After lengthy consideration, staff at the Music Library have decided that nearly all commercially produced classical 78 rpm recordings will be eliminated from the library's collections. Reasons such as space considerations and the fact that these recordings are well-represented in other sound archives around the country contributed to this decision. Equally important, many of the significant historic recorded performances have been reissued on compact disc, typically with improved sound quality. Because the library makes every effort to purchase reissues of historic recordings, there seems little reason to duplicate these records in their original format.
If you are aware of any classical recordings in the 78 rpm collection that are crucial to your teaching or research, library staff need to know very soon. Not all records will be discarded, however. The library will retain recordings of local relevance, unique recordings of American music, and others such as those which are part of the Blake Horn Collection. The Music Library will continue to develop its holdings of ethnic, folk, theater, regional and other historic recordings which support instruction, research, and the library's special collections.
In the future, if students or faculty need historic recordings of classical music which cannot be purchased commercially, other sound archives in the county are willing to duplicate their resources for educational purposes, and library staff will be happy to assist anyone in acquiring these materials.
Please contact either Geri Laudati or Steve Sundell no later than 28 September 2000 if you know of specific recordings which should be retained by the library.