Use the Library Search to search for books, ebooks, CDs, and DVDs, and a few VHS tapes. Don't let format keep you from accessing great materials! There is a VHS/DVD player in the assistive technology room, and you can check out an external drive to play CDs and DVDs in the library--just bring your earbuds or headphones! All physical materials are organized by the Library of Congress Classification. A guide to call numbers based on the Upstate Library collection can be found in the Browsing the Music Collection box.
Tips:
Although ebooks appear in your Library Search results, you can also search our two principal ebook collections directly:
Physical music materials in the Upstate Library may be found in three locations in the first-floor stacks. Check the Library Search catalog record for location of individual items.
The Upstate Library uses the Library of Congress classification system that divides music into three broad areas:
Explore the tabs in this box to find concentrations of materials for particular musical styles and genres.
M 1000-1075 Orchestral music
M 1500 Opera
ML 50 Opera librettos
ML 198-360 history by region or country
ML 410 Biography of composers
ML 550-1380 Musical instruments and instrumental music
ML 1700 history of opera
Books and recordings on jazz are scattered throughout the collection, but there are several areas of concentration that lend themselves to browsing:
M 1366 contains most jazz recordings and transcriptions
ML 417-419 contains many biographies of jazz musicians
ML 3506-3518 history of jazz
MT 68 instruction books on jazz styles and improvisation
Popular music does not always fit comfortably into a classification scheme that was created primarily to organize Western Classical music. Individual items of relevance will be scattered throughout the collection. Nevertheless, there are some clusters of materials that lend themselves to browsing:
M 1629-1630s contain popular songs
M 1630.18 and M1741.18 contain many of the Rock CDs.
ML 400 collective biographies of singers
ML 410-429 Biographies of singers, songwriters, and lyricists will be scattered throughout this section
ML 420 and 421 contain several biographies of Rock and popular musicians.
ML 3470-3562 Popular music and song
ML 3534 contains many books about the history of Rock.
Popular music in general does not always fit comfortably into a classification scheme that was created primarily to organize Western Classical music. Individual items of relevance to the study of popular song and musical theater will be scattered throughout the three sections. Nevertheless, there are some clusters of materials that lend themselves to browsing:
M 1366 contains some vocal music related to jazz
M 1503-1507 include lighter forms of dramatic music, including operetta, musicals, and anthologies of excerpts from musical theater
ML 48-54.6 librettos and books for operas and musicals, lyrics of popular and art songs
ML 400 collective biographies of singers
ML 410-429 Biographies of singers, songwriters, and lyricists will be scattered throughout this section
ML 1711.8, 2054, 2075 have concentrations of books about Broadway and Hollywood musicals and songs
ML 3470-3562 Popular music and song