The place of music in the public library

The integration of music in the collections of public libraries is something that has been happening for many years. The constant and significant increase in the number of institutions offering collections of sound recordings accompanies the very important increase in the playing of music by French people over the same period. However, the supply of items is still very much focused on discs, and other music materials, particularly scores, have not got going. The networking links and the tools of cooperation, with which music librarians have been equipping themselves for several years, now appear to offer means for participating in the great debates of the library world, concerning questions of heritage and documentary policy. A look at the training systems aimed at the special features of musical documentation shows a scene of sharp contrasts, and one that does not respond at present to the needs of the profession.
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