Music

A guide to finding library resources related to Music

Introduction to Music Reference Resources

Most music reference resources are online, but keep in mind that many important music reference sources are only available in book format. For example, music reference titles that are only available in book format include: The Hymn Tune Index; Basic Music Library; Thematic Catalogues in Music; Jazz Records, 1897-1942; Collected Editions, Historical Series & Sets, & Monuments of Music; Schubert's Complete Song Texts (2 vols.); and The Encyclopedia of the Blues, and The Encyclopedia of the Music Business. While some reference works in book format must stay in the library, many of them can be checked out.

To find music reference works, either online or in book format, you will often be successful if you conduct a keyword search in OneSearch, and include words appropriate to your needs such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, thematic indexes, bibliographies, handbooks, biographies, phonetic, etc. You might consider trying both singular and plural spellings, or using truncated word symbols, to retrieved a larger number of appropriate sources.

Oxford Sources

Oxford Reference Titles (Descriptions)