Conference Agenda

The University of Toronto Music Library initiated a study in the fall of 2024 to gain insights into students’ uses of physical scores, digital scores, and the library space and collection, broadly conceived, to aid in long-term strategic planning. Questions we sought answers to include to what extent students still used physical scores, how relevant the physical score collection is to their studies, what students like and dislike about digital scores, whether there are specific digital score platforms or technologies that our users prefer, and if students know about the library’s digital score resources. We also sought to know more about students’ experiences with the physical space and staff in the library, what they liked/disliked, and how effective our outreach efforts are. To that end, we ran a series of interviews to qualitatively sample the University of Toronto Faculty of Music community. The rich data that resulted has deep implications for collections growth and outreach/engagement. This presentation reports on these findings and proposes some possible avenues the music library is considering as part of ongoing planning to support its music community. While the findings are limited in that they only represent one institution, they are likely to have implications for other music libraries, as well.

The process of composing music, encountered in preliminary sketches, manuscripts, and performances, has formed a central tenet of musical inquiry for nearly two centuries. These primary source materials reveal the development of musical works and, when considered with records of composers’ professional and personal activities, enhance understanding of music history and cultural memory. Documentation ensures the continuity of this research.

Composers now consider notation software, digital audio workstations (DAWs) and other specialized tools as essential to their process as pencil and paper were to their predecessors. They make use of digital platforms to plan projects, collaborate, and document their careers. These actions generate documentation that serves as evidence of contemporary creative work. Despite their importance to the cultural record, long-term preservation of this documentation remains at risk. Software and hardware obsolescence or inaccessibility, the diversity and fragility of proprietary file formats, media degradation, and non-existent or inconsistent metadata all threaten long-term viability. Without intervention, significant absences will emerge in the historical record.

This paper addresses these challenges by presenting findings from a survey of composers about their processes, workflows, and preservation practices. The results identify the most common workflows employed by composers, the types of records they generate, and how composers are presently saving and storing their work, highlighting potential areas of intervention. Based on results and collaboration with stakeholder communities, the authors plan a widely accessible toolkit of resources, workflows, and best practices to bridge the gap between composers’ personal documentation and the digital preservation capacities of archival institutions.

Rising subscription costs for music-specific electronic resources pose growing challenges for libraries, particularly those where budgets are limited and licensing models lack flexibility. Although consortial agreements have proven effective in expanding access and reducing expenditures for general e-resources, little empirical data exists on how music databases and streaming platforms are licensed, funded, and utilized at scale. Addressing this gap, Tenn-Share, the statewide resource-sharing consortium in Tennessee, established a Music Interest Group to explore collaborative solutions. Initial discussions quickly revealed significant disparities in access to core music research and streaming tools, as well as a lack of baseline information to guide collective negotiation.

This presentation reports on the first statewide survey designed to document Tennessee libraries’ subscriptions to, and interest in, music electronic resources. Developed by the University of Tennessee Libraries in partnership with Tenn-Share, the study employs a cross-sectional survey methodology to capture subscription status, demand indicators, perceived value, and local challenges across academic, public, and special libraries. Results of this study facilatated the identification of strong candidates for consortial purchasing agreements. Additionally, early modeling indicates that targeted, data-driven negotiations could reduce institutional expenditures by 40–60% for several high-demand resources while expanding access statewide.

These results reveal clear opportunities for coordinated action, including more equitable access and stronger vendor engagement. The presentation will outline key findings, discuss implications for consortial licensing in music libraries, and propose a scalable model for other states and consortia seeking to strengthen access to specialized music e-resources through data-driven collaboration.