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Vol. 12 In this IssueDirector's CornerA new addition to the Wisconsin Music ArchivesMemorial Program for
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Memorial program for Geri Laudati, late director of Mills Music LibraryOn October 28, 2006, a Memorial Concert sponsored by University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries and the UW–Madison School of Music was held at Music Hall in honor of Geraldine Laudati, Director of Mills Music Library, who passed away August 6, 2006.  Geri Laudati received an A.B. degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1971. She earned master’s degrees in library science from Columbia University in 1973 and in musicology from the University of Michigan in 1986. Her career at Mills Music Library, University of Wisconsin–Madison, spanned four decades. She served as a temporary music librarian at Mills in 1979–1980 and in 1981, planning and implementing the conversion to OCLC cataloging for music scores and sound recordings. After heading the music library at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, Geri returned to UW–Madison in 1989 as director of Mills, and served in that capacity until her retirement in June 2006. Through Geri’s persistent and diligent acquisitions strategy, supplemented by substantial gift collections, Mills Music Library has grown to a major research collection, serving both the campus and visiting scholars from around the world. As early as the mid-1990s, Geri engaged the library in exploring hypermedia and imaging technologies for musical scores and manuscripts with support from campus and the private sector. She guided Mills onto the World Wide Web, promoting its collections and services and facilitating access to online music databases. A new sound studio established in collaboration with the Folklore Program developed course-related curriculum materials, databases, and audiovisual products, and produced digital preservation copies of vulnerable analog tape recordings. A major Instructional Technology grant enabled the Music Library to be a leader in streaming course-related listening assignments, scores, and reading assignments via the Internet. Geri also worked with the UW Digital Collections Center and colleagues in Mills to enhance access to the Music Library’s rich special collections, among them nineteenth- and twentieth-century sheet music and archives of recorded sound. Geri often taught a course on music research methods and materials for the UW–Madison School of Music and for the School of Library and Information Studies. She played significant roles in numerous professional organizations and curated several exhibits in the Department of Special Collections. Geri also served as acting curator of Special Collections in 2002–2003. Geri’s directorship of Mills Music Library was characterized by an unwavering commitment to exemplary service for all library clientele, a tireless pursuit of developing exceptional library collections in music and dance, and a vision of using emerging technologies to assure broad access to the Music Library’s resources. ProgramMusic (in lobby)
Introductions
Remarks by audience members
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