Conductor Alan Gilbert has caused quite a stir regarding a recent ring tone incident during a performance of Mahler 9 with the NY Philharmonic. A member of the audience had the unlucky thing happen to him that we all dread, he forgot to turn off his cell phone. Well, not only did the cell phone go off, but it erupted during a particularly poignant moment in the middle of a serious, meaty Mahler symphony. Maestro Gilbert’s irritated affront to the ringing perpetrator reflected frustration we all have felt at concerts with lozenge wrapper criminals and other noise makers.

This got me thinking about libraries, as in, the rising volume of conversation and voices in once silent halls. Collaboration is an educational buzzword these days and communication among scholars, both verbal and written, is taking center stage. Students gather in the library not only to study, but to study with friends. The give and take of learning is now audible.

Frankly, this author welcomes the pleasant sound of familiar friendly voices in the Robinson Music Library. It adds to a friendly, welcoming environment where ideas can be born. However, I can’t help but wonder if talking too much in the library a bad thing? Does it disturb serious study like that ill-fated marimba tone disrupted a serious performance? Both the concert hall and the library are public places where passive activities take place, listening and reading. Or are these notions too old century?

Interesting parallels to consider.

So what’s a scholar to do?

Well, did you know you have a wealth of informational resources available to you through your affiliation with the Cleveland Institute of Music?

This week I’ll give you a quick overview. Here is a quick listing of all the databases you might find helpful. You may find the list pictured below here.

In order to access any of these rich resources, you’ll first need to have VPN set up on your computer or Virtual Private Network. Basically, VPN just runs in the background on your computer when you have it activated and automatically grants you access to these resources as an affiliated member of the larger Case community.

Depending on your technology setup, you can choose the method that suits your computer.

And remember, if you are on campus, you do not have to have VPN running if you choose Case Wireless instead of Case Guest to hookup wirelessly.

Problems or questions? Don’t hesitate to contact your friendly reference librarian who will be more than happy to help you set it up. Bring your laptop to the library and she’ll walk you through it.

Happy New Year, all!

Nicole Thomas, RML Circulation Supervisor

Nicole: Radiohead reimagined for piano by Christopher O’Riley.

Nicole: I absolutely love a good mango.

Nicole: I would go to Vienna to see the great concert halls, museums and very old buildings.

Nicole: Support for the arts in Cleveland is greater than I could have imagined. I try to visit the Cleveland Museum of Art regularly and I’m looking forward to Le Cage aux Folles at the Palace Theater this month.

Nicole: Explore Cleveland! Parks, museums, restaurants and theaters abound. Also, invest in a good pair of snow boots.

Ever wonder why you can’t check your library record to see which items you checked out over the past year? Well, libraries take pride in their confidentiality clause that protects all library patron data from scrutiny. For instance, suppose your interests could be deemed controversial or suspect, that judgement would not be made towards your borrowing habits in a library. Libraries are bastions of intellectual freedom and supply unbiased information on a variety of topics. Working in a music library, the controversy level is a bit diminished with issues like “Milton Babbit: Isolated Iconoclast or 20th century Genius?” or “Does the Recreational Drug Habits of Berlioz Make Him Untrustworthy?” But the point is that your intellectual curiosity is your business, and yours alone. So, once you return a book, any record showing you had it out simply disappears from our database. Even we librarians can’t access this information (although we can find a lot of other stuff).

It is the violation of this clause that has Sarah Houghton so mad.

We’ve spoken about the tailorization of personal search habits becoming invasions of digital privacy. With the mad rush towards technology and boy-howdy awe of whiz-bang gadgets, we may have lost sight of our personal rights as individuals. All interesting fodder to consider as we embrace the digital future.

Peabody Visual Aid created by Ruby Ethel Cundiff

Recently came across this collection of visual aids created by Ruby Ethel Cundiff in the 1930s and 1940s. This collection was designed to assist library users navigate the system of card catalogs and paper resources. The entire collection can be viewed on Flickr.

These hand-drawn posters appear as innocently naive to our twenty-first century digital eyes. Our romanticized view of the past creates the familiar impression of “everything used to be so much better” or the Laura Ingalls Rose-Colored Glasses. I’m referring to the 1970s TV series Little House on the Prairie starring handsome Michael Landon and a cute Melissa Gilbert who made living in a 2 room cabin with no heat in the frozen upper midwest idyllic. These tinted views also lend themselves to the complaints of how everything was better when the card catalog reigned. How online catalogs are impossible to use. I bet in 1932 people were complaining about how they wished libraries still used the stone tablet method of recording information.

Well, if you look closer at these visual aids, they were created in order to make finding information easier, even in the 1930s. An early version of today’s video tutorial, like the one below:

So, correct information was deemed difficult to find even in “the golden days” of the card catalog. Those wonderful days of the Great Depression (yes, that’s sarcasm). Another similarity is the eagerness and desire of librarians to help our patrons find what they are looking for, or at least give them the tools to navigate either a card catalog or a digital database. Librarians continue to build on their tradition as helpful guides throughout the information universe.

Stop by your Robinson Music Library and let us help you!

By now, you’ve been inundated with Steve Jobs obits and magazine covers. I realize I’m adding to the proliferation of Apple idolatry, but really wanted to share this Stanford commencement speech with those of you who may not have seen it. Working in a college setting, I find Mr. Jobs’ oration timely and cogent.

To be honest, when I casually mentioned to a passing grad student in the library that I was sad about Steve Jobs recent and sudden passing, the student looked at me and said something to the effect that why should he be concerned about the death of another billionaire being lionized by the media. Well, I suppose this is true, but it’s not often that we encounter someone who pushed the bounds of creativity like Mr. Jobs. Yes, he got some lucky breaks. Yes, he was in the right place at the right time. But I’m not going to slight his relentless climb in the tech industry when he really revolutionized our world.

What does this have to do with libraries? Well, to the extent that human beings work here, his inspiring message packs a punch, imploring us to “not settle.” Exploring and creativity are one of the hallmarks of librarianship and traits those of us lucky enough to work in this field must employ.

Please take a moment to listen to these words. You’ll be glad you did.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

May you rest in peace, Mr. Jobs.

How this author would conduct herself if on the bench (if your brower allows the animated gif to run properly)

The Supreme Court heard arguments last week on the Golan v. Holder case. Lawrence Golan is a conductor based at the University of Denver who has been fighting the return of many international publications to the safe blankets of copyright protection. In short, works like Peter and Wolf and the Shostakovich symphonies had been in the public domain up until the ratification of the Uruguay Round Agreements about 10 years ago. These works were under copyright protection outside of the US. The Uruguay Round Agreements brought the US in line with Berne Convention adopted in Europe, thereby, removing them from their public domain status in the US.

Mr. Golan has presented this case to two lower courts over the past ten years, finally resulting in this Supreme Court appeal. His argument has been refashioned to call into question the permanence of public domain. Copyright protection exists for “limited time” according to Title 17 of the US Code. At no time in US history has a public domain work had its status yanked away from it and placed back under copyright protection. The resulting ruling in this case may revamp intellectual property rights in a big way. Stay tuned.

You can listen online to the actual supreme court audio of the presented arguments. Or read the court transcript.

Low levels of job satisfaction is the issue I would like to deal with in this post. Yes, there are a number of jaded and bitter musicians in the world, just as there are a number of jaded and bitter doctors, lawyers, and garbage haulers. However, one always has a choice how to react and create their own surroundings. Just so we don’t get too touchy feely here on a library blog, I’d like to address the options available to avoid this sinking stinking rathole view.

And the answer is? Get curious about your world. Continue to chase your dreams. Explore the lives and times of the composers. Listen to and be inspired by the recordings of the great opera companies of the world. Read about others in your field and their experience.

“Where can I learn all these things in one place?” you might be asking yourself.

Well, your Robinson Music Library is a step in the right direction. Start on your path of knowledge with the assistance of a helpful librarian. Take advantage of the multiple resources available to you online. Dream big.

Check out this groovy clip from the American Libraries Perpetual Beta blog. I’m always fascinated by our hunger to know what lies ahead. These sometimes silly predictions can seem quaint when reality rolls around the corner.

Mr. Clarke’s forecast of the demise of cities in the wake of technology is an interesting one. His premise is that communication with the help of satellites will evolve to a point that physical gathering places, like cities, will become irrelevant. We’ve been hearing the exact same warning regarding libraries for years. The availability of ebooks and downloadable music will far surpass the need for quaint gathering places like libraries.

Well, one look around your Robinson Music Library will dispel this notion immediately. At any given time, you will find students and faculty occupying our study areas. The reference desk is a hub of activity of ongoing problem solving. Facebook and email have brought us closer together, but none can replace face-to-face interaction which we all need a social animals.

Long live the library!

San Francisco Opera is mounting a new production based on the life of one of the many heroes of that tragic day dubbed Heart of a Soldier. Composed by Christopher Theofanidis, the opera is based on the life of Morgan Stanley security officer, Rick Rescorla. Mr. Rescorla’s military background qualified him to direct the majority of Morgan Stanley’s employees to safety on that fateful day.

I always love hearing of new works based on current events in the classical genre. We tend to think of classical music as being composed and about issues that occurred hundreds of years ago, but creations such as these breathe life into the art form making it even more pertinent to the current world.

Check out more Theofanidis recordings in your Media Library.