Music Library

Audio Facility

B162F Mills Music Library
608-263-2961
Email the Mills Library Audio Facility

Sound recordings in LP, CD, and cassette formats, and most audiovisual and multimedia materials are available at the Audio Facility. Audio Facility stacks are closed to the public; therefore, browsing is not possible. Audio Facility materials can be searched online through MadCat. Reference librarians are available to assist in locating materials in the catalogs. Audio Facility materials do not circulate outside of Mills Music Library, except to university faculty/staff and School of Music graduate students with a Mills Audio Card. Duplication, or "ripping", of Audio Facility materials is not permitted.

Mills Music Library has playback equipment available for LPs, CDs, DVDs, LaserDiscs, and both audio- and video-cassettes. Users who wish to listen to a recording or view a video should request the item(s) by call number at the Audio Facility Desk. A valid UW ID, Memorial borrowing card, or other form of photo ID is required.

The Music Library Seminar Room (B162G) is a classroom for small classes requiring audio/visual playback equipment and Mills Music Library resources.

Reference

Reference assistance is available whenever the Music Library is open. Please direct your questions to the librarian at the Music Library Reference Desk, or call 263-1884. Questions also may be submitted to our email reference service.

Reserves & E-Reserves

Reserves Policies for Patrons

Reserves materials are housed in the Audio Facility of the Music Library (Room B162 Memorial Library). See the Music Library Hours for Audio Facility hours.

Books, scores, articles, and audio materials on reserve circulate for two hours, in-house only.

Reserve materials do not circulate overnight.

Copyright restrictions prohibit dubbing of sound materials.

Fines for overdue Reserve items are $2.00/hr.

How to Access Electronic Reserves (FAQ)

The MyUW portal is the access point for easily navigating to all course reserves. Access to course listening files is limited to students currently enrolled in the course. This restricted access is necessary to comply with the federal Copyright Law's Fair Use provisions and other relevant legislation. Please see the UW Libraries policy on accessing copyrighted material through electronic reserves for more information.

Electronic reserves may be accessed from any computer with an internet connection. When using a computer not on the campus network, it will be necessary to use the library's proxy serve to access the online reserves. See Off-campus Online Access for information about the proxy server.

To access library reserves, students will need to logon to the UW portal, MyUW, and go to the Academics tab. There, in the student's list of courses for the semester, will be a Library/Reserves link to the reserves information, if reserves have been posted for that course. The library course page available via that link will provide access to both electronic reserves items and lists of books placed on reserve in libraries.

Students and instructors can report problems and ask questions via email links in MyUW.

Software

Course readings, libretti, and scores are delivered as Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) files. To view these files you must have a current version of Adobe Reader installed on your computer. Adobe Reader is freeware and is available for Macintosh, Windows, Linux, Solaris, Palm, Pocket PC, and Symbian platforms. It may be ddownloaded from the Adobe Home Page. For information about specific system requirements, see System Requirements.

Course listening assignments are delivered as RealAudio files. To access them you must have RealPlayer installed on your computer. RealPlayer is free, and is available for Macintosh (Mac users: see special note on RealPlayer for OS X), Windows, Linux, and Unix platforms. For instructions on downloading the player, see below.

Troubleshooting

1. When I click to hear a sound file, RealPlayer says "Connecting..." and then does not play.

   Usually this means that the server is down. You will be able to access course pages and .pdf files but not the RealAudio files. When this happens, please contact the Music Library directly by calling 263-2961 during open hours. If the Music Library is closed, send an email to Library Technology Group: glshelp@library.wisc.edu. Staff will resolve server problems as quickly as possible. In many cases, the Music Reserve Desk keeps library copies of everything delivered through electronic reserves. Please consult MadCat to see a list of reserve materials by course. Please note: Electronic reserves are maintained by the General Library System, not faculty or your department. Problems will be solved much more quickly if you contact the library directly, rather than your professor.

2. How can I view the score at the same time the music is playing?

   First click on the sound file - this will open the RealAudio player. Under the view menu on the player select Always on Top. Now go back to the course page and select the score you wish to view. You can move the RealAudio player off to the side or minimize it so that it doesn't block the score.

3. Why RealAudio files - why not WAV or MP3, something that can be downloaded?

   Many materials used as course listening assignments are copyright protected. Mills Music Library is attempting to serve the access needs of patrons within parameters established by Fair Use guidelines. Sound files that can be downloaded and copied would not fall within these guidelines. RealAudio files which exist only as a cache copy, cannot be downloaded.

4. Can I put reserve materials on my iPod or other mp3 player?

   No. See Question 3 above regarding the use of RealAudio files.

5. What is the minimum requirement of modem speed for accessing these files off-campus?

   56K.

6. How can I print the scores so that each screen prints on a page?

   Select the shrink-to-fit option on the print menu.

7. Why Adobe Acrobat?

   Portable Document Format files (PDFs) allow print materials to be scanned in at a high resolution with a relatively small file size. Adobe Reader is free and can be downloaded from the Adobe Home Page.

In order to hear electronic reserves music, you must have RealPlayer installed on your computer. If you do not already have RealPlayer, you can download the most recent free version from the Real website. If your computer or operating system do not meet requirements to use the the most recent version, you may search for an older, "legacy" version in the Real Legacy Software Archive. The software is no longer the most current version promoted by Real.com, therefore the link is not readily available from their homepage.

A special note to Mac OSX users: If you use Mac OSX and have been unable to access the Music Library listening reserves on your personal computer, the solution is to use an older version of RealPlayer.  The newest version for Mac is not compatible with the files, but RealPlayer 10.0 (without updates) is. You can download this program free at http://forms.real.com/real/player/blackjack.html. Look in the upper right hand side of the page under Mac OSX for Recommended, and follow the link for RealPlayer 10.0 for MacOSX.

If these instructions are unclear, or you are still having trouble accessing electronic reserves, please e-mail Mills Music Library Audio Facility staff, call at 263-2961, or come to the Music Library with your questions. You may also try calling DoIT help desk at 264-4357 for questions about installing the RealAudio player.

Submitting Course Reserves to Mills Library

Please review the UW Libraries policy on accessing copyrighted material through electronic reserves.

All Reserves

Books, scores, libretti, photocopies, sound recordings, and other items an instructor would like to make available to his/her students can be placed in the Reserve Collection at the Mills Audio Facility. Reading and listening assignments may also be made available through Mills Music Library’s Electronic Course Reserves. Materials for electronic reserves should be owned by Mills Music Library. Please allow time for us to purchase needed materials not already in our collection.

To access library reserves, students will need to logon to the UW portal, MyUW, and go to the Academics tab. There, in the student's list of courses for the semester, will be a Library/Reserves link to the reserves information, if reserves have been posted for that course. The library course page available via that link will provide access to both electronic reserves items and lists of books placed on reserve in libraries.

Because of an ever-increasing volume of materials to be processed and the number of courses served by our small staff, lead time is critical, particularly at semesters’ beginnings. Please submit materials for Reserves as early as possible to minimize processing backlog. Requests are processed in the order in which they are received.

We need you to provide us with specific information so that we can locate, process, and post your Reserves and e-Reserves as quickly and accurately as possible. Incomplete information delays availability of materials to students. As in any fair use of copyrighted materials, we cannot post scanned or streamed materials without crediting the original sources.

Please provide reading and listening lists; extracting necessary information from detailed syllabi has proven to be time-intensive and error-prone, particularly at the beginning of a semester. If materials you want for Reserves are checked out and need to be recalled, it is a shorter turnaround time to let us recall them directly, rather than recalling them for yourself and delivering them to us.

Course reading and listening lists should be received at least two weeks before the beginning of classes to allow time for recalling checked out items, purchasing new items, and for digitizing, marking up and testing links to e-Reserve materials. Reserves requests received at least two weeks before the beginning of classes will be available by the first day of classes, providing the materials are already owned by the library. Materials received less than two weeks prior to the beginning of classes, or after classes have begun, will be made available in the order in which they are received, but we will not be able to guarantee turnaround times until approximately one month in to the semester.

E-Reserve materials added after the first month of the semester will be available according to this schedule:

Please use the reserves email address to ensure that requests, questions, clarifications or corrections will be seen by a library staff member within one business day of your sending them.

Please direct comments and questions to the reserves email address.

Instruction

Workshops and Tours

The Music Library offers formal workshops and tours during the fall semester. Dates of the sessions are posted well in advance of the presentation. These sessions are part of the Workshop Series offered by the General Library System. Library users are encouraged to take advantage of any sessions, which are free and require no advance registration. See the Library & Information Literacy Instruction Program page for a complete lisit of these workshops.

Instructional Sessions

Music Library staff regularly schedule workshops on the use of various music databases and Internet resources. In addition, instructional sessions on the use of print or electronic library resources in music or dance can be arranged for classes or individuals. Please contact Jeanette Casey (263-2721), or contact us by email.

Online Instruction

The Music Library offers some online instructional web pages.

• Undergraduate Research Guide:  Music (University of Wisconsin, College Library)
• Chronological List of Periodical Indexes Containing Music Coverage
• Finding Dissertations About Music
• Finding Periodical Articles About Music
• Finding Printed Music
• Accessing FullText Materials for Music Research (UW-Milwaukee)
• Guide to Music Classification Numbers (Indiana University)

Circulation Policies

Borrowing Privileges

UW-system students, faculty and staff may use their valid University ID as their library card for the purpose of borrowing Mills Music Library materials.

Those without a UW affilliation may access or borrow materials from campus libraries under the rules of the General Library System.

Music Library Loan Periods

Mills Music Library books and scores, with the exceptions noted below, may be checked out at the Memorial Library Circulation Desk on the first floor. All other circulating materials, including recordings and course reserve materials, can be checked out at the Audio Facility.

There are no renewals on Audio Facility or Reserve materials. Regular books and scores may be renewed up to 6 times by UW faculty, staff and graduate students, and up to 2 times by all other users.

Due to their fragile nature, Music Library audio materials should be returned directly to the Music Library Audio Facility.

Music Library books and scores may be returned at any library location bearing the Open Return sign. However, borrowers are encouraged to return scores directly to Memorial or Mills, as loose parts may get separated in transit and the person to whom the item was charged will be billed for a lost item. Receipts for score returns are issued only at Mills Music Library.

Overdue fines are not assessed for regular loans in UW-Madison libraries. This does not affect short-term loans, such as for reserve materials or recordings. An unreturned item will be charged to lost, and replacement charges billed to the patron 28 days after an item's due date. Recalled materials, if not returned by their due date, will result in a block on patron borrowing privileges until items are returned.

Overdue charges are $5.00 per day for audio materials. The fine for overdue reserve materials is $2.00 per hour or portion thereof.

Questions about Music Library access, loan policies, loan periods or overdue charges should be directed to the Music Library Circulation Supervisor by phone (608-263-2961) or e-mail.

Inter-Library Loan & Document Delivery

Please refer to the UW campus information regarding access to document and book delivery.

Purchase Requests

Mills Music Library welcomes suggestions for the purchase of materials. Although primary responsibility for development of the collection lies with Music Library staff, library users represent an important source of additional expertise that can assist in identifying relevant materials to be acquired.

All requests will be reviewed carefully. Under some circumstances, the library may decide not to purchase a suggested title because it falls outside the scope of our collection policy. Please also note that it takes time to acquire and process the items. Users who have an immediate need for materials not owned by the UW Libraries should use inter-library loan.

To recommend an item for purchase, please use the UW Libraries Purchase Recommendation Form.

In-Process Requests

We will be happy to process an already-recieved but not yet fully cataloged item for your use upon request, or to notify you when an ordered item is received and available.

Print materials (books, scores) will be placed on hold at the Memorial Library Circulation Desk, although you may request that the material be sent to any other campus library for pickup.

For audio and audio-visual materials, you will be notified by email when the materials are available at the Mills Music Library Audio Facility.

To request an item marked as in-process in MadCat, please use the UW Libraries On Order / In Process Inquiry Form.