About the Music Library

The Irving S. Gilmore Music Library

Overview

Contact Info

Room Numbers

Locations in the Music Library

 

Overview 

The Irving S. Gilmore Music Library at Yale University is one of the largest collections of music scores, sound recordings, and music research materials in the United States. As such, the Music Library reflects the centrality of musical performance and scholarship to the University throughout its history. The library holds a wealth of printed, recorded, online, manuscript, and microform materials for the performance and study of music.  These include approximately 120,000 scores and parts; 81,000 books about music; 43,000 LP recordings and compact discs; 1,500 DVDs and videotapes; and 425 active subscriptions to music periodicals.  Ebooks and online databases of articles (citations and full-text), books, scores, sound recordings (streaming audio), and video recordings (streaming video) allow Yale students and faculty to access materials from anywhere in the world, 24/7.  Among the strengths of the Music Library collections are complete runs of nearly every available monumental set and composer's collected edition, and an extensive reference collection of encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, composer thematic catalogs, library catalogs, and discographies, both print and online.  Hundreds of published facsimiles that recreate the appearance of early editions and important manuscripts, such as the Squarcialupi Codex and the Chansonnier of Jean de Montchenu, form another rich collection that enhances our understanding of the compositional process and physical forms in which music was made available during earlier periods.

Amplifying the Music Library's circulating, periodical, and reference collections are the Special Collections of rare editions, single manuscripts, and archival collections, as well as the American Musical Theatre Collectionthe Historical Sound Recordings Collection, and the Oral History of American Music.  The special collections include 11,600 microforms of manuscripts, scores, books, dissertations, library catalogs, manuscripts, periodicals, and scores; 45,000 pieces of sheet music; 95,000 photographs; the personal papers and archival collections of about 140 composers and musicians; approximately 650 individual music manuscripts not forming a portion of a larger collection.  The Collection of Historical Sound Recordings holds more than 280,000 historic sound recordings. Oral History of American Music has created a collection of more than 2,000 of in-depth audio and video interviews with major musical figures of our time.

 

Contact Info

Music Library
Yale University Library
120 High Street
PO Box 208240
New Haven, CT 06520-8240 USA
Phone: (203) 432-0492 FAX: (203) 432-7339

General, Reference, or Research Questions: musiclibrary@yale.edu

Music Special Collections Inquiries: musicspecialcollections@yale.edu

Music Special Collections Reproductions: musicreproductionrequests@yale.edu

Staff Directory

The Music Library is located within Sterling Memorial Library

 

Room Numbers

ML 1-4 are in the basement, ML 100-115 are on the main level, ML 101M-108M are on the mezzanine level.

 

Locations in the Music Library

 
Collection

  • Circulating books and scores - basement
  • Course reserves - behind Circulation Desk
  • Historical Sound Recordings reference collection - basement (beyond the LC class B-L, N-Z regular and + sections)
  • New books shelf - Circulation Desk
  • Periodicals
    • current periodicals - first floor on display shelves
    • bound volumes - basement (ML 4)
  • Reference Collection - second floor; overflow Yale class reference materials, and M2 or M3 reference sets are in the basement (ML 4)
  • Recordings Collection - ask at Circulation Desk.
 
IT

  • Quick lookup workstation - first floor
  • Public workstations - first floor and basement
  • Public scanners - first floor
  • Photocopier - first floor
 
Service

  • Circulation Desk - first floor
  • Administration Offices - second floor
  • Reference Offices - first floor, ML104 and ML115
 
Study

  • Reading tables and armchairs - Reference room on second floor
  • Student carrels and lockers - basement
  • Harold E. Samuel Recordings Listening Area - first floor
    • Includes listening stations (CD players, cassette tape players, and turntables), four video & DVD stations, and a Clavinova
  • Rare Books Reading Room - second floor (enter via administration offices)
 
Teaching

  • Seminar rooms - second floor adjacent to the Reference Room
  • Historical Sound Recordings Seminar Room - basement
 
Last modified: 
Thursday, May 4, 2023 - 3:22pm