potential, and a woman who A job at OCLC required music cataloguing had a specific technical background. In experience; public library reference jobs stress essence, he had two fully qualified candidates "tact, courtesy and patience" and a foreign to choose fiom. He chose the woman because language is often an asset. Orchestral music her interpersonal skills were excellent and she librarians must be able to mark bowings, make would require little training. Essentially, an corrections, maintain good records, and be employer is looking for someone who will be flexible. Publishing-industry jobs vary su~cessful. widely, and can encompass anythmg fiom inventory management to customer service. MLA Placement Officer Renee McBride Generally speaking, MLA postings show a shared an article, "The changing nature of preference for graduate degrees; combination work in academic libraries"(College and positions require more versatility. Research Libraries 62, no. 5 (Sept. 2000): 407-422). New job characteristics include the Discussion of salaries ensued. Many job requirement of a second master's degree, postings do not mention salary, and rarely is a administrative experience, knowledge of range given. Rather, "commensurate with trends in automated libraries, experience" is the popular phrase. When communications skills, and vision and should one raise this question? One leadership skills. In the 1990's, especially in recommendation was to call and ask the reference and collections' jobs, instructionand incumbent his present salary. Jobs at Eastman subject expertise are routinely required, as are never post a salary, mostly because it is less outreach skills. The number of advertised than one might expect; however, the cost of "combination jobs" has doubled, and living in Rochester is significantly cheaper. "creativity, enthusiasm and flexibility" are Rogan suggested that one must learn how to cited as desirable characteristics. ask the hard questions in a nice way; often it is best to let "them" discuss the salary range, and Since 1998, MLA placement ads have then see whether moving and travel expenses numbered 263 library jobs: 173 academic, 35 will be covered. public, 16 conservatory, 8 cataloguing services, 7 orchestra, 6 independent archives, Common interviewing mistakes were 5 museums, 4 other (publishing, government, highlighted: do not discuss your area of the Met). Qualifications for academic research too often (it might sound like your positions include a musicology background, only interest!). Gregg Geary spoke about managementhudgeting skills, dealing with salary ranges in a unionized setting, and how computer and audio-visual equipment, one might only be offered a salary in the working with undergraduates and a middle of a range, rather than at the top end, commitment to public service. A graduate so that there is still room to manoeuvre with music degree is preferred, with experience respect to increases over time. being described as demonstrated ability to do whatever. Foreign languages are also One attendee mentioned that it is difficult preferred. Jobs for conservatory librarians to turn an unsuccessful interview into a prefer a performing background; those for learning experience: whom do you call? HR academic reference librarians stress teaching is not much help; the chair of a search and reference skills. Academic collections' committee often must consider legal issues. positions seek bibliographers with foreign- Discrimination is also a concern for those re- language background. Cataloguing jobs for entering the job market after motherhood. Sometimes your only fault is the fact that there Taranto asks her students whether they was an internal candidate, and you were buy merchandise on the Web: did you use required to be part of a pool. If you are fiom your credit card; and how did you decide to an ethnic background, it was suggested that trust this company. The same sorts of you should address your differences and how questions need to be posed when assessing a they would become assets to the institution. Web page or article. Is info-lit different for music students? Introduction to Information Literacy Diane Taranto wasn't sure. Music students still need Vanderpol and Cheryl Taranto (UN-LV) to be able to evaluate books, scores, and Web sites and recognize what is reputable. How Information literacy is popular topic of does one choose between two printed late. Students must learn how to find, acquire, editions? Is it better to listen to a Beethoven assess and use information; they must have Symphony conducted by Furtwangler or by some knowledge of resources, and a sense of Norrington? A reasonable assignment for a when to ask for help. They also need to know PhD class might be for each student to find that "it's not all full-text out there," and how two different scores, two different recordings, to operate within copyright law. read the literature about that work and then to perform the work in recital. A Lully aria was At some point our accrediting agencies are the cited example, which would involve going to discover information literacy and will choosing an edition and developing the demand that we evaluate our students on this methodology to apply one's own basis. Taranto stated that the National ornamentation. Association of Schools of Music's accreditation with respect to libraries is quite American Music Roundtable Peter Hirsch sparse: "provide the opportunity for every (NypL) music student to develop individual potentialities to the utmost." However, for No Room in the Garage: A Brief History new DMA students, the NASM is interested and a Possible Agenda for American in information literacy, without naming it as Independent Experimental Music such. Publishing B1 is now a four-letter word! It's not Larry Polansky is Chair, Dartmouth enough to say that New Grove is good, rather, College of Music, a composer and a co- students need to know how to evaluate a director of Frog Peak Music. Jody Diamond source and be information-smart. The is Professor at Dartmouth and her research challenge is how to design a 21St-century interest is Asian music. research assignment that deters plagiarism. The biggest difference between B1 and info-lit Frog Peak Music (FP) is a 20+ year-old is that the former is fixed and the teacher is in composers' collective, begun in the Bay area control. Info-Lit is dynamic and due to a crisis in the distribution and developmental, and encourages collaboration availability of the music of new composers. and independent thinking. The end results of These were great composers whose works . both systems are similar: info-lit examines the were simply not available. Frog Peak began big picture, but specific skills are still required as a social experiment: a community of like- (how to navigate books with ToC and indices, minded fiiends with a social and community and the knowledge that, for Roman numerals, commitment and no rules! They hoped to X = 10). Perhaps the biggest difference is that serve as a model for others, by not restricting info-lit is concerned with lifelong learning themselves to tenured cronyism and taking all needs. corners, famous or not. The existence of FP caused composers to whip works into a final state, and gave them impetus to compose. friends; only one person has ever been asked Polansky and Diamond began FP when they to leave. FP has one editorial standard: were young, poor and adjunct; now they are elegant, consistent design, and Carter Scholz older, tenured and poor! Essentially they has fulfilled that requirement. Diamond strive for sustainability, and consider learned a lot by attending the composer- themselves a good model for society: art for publishing forum at the conference: libraries its own sake! want to store, catalogue and preserve their acquisitions (acid-fiee paper, more binding- Diamond explained that living American room needed) and librarians prefer paper composers must find a day job in acadernia (in catalogues. Essentially FP prints on demand her case, as an adjunct). The secret to keeping and the Polanski-Diamond garage is a stock FP going was 20 years of owning a big enough room. They offer distribution services also. (I house. FP takes people, not pieces: essentially noticed John Tenney's CMC-bound scores the works in the catalogue are those placed among the titles.) Another illuminating there by the composers. She also founded the moment for FP came at MLA with the American Gamelan Institute in 1981 as a discovery of approval plans and standing means of collecting, publishing and validating orders, where a large library (NYPL,Boston the efforts of gamelan musicians, whose Public, Toronto) might purchase the entire music had never previously been notated. The catalogue and keep the operation in business; power of publishing makes it possible to obviously an area which bears further gather, name and make available what was investigation! once entirely ephemeral. She published the journal Balungan as a means for scholars to FP does pay people a standard 50 percent; share in-depth knowledge and artistic unlike commercial publishers, it does not take creativity. the royalty money. (C.F. Peters gets the royalties, mechanicals, etc.) FP is willing to Why publish? It is validation, and take a percentage of the BM1 fees; some something you wantheed to do. Composers composers assign 100 percent of the BM1 see their works as children; publishing gives revenue to FP in return for FP's them "legs." FP's overriding requirement is representation. FP pays its own phone bill and that the scores must be readable, and therefore photocopier lease, plus pays an assistant for performable. Unlike C.F. Peters, which will 20 hours per week. make a "copy master," FP merely copies the scores. They prefer to use interesting cover It is extremely difficult for libraries to art in the tradition of Billings, who employed purchase music by new composers, as many Paul Revere to create the frontispiece for the composers self-publish, such as Teny Riley New England Psalm Singer, and who single- (Ancient Word Music). There are some 700 handedly increased the publication of new music publishers, and 200 are the composers music in early America by a factor of ten. FP themselves. Notably, FP members banded continues the tradition of a belief that new together to do a good turn for a dead music has to be available, in the same way composer: 10 volunteers worked to bring the that Cowell championed the music of Ruth music of Johanna Beyer to publication. Crawford Seeger, Farwell published and personally distributed Wa-Wan Press Scores on the Web: a Model for Creating imprints, and Ives wrote 114 songs, and and Maintaining a Cooperative Digital Sounding and Lingua presses were founded. Library of Public Domain Music Scores The Dutch do not need anythrng like FP; their Peter Munstedt (MIT), Connie Mayer government assists composers. (Harvard) To date, FP has meant working with Munstedt described how libraries place a friends, or with composers who will become great many things on reserve and, in terms of music scores, a great deal of public domain material. A fkely available cooperative with uniform titles. Ideally, the contents project to digitize the scores of Beethoven, would be displayed side-by-side with the score Schubert, et. al., would be ideal. Who would in a GIF-image, 400 dpi grayscale. Image- like to help work on this? MIT's Car1 Jones scanning should be high-quality, with the (systems) volunteered; it's a good idea to preservation copy in a grayscale-TIFF format, befriend your systems people! but able to accommodate JPG and GIF images. Web-delivery methods must include Mayer thought this would be a good idea, screen display capability, table of contents, and wondered how hard it would be to and PDF printing with navigationlpage- accomplish. A minimal level of bureaucracy turning ability. Apparently, GIF images do would be ideal, but one might wonder why not print well, and 300 dpi is not optimal for this should be done at all. We understand that rapid page-turns. access to printed scores is mandatory since they are essential to the study and analysis of Munstedt discussed the available library music. Online reserves could provide 24/7 models for such a project: access to public domain scores. Research libraries hold significant collections of 19h A. Centralized model and 20h century imprints which are now in the public domain and falling apart; scanning performed by a few people to scanningldigitizing them could help preserve ensure consistency them. A cooperative effort would avoid one search-interface duplication of effort: scan once and create a printing is supported virtual archive. (Special collections are full of coordinate selection of materials to be rare and unique materials; this could also be a scanned means of providing access to these items.) few doing the work Essentially one wishes to use high-quality smooth/efficient process scanning (forget typing in MIDI files), but grant writing many sites do not provide good bibliographic can be expanded later information to identify their musical sources: one needs the composer to be named, along Disadvantages: with authority control, a uniform title, and a need to find one or two libraries willing to date/place/publisher. And, does one scan a take this on study score? Or a performing edition? limited input fiom other libraries collection of basic repertoire Ideally, there would be one free interface length of project to permit one to find all online musical scores fundraising no matter what their format (MIDI, PDF, etc.); what do you do if or when one library it should be easy to navigate. Such a resource backs out could be used for ready reference, and would require a table of contents feature. It must be B. Decentralized model able to display a full page, and possess the ability to zoom and print all and/or a portion many contributors of the page. It must be able to be placed on- cooperation via the Open Archives . reserve. There must also be a rapid page-turn Initiative feature. one delivery mechanism policies/standards Jones designed a prototype application grant-writing still feasible using SQL (HTML environment), whereby MIT could run the interface; others could add- Disadvantages on and input information. This is a table of lack of central control contents interface, with navigation and search difficult to find a central server/institution features and drop-down menus for composers Long-term storage would be the Plenary Session 11 responsibility of each inputting library trade-offs in consistency, scanning Perspectives on the Digital Music Library standards, Web display, printing in Your Future, Mary Wallace Davidson (Indiana U), Moderator C. Quick and dirty Wallace Davidson spoke about digital Web sites that link to other sites libraries versus collections. The aim of the access to scanned music is difficult Digital Library Federation without a search engine (www .diglib.org/dlfhomepage.htm) is to libraries don't have to do the work organize resources (includingthe specialized); fees for access to select, structure and offer intellectual access librarians have no control: selection, to materials; and preserve their integrity, scanning, authority control, etc. thereby ensuring existence over time. Integrity includes moral rights, copyright, D. Commercial options performing rights, security, and protection from distortion. The phrase "existence over CD-Sheet Music offers a site license and time" implies an enormous length of time to should have 200,000 pages available by make materials readily available to tuition- the end of 2004 payers. Collections are transferred through annual fee of $300-$2,000 integration of new formats, and can be licensed or owned: there may be no direct The Open Archives Initiative is the one which curatorial control. Clearly, new business holds promise for the future; commercial models are needed to ensure availability of ventures require expensive annual materials for users. subscriptions and we all might be firther along with a one-time investment. Many libraries are experimenting with delivery of digital audio materials: the need Discussion evolved around future for digital sound is core to our users. Digital migrations of formats. If one chooses to go score collections are being planned at Harvard with a "standard," then the greater the and MIT. There is a need to have likelihood that migration will be reliable. synchronized playldisplay music materials, Granted, there is (and will be) technical and jacket covers and program notes must be obsolescence of the environment. Can one accessible, along with historical and analytical guarantee that one's institution will agree to articles, professors' notes. We would expect commit forever? There are certainly long- digital graphical analyses, with links that term preservation issues and caveats. One permit an overlay of "bubble" diagrams to wants these scores to be fiee to the world, and save/transmit to one's professor. Scores this will require contributions by libraries, not should be searchable thematically. Ohio State just individuals. Ideally, the project would University is working with Humdrum involve the uploading of MARC data technology (www.music-cog.obi0-state.edu (cataloguing records), too. /Humclnun/). Indiana University's Digital Library Initiative is in its Phase 2, with For interest, the Colorado Digitization funding from both the National Science Project and the One Million Books Project Foundation and the National Endowment for (Carnegie Mellon, scanning done the Humanities (http:/dml.indiaua.edd). offshore-participants have access to the System designs must include usability testing project) were cited as current projects, as was and be available for networking. the Research Libraries Group's Cultural Materials Project. Mary LaFrance (Associate Dean, William S. Boyd School of Law (UN-LV)) is a specialist in intellectual property law, tax and historic or educational significance, the heirs entertainment law who also holds a PhD in might negotiate a special license for that philosophy. She offered her analogy: purpose. Music librarians must present a intellectual property law is like trying to nail united fiont to Congress to ensure that their Jell-0 to a wall; the philosopher enjoys the voices are heard. Organizations and mess. Interestingly, copyright law makes the associations have far more clout than daily news. While copyright was instated to individuals, and copyright professors are offer protection for a limited time, that time merely voices in the wilderness. period seems to get longer and longer (Ashcroft vs. Eldridge wants 20 more years!). Sam Brylawski (Chief, LC Motion Picture Again, nailing Jell-0 to a wall. and Sound Division) has been an audio preservation engineer and a reference Streaming audio involves remote librarian. He is active in ARSC's transmission, and presents interesting labelography initiative and deals with digital problems with respect to the public preservation issues. Congress charged LC performance of a work. In essence one is with the responsibility of building the dealing with two copyright works: the musical National Digital Information Mkstructure. work and the sound recording. Public performance is covered under case law, such Thousands of digital sound record files are as motion pictures on video, be it via the made daily via MP3, streaming of a variety of Internet or other venue; the copyright holder is formats, downloading services, etc. Those guaranteed performing rights. One would involved in new business ventures and formats need a "privilege" to permit streaming of are not thinking of music libraries. We need music via the Web. There are limited public to collaborate to cope with the changes. The performing rights for sound recordings. Prior CD digital audio format is 20 years old, and to the Digital Act, the U.S. had no sound the multiplicity of formats present many recordings performing rights. In the case of collection challenges. MP3 files mean a lot to digital transmission, the copyright holder has us, in terms of the consumer being a producer exclusive rights. There are bills pending in of the customers' wishes. That being said, Congress regarding the issue of streaming these files have a mere one-tenth to one- audio. twelfth the sound quality of a commercial CD, which format is not at all attractive to A distance-learning bill might include and audiophiles. Should libraries strive to acquire expand a copyright privilege, but there are higher-quality sound files? Certainly, in terms wrinkles: most privileges deal with classroom of streaming, radio broadcasts are poorly situations. Is a face to face privilege possible, preserved despite the availability of $12 if one is teaching remotely? One might wish software to capture streamed MP3 or "wav" to exempt certain performances (distance audio files, and given the fact that some radio education) fiom the law. In terms of listening stations operate out of individuals' bedrooms! tutorials, digital audio is streamed to a Offerings on MusicNET, PresPlay and other recipient and a buffer copy is created, if only sites are fraught with collections' issues. for an instant. The act of creating a copy, however briefly, still contravenes the The National Association of Science's "exclusive copy9'of the copyright holder. "Digital Dilemma" suggests that libraries must assure the long-term availability of With respect to audio-visual materials, an materials; certainly the open 10-inch Elvis Presley practice session recorded on audiotape reel as standard is dead and gone. film without his consent is a bootleg. To preserve a sound recording under the new Reproduction of bootleg material (trafficking plan, one must include scans of every physical and distributing) is actionable. While Presley piece, using a Metadata Encoding himself won't be taking action, his heirs might Transmission Standard (METS) via XML: seek an injunction. If such a bootleg has there are hundreds of fields for a sound recording. LC2 1 actively encourages the work with optical music recognition, he has creation of tools which automatically create created GAMERA, a framework to create the metadata. In terms of the creation of structure of a document-recognition system standards, with respect to digitized sound, we (medieval texts, tablature, Greek): must make our needs known (what is an acceptable compression rate?). With a view to the future, there is no end in sight: change is ongoing. AACR2 is These are component-based image- inadequate for sound recordings: the album is processing/recognition tools (requiring plug- dead, and uniform titles for popular music ins) which are designed for domain experts for have not been addressed. We would be ease of use (graduate students, Shakespeare ' further ahead to cooperate with the private experts). He plans to have this available to the sector. They are far ahead of us in terms of public by the summer of 2002. The system is cataloguing and providing detailed portable, extensible (Linux, Windows, Mac), documentation of their product, partly in an batch-able and has a graphical user interface. effort to stave off piracy. Philips has also GAMERA stands for General Algo-Rhythms developed "audio fingerprinting" whereby a and Methods for Enhancement and Retrieval tune can be identified within three seconds! of Archives; it is also the name of a Japanese Part of this is due to the use of metadata; your fire-breathing turtle. Essentially, Fujinaga cell phone will be able to identifl and display removes the staff lines, then classifies the this information. musical symbols. He foresees globally distributed library servers for content: scores, ALA did a temble job with respect to the audio files, metadata, primary/secondary extension of copyright in 1998, and the RIAA sources. Applications servers would offer reaped the financial benefits. We need to search engines, analysis, data-format make our needs known, although the artists conversion (score, audio, metadata), score themselves are the most important part of the reformatting (parts-to-score, transposition), equation. We need to gain the trust of full-text indexing (of scores, audio and copyright holders and must negotiate the analysis), and a copyright service (permitting ability to provide digital audio reserves, and to online payment). A library portal would offer meet the requirements of the National access to scores located all over the world and Recordings Preservation Act. The rapidity of to audio, plus local resources; one could pose change is exemplified by this example from a a query by simply humming (not unlike most recent LC reference meeting. Not that long music library reference desks!). ago, it took a week to produce a list of every CD-ROM held at the Library of The practical scenario? Undergraduate Congress... what are the chances of producing student John Doe connects from his dormitory an up-to-date, reliable list at this point in to the system at 2 a.m., hums a few bars and is time? presented with a list of musical works. He can then narrow the results by composer. He can The Levy Project, GAMERA and Beyond listen to a copyright-free performance, see the scores, get/view/read primary and secondary Ichiro Fujinaga (Johns Hopkins) has been sources, and perform an harmonic analysis. involved with the David Edelberg Handel He can search for similar items by the same Archive at McGill University and the Lester S. composer. He can then cut-and-paste his Levy Sheet Music Project at Johns Hopkins. work into an essay which is due at 11 am. the same day. Fujinaga created a database of metadata with Levy Project, including images of music, Challenges include the cost of digitization, lyrics, and cover art. The search engine copyright, user education, applicationsservers retrieves manuscripts and lyrics. In order to (analysis, convertors, reformatting), data formats (metadata, images, scoreslaudio) and Equipment requirements include a library-to-library communication. The computer to perform the encoding, a turntable development of distributed digital systems is to process LPs, concert or recital tapes, and underway; the software and infrastructure will disc-cleaning machines. One librarian used emerge with the services. his own laptop to do the encoding. Streaming is a continually changing process and Ask MLA standards are evolving; one is continually re- creating compressed files. Several libraries Digital Audio Richard Griscom (U Illinois) makerkeep the raw files (storage issues, large Lois Kuyper-Rushing (Louisiana State U) files); 40 percent make master copies of their Pauline Bayne (U Tennessee) raw audio files and then burn them to CD- ROM. The server is transmitting copyrighted According to LaFrance, it would appear materials. Libraries are limiting access to that all libraries offering digital audio music these materials through a networked audio reserves are in contravention of the copyright system, and none are seeking copyright law. However, Griscom recently offered a permission. The recordings are, for the most questionnaire on digital audio via MLA-L, in part, owned by the library; if the recording is response to a recent article by Maple and borrowed, the library tries to acquirelpurchase Henderson in Library Resources & Technical a copy. Most libraries will not copy Services (2000). He was interested in staffing, anthologies (e.g. NA WM). Frequently, access collections (what/why/copyright?), staffing is via Web-CT and password through a (who funds, trains, and services), and formats. campus-wide authentication system; still He received 50 replies and 34 responses to his others freely permit walk-in use, with questionnaire. authentication for off-campus access. Who is offering digital audio? University Overall, the preferred means of offering music libraries, some college music libraries, digital sound reserves is via a Web page, with most offering streaming of reserve audio. followed by an electronic reserves program material; some are concerned with (Web-CT), or via links in the OPAC. While presenation issues. About one- fourth offer it takes a great amount of work to set up these 24-hour reserve listening access; thus, while programs, the subsequent maintenance work exit-gate counts decline, actual usage is is a mere one or two hourdweek by one-and- increasing. The sound is converted to large, a-half FTE staff. Student workers can do the raw computer-files which must be compressed encoding (ten hrslweek), and decisions must to be more manageable. Streaming technology be made regarding the location of the server is the preferred means of delivery, being quick (music library, main library, or ITS?). There and efficient. RealAudio, QuickTime and appear to be no sharing of files or work (much Liquid Audio are popular formats, but duplication of effort); the cost ranges from 0$ multiple formats are often available. Two- (the cost of a laptop) to $900,000 (the thirds of respondents used Real Producer or Variations Project at Indiana), although start- Real Server; the remainder used Sound Forge. up costs are less than $5,000; annual maintenance is less than $3,000. The speed of the stream is an important consideration. Faster is better, but it takes Lois Kuyper-Rushing detailed her more space. Sound fidelity is no worse than experience at Louisiana State. Questions to that of over-played cassettes or AM Radio. consider are who will find the money to install Two-thirds of respondents are delivering and develop this service; who will sound at 96 KBIsewnd; one-third at 132 record.compress/select the software to deliver KBIsecond, the latter being near CD-quality. text and sound files; who will prepare and maintain the files; will the existing staff be able to fit these duties into its workflow or will someone have to be hired; will the maidtame of the campus be participating in spirit of special opportunities afforded to this project; what software and hardware will libraries through fair use exceptions. you be using; will you FTP files to the Web; Historically, print reserves have been made what will be offered and to whom; what available in multiple copies, depending upon delivery and authentication system will be the size of the class. Is offering digital sound employed (e.g., authentication by the library via a network really that much different? Of or by e-mail); and will the links to sound files course, any attempts to offer this service only be for registered students only. on-campus will not work for distance education students. When LSU's system was opened to home use, the calls came flooding in, e.g., Where are Lenore Coral stressed the importance of the volume controls? Slow modem speeds offering text, liner notes and derivative were a definite problem. How will you fund materials in conjunction with the sound files, this service? Is it legal? We have convinced which many libraries seem to be overlooking. ourselves that authentication is equivalent to Jane Pemer advocated Bayne's Digital Media legality, but you also will need to convince Services approach, which would go a long your administration. Post the copyright policy way towards streamlining the process for and your disclaimers. faculty and students. Otherwise individual text-sound-image centres will grow to fill Pauline Bayne (U Tennessee) discussed these areas, which will be a maze to navigate. the collaborative aspects of digitization and Someone asked how library listening stations the physical necessity of reclaiming the space had been altered to accommodate digital occupied by 24 cabinets of photocopied services. UI-UC offers no in-library articles on reserve. Her institution also listening. It is done remotely and is heavily streamlined its media and audio-visual used. LSU offers its digitized sound through collection via digitization. The project computer stations, so access is via CD-players required the use of the campus network, or the Web. U-TN is space deprived, having providing access to dorms, ITS labs, and 20 CDItape listening stations and 10 public off-campus students via broadband network computers. Large classes of 400-500 students access. Therefore the project required central (e.g., history of jazz, history of rock), which support and digitization would be expensive. formerly visited either the media centre or the Since July 2001, the Digital Media Services library, can now listen anywhere on campus or @MS) department has handled all the at home. Questions regarding inclusion of call digitization requirements at no cost to the numbers and tracking were mentioned, and faculty or department for class-related how diacritics are often lost when the activities or conference/society presentation; cataloguing information is cut-and-pasted. fees are charged for digital conversion for Bayne recommended lobbying for copyright other purposes. DMS also handles audio changes. If libraries own the material and transfer to digital sound files. restrict the access to authorized users, then cut the links once the need for access ends, there Discussion was wide ranging on this topic. should be no problem. Coral asked whether Tom Moore pointed out that digital delivery of archival files were being retained, and whether sound to our users is indeed illegal, and that bibliographic records were being updated with music libraries are not an insignificant portion digital-format information. Ruth Ann McTyre of the market. Others were not convinced that asked whether libraries were digitizing entire this action would affect the industry, albums or just required tracks. It would seem especially when compared to the action of that practice varies widely. placing a single CD on reserve. However, whereas some libraries formerly purchased Mary Wallace Davidson stated that four copies of a CD to put on reserve, they no Indiana digitizes entire recordings, and will no longer do so. Bayne suggested that the reserve longer permit use of LPs. Granted, there are setting, with controlled access, fulfilled the preservation issues associated with LPs, but we've not been dealing with digitized sound Archiving in the Digital Domain: an long enough to know all the associated Overview Konrad Strauss (Indiana problems inherent with the format. Again, are University) there differences between providing digitized recordings for prescribed course-related Strauss is the incoming Director of listening as opposed to general listening? She Recording Arts at Indiana U; his client resume said that so far "they're not coming after us," includes Cirque du Soleil, the Chicago but that it is a calculated risk taken in Symphony, Itzak Perlman, and the New York consultation with the university council. It Symphony Orchestra. seems that several institutions use BlackBoard or Web-CT software to restrict access to Digital-archiving initiatives require registered students. But one attendee reported informed decisions regarding the longevity of that she had still had access to materials from media, format, and hardware; data capacity previous terms, long after the courses were (CD-R is low capacity, a mere 650 MB); completed, and cautioned libraries to ensure price; availability; metadata; ease of access; that the links were indeed severed after a shelf space (114-inch tapes are heavy); and the specified length of time. And Bonna ease of refreshing and reformatting one's data Boettcher assured attendees that MLA is must also be considered. With respect to lobbying appropriate bodies with respect to formats, one needs stand-alone hardware for the Digital Futures Coalition and in regard to each of them plus a computer. Will files be pending legislation and court cases. stored online or offline? In the case of compressed formats, one must keep an Save the Sound! archived full-resolution file on a computer. Strauss recommended choosing a good, robust National Recordings Preservation Act, CD-R, like Mitsui gold discs, at a price of 75 Mary Russell-Bucknum (Library of Congress) centsldisc (don't pay more!) and a 44.1 KHz sampling rate: record at the highest resolution There is an effort underway to begin a possible. National Recordings Registry similar to the National Film Registry. This initiative would The Broadcast Wave Format has been involve sharing sound files, resulting in a designed to include metadata that comprehensive national sound recordings' accompanies the sound: broadcast audio preservation system which would improve extension chunk, cue-sheet chunk, quality user accessibility to recordings for educational chunk, audio data, and an optional-data chunk. purposes. A Web site is to be developed soon. The format uses MS.wav, is compatible with This will be a federally chartered organization most digital audio programs, and includes the that can issue tax receipts for gifts, to be metadata in the "additional" chunks. funded annually to the tune of $250,000 a year Mandatory chunks are: description = title; for seven years. The inaugural meeting was originator = artist, orchestra; originator scheduled for March 12,2002. Sam Brylawski reference = cataloguing number; originator (LC) and Jirn Farrington (Sibley) are members date = time-stamp; time reference = sample of the committee. Brylawski noted that, count; and coding history = copied history. optirnally, this group will be comprised of The additional optional chunks include . academics, librarians, archivists, recording quality, peak envelope (i.e., the loudest point engineers, and the heads of ASCAP and on the file), audio decision list, and the edit RIAA. One attendee suggested that having a decision list. Channels under development list of the sound reproduction equipment include multi-channel audio and a film owned by institutions would be useful. (e.g., chunk, proposals for additional chunks are players for wax cylinders, eight-track tape also being accepted. players). The presence of a sound engineer is required for a digitization project; the engineer colleagues pay tribute to those who have must listen, make notes, and prepare the passed away in the preceding year. Some of metadata. There are systems which will the names may be unfamiliar, given that automate the process, but there are pluses and several of the deceased were octogenarians (or minuses associated with each in terms of older, Sydney Beck was 95); other names are compatibility with standard formats, or indeed familiar (Richard F. French, 85), and it whether the data files are created/transferred is delightful to hear personal anecdotes about in real time or not. Straws presented the them. This year's list was longer than ever, storage capacity of commercially available augmented by the untimely death of Edie magnetic storage tapes (114-inch, 4 mm, 8 Tibbits (whom I met at Rare Book School), mm, 1-inch) by manufacturer, with ranges and also including Fred Bindman, Sydney from 400 ME3 to 11 GB, and offered similar Beck, Sylvia Goldstein, Elizabeth Olrnsted, statistics for optical discs: CD-R = 700 MB; and Ron Freed. CD-RW = 650 MB; DVD-R = 4.37 GB; DVD-RW =4.37 GB; DVD-RAM =4.37 GB; Laura Dankner (formerly known as MO (magneto optical discs) = 650 MB to 2.6 "Swamp Woman") has been elected MLA7s GB. He also discussed the manufacture of Vice-President/President Elect. optical discs, and suggested that DVD-R was the one to watch: SS DL = 8.5 GB, and DS The Austin local arrangements "posse" DL = 17 GB, and are metadata-ready. distributed packages of Texas wildflower seeds, and listed the proposed tours for the next meeting: the National Wildlife Center, Highlights of the Annual General Meeting the LBJ Library, and the Texas Capitol Center. It seems that a previous Texas MLA President James Cassaro reminded meeting featured a costume contest; the us that several roundtables are up for renewal possibility of a repeat was suggested (look for this year: jazz and popular music, large Cassaro disguised as Annie Oakley)! research libraries, research in music librarianship, video, and women in music each Unusually, this year's MLA conference require six letters of support to be sent to him was held midweek to optirnize savings. (Las by May 15,2002. Vegas is a popular weekend getaway, and one of the very few destinations which does not This conference is Don Roberts' last as require a Saturday stay-over to qualify for MLA's consummate conference manager; he cheaper airfares.) Alas, the planned local also retires from Northwestern this year. arrangements reception at the Liberace Museum (under renovation) was moved to the Upcoming conferences: Las Vegas Hilton, where the sequins were replaced by Klingons in full regalia and the 2003 Austin, TX opportunity for libation in Quark's Bar. The 2004 Washington, DC hustle and bustle of the Strip and the theme 2005 Vancouver, BC hotels were fascinating. But the pervasive 2006 Memphis, TN haze of cigarette smoke in the casinos was 2007 East unexpected and most unpleasant. (We 2008 West Canadians are wonderfully spoiled by our non-smoking legislation!) This year's conference statistics: All in all, Las Vegas is an interesting place 46 l (including 34 first-timers and 13 students) to visit, with opportunities for family 62 exhibitors entertainment: the Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil's "0" received our For me, the memorials' section is the most patronage. The casinos did not do very well by touching aspect of the meeting, when me, nor by my travelling companions who found plenty of activities for family to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and entertainment. I understand the roller coasters availed ourselves of a bus tour to facilitate were a hit, but mercifully I was otherwise seeing the most of this natural wonder. (With occupied! (Children are permitted in the a one-mile drop over the edge, I only got close casinos as long as they remain in the marked to those areas with sturdy handrails!) Our aisles.) A side trip took us to Williams, return drive to Las Vegas saw us take Historic Arizona, with a stop at the remarkable Hoover Route 66 where we visited a "time warp" Dam. I was imagining what it must have been 1952 gas station. Would I visit again? like to have played in the tunnels the day Perhaps not, but the side trip to the Hoover before the water was turned on! From Dam via the Grand Canyon was certainly a Williams, we took the Grand Canyon Railway highlight!