PRATT-SILS AND NYPL LIBRARY FOR PERFORMING ARTS AT LINCOLN CENTER
         Institute on Performing Arts Librarianship
 LIS 686 meets in spring semester
Instructor Kevin Winkler, Assistant Director, NYPL, LPA, Visiting Assistant Professor

COLLECTIONS:  MUSIC  


DANCE


RECORDED SOUND

THEATRE

CIRCULATING
About the Institute
 		 Schedule

 		Project Description

 		Evaluation

 		Special Events
Goals and Objectives
               Readings and Resources
      Class List
    Perf. Arts Library Contacts

About the Institute
   
As part of the Pratt-SILS program in "Cultural Informatics" designed to prepare students for a broad range of careers in fine arts, performing arts and humanities settings featuring research in archives, special collections and digital libraries, this intensive course gives students the unique opportunity to learn performing arts librarianship in the context of one of the world's great performing arts libraries and importantly, from leading professionals in this exciting field.  Working from the dual perspectives of librarianship and research, students use the methodologies of collection-based research from which they produce a subject guide to specific collections.  Students gain an understanding of different aspects of information transfer posed by working with both real and virtual documents and collections and how differences in format and media convey and influence meaning.  Further, students learn to select and juxtapose documents to communicate ideas and to serve as representations of collection content, as well as how to organize these to benefit user research.  Students experience and observe first-hand the daily operations of user services in a performing arts library setting.  

 
Goals and Objectives:

  • Understand the milieu and  the work of a performing arts (PA) librarian/curator.
  • Understand the wide array of performing arts materials that constitute performing arts collections.
  • Learn to use performing arts collections to support research.
  • Learn how different formats and media express a topic.
  • Learn to describe and interpret documents individually and in broader contexts and perspectives.
  • Understand key issues of preservation/conservation of PA material.
  • Understand the PA library from the dual perspectives of librarian and user.
  • Lean about the key issues in performing arts librarianship.
  • Understand how technology and digital formats are impacting PA libraries.
  • Gain the skills needed to produce a collection-based subject guide.
  • Understand and carry-out collection based research using primary source materials.
Schedule of Meetings -  An example from 2004
 


January 28      
2:30-5:00 PM -      Introduction to the course.
                Study NYPL Performing Arts Web site e-resources & databases.
                Review collection finding aids. 
                Discuss Research project method and format.
February 4
noon-12:30  greeting
12:30 -1:30        John Shepard (Librarian III, Head, Rare Books &  Manuscripts, and
                   Curator, Toscanini Memorial Archives, Special Collections, Music Division
1:30- 2:30         Don McCormick - Chief, Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound
2:30-3:00          Break
3:00-4:00          Kevin Winkler - Chief Librarian, The Circulating (lending) Collections
4:00-5:00          Barbara Stratyner - Curator of Exhibitions


February  11
12:30-1:30        Patrick Hoffman - Director, Theatre on Film and Tape Archive
1:30-2:30         Bob Taylor - Curator, Billy Rose Theatre Collection
2:30-300          Break
3:00-4:00         Alan Pally - Curator, film collections
4:00-5:00         Madaleine Nichols - Curator, Jerome Robbins Dance Division

By the end of the 2nd meeting, 2/11, students should have chosen a focus collection from which to develop a topic and upon which project will be based.
Prior to session 3, 4 and 5, 12-12:30 PM, the class will meet with Dr. Giannini to discuss plans and progress, etc.    

February 18 - 12:00-12:30 PM - Meet with instructor 
                 12:30- 5:30 PM-  Individual Research at LPA.
February 25 - 12:00-12:20 PM - Meet with instructor
                 12:30- 5:30 PM - Individual Research at LPA.
March 3 -      12:00-12:20 PM - Meet with instructor
                 12:30- 5:30 PM - Individual Research at LPA.  

March 10 (no class)

March 17 -   12:00-5:30 PM - Work on Project at LPA

March 24     2:30-5:00 PM - Last class - hand in projects; 
                              student project presentations; discussion. 


Current Programs at NYPL Performing Arts Library- an example from January - March 2004

Programs take place in the Bruno Walter Auditorium, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Admission to all programs is free and generally first come, first served, although tickets are occasionally required. For information, call (212) 642-0142 or e-mail lpaprog@nypl.org.

Students may also select from performances at The Juilliard (most are free). Link below to Juilliard performance schedule.
http://www.juilliard.edu/asp/calendar/calendar.php
Highly recommended: J. Strauss, Die Fledermaus.  Wed. 2/18, 8 PM
http://www.juilliard.edu/asp/calendar/event1.php?intEvID=-1999925039

Each student is required to attend two PA Library programs.  Select from the following.

For each, write a  review (about 2 pages).  Read a sampling of reviews to get a sense of style and content.
For example, use reviews in the New York Times as a model.

Thursday, January 29, 6:00 PM
Grant Johannesen, pianist
Performance of works by Claude Debussy

Saturday, January 31, 3:00 PM
Treasures of the Music Division
Guy Livingston, pianist
Performance of works by George Antheil. The Library's Music Division houses the George Antheil Music Manuscript Collection.

Wednesday, February 4, 3:00 PM
Joy In Singing
Art Songs and Commentary with Paul Sperry

Monday, February 9, 6:00 PM
Ages of a Man: A Centennial Tribute to Sir John Gielgud
The Importance of Being Earnest
Estelle Parsons will direct a reading of Oscar Wilde's play, with which Sir John Gielgud was closely associated as director and as John Worthing. The cast will include Douglas Sills as Algernon Moncrieff, Estelle Parsons as Lady Bracknell, and Simon Jones as Canon Chasuble.

Wednesday, February 11, 3:00 PM
Joy In Singing
Art Songs and Commentary with Paul Sperry

Wednesday, February 18, 3:00 PM
Joy In Singing
Art Songs and Commentary with Paul Sperry

Thursday, February 19, 6:30 PM
Ages of a Man: A Centennial Tribute to Sir John Gielgud
The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde
Lecture by Merlin Holland (Wilde's grandson) based on his new book

Saturday, February 21, 3:00 PM
Balanchine in Paris
Lecture by Lynn Garafola

Wednesday, February 25, 3:00 PM
Joy In Singing
Art Songs and Commentary with Paul Sperry

Thursday, February 26, 6:00 PM
Before the New York City Ballet: George Balanchine in the 1940s
Lecture by Nancy Reynolds

Wednesday, March 3, 3:00 PM
Joy In Singing
Art Songs and Commentary with Paul Sperry

Thursday, March 4, 6:00 PM
Poetry in Motion: Stravinsky and Balanchine's Musical Bond, a lecture with performance by Charles M. Joseph
Igor Stravinsky and George Balanchine were joined by a deep musical bond. Not only did the composer understand dance, but perhaps more importantly the choreographer was a knowledgeable musician who identified with Stravinsky's musical intentions. The coherence that both artists brought to their work stems from a mutual understanding of each other's art form. Balanchine was well versed in music theory and often turned to composition as a way of expressing himself. A few of his short compositions will be performed as part of this presentation. As a focus, "Apollo" will be used to demonstrate how the choreographer and composer worked together in structuring this signature ballet.

Saturday, March 6, 3:00 PM
Merce Cunningham: The Modernizing of Modern Dance
Lecture by Roger Copeland based on his new book.

Wednesday, March 10, 3:00 PM
Joy In Singing
Art Songs and Commentary with Paul Sperry

Saturday, March 13, 3:00 PM
Budd Schulberg Interviewed by Robert Armin
Mr. Schulberg will talk about his work as a writer of Hollywood screenplays, television dramas, and Broadway musicals (What Makes Sammy Run?).

Tuesday, March 16, 3:00 PM
Treasures of the Music Division
Laura Hamilton, violin; David Heiss, cello; John Churchwell, piano
Works by Beethoven and Mozart will be performed. A sketch of the Beethoven piece ("Archduke" trio) in the composer's hand, is one of the great treasures of the Library's Music Division. Ms. Hamilton and Mr. Heiss are members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Saturday, March 20, 2:30 PM
Ages of a Man: A Centennial Tribute to Sir John Gielgud
A Chopin Master Class with Byron Janis
The distinguished pianist will conduct a public master class with five students. Mr. Janis will devote approximately one half-hour to each student. This program is associated with the series honoring Sir John Gielgud, who had a particular affection for the music of Chopin.


Project Description

A. Collection-Based Research.
  • Select a major division of PA Library to represent your major focus (music, dance, theatre, etc.)
  • Select a special collection within that division as your main study and research collection.
  • Develop a topic focus developing out of collection study.
  • Research your topic fully in selected collection and then cross-collections
B. General Methodology:
  • Copy selected representative documents as you research through photocopy, photograph or digital image.
  • Take detailed and thorough notes as you select documents. (Select about 25 document in all.)
  • Develop you idea of topic through documents found.
  • Search secondary literature using appropriate databases for books and articles.  Select recent research to understand
  • current contexts and research on your topic.
C. Creating the Subject Guide to the Collection - Project Format.
  • Cover - title, image, author
  • Title page - title, author, date, course, instructor, dates, school.
  • Topic discussion - 2 pages, single spaced, 12 point type, must use end-notes.
  • Bibliographic essay - 2 pages, single-spaced, 12 point.  A discussion of resources.  address discussion to user/researcher.  Describe best resources, give research advice and best strategy.
  • Documents: one page per document selected includes document title, description (bibliographic and physical) and two paragraphs, on the document's individual meaning, and one in context of topic.
  • Conclusion and Personal Perspectives - 2 pages, single spaced, 12 point.
Evaluation

  • Attendance, punctuality, participation - Mandatory for all sessions. 20%
  • Attendance at two special events, and two reviews -                    10%
  • Project and project presentation                                                   65%
Class List



Readings and Resources



General:
Making Sense of Documents - http://historymatters.gmu.edu/browse/makesense/
http://tc.unl.edu/ushistory/research/wineburg-historical.html - Historica Thinking

Primary Sources Research - http://www.library.yale.edu/ref/err/primsrcs.htm

Primary sources on the Web - http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/RUSA/

Primary Resources Repositories -
http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/Other.Repositories.html
 
http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub84/pub84.html
Securing Our Dance Heritage:Issues in the Documentation and Preservation of Dance
by Catherine J. Johnson and Allegra Fuller Snyder, July 1999

Archiving Performing Arts Electronic Journals: A Planning Project
New York Public Library grant proposal.

Performing Arts Links -
http://www.theatrelibrary.org/links/index.html

Library of Contress - Internet Resources for Music, Theater and Dance
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/perform/new.internet.resources.html

Arts Online
http://www.artslynx.org/aotl/

Dmoz - Open Drrectory, Arts
http://dmoz.org/Arts/Performing_Arts/Theatre/Organizations/

NINCH - Performing Arts Readings
http://www.ninch.org/bb/field/performing/readings.html

Performing Arts Guide - Johns Hopkins University
http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/links_91.htm

Musical Theatre
Internet Broadway Database
http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=1648

Dance
http://url.co.nz/arts/dance.html
http://www.dancer.com/dance-links/misc.htm
http://www.balletcompanies.com/

Music
Cover Song database - http://slicks.ulyssis.org/coverdb/home/index.php
Big Band Databse - http://nfo.net/index.html
Database of Violin Iconography - http://www.violadabraccio.com/violin.pictures/details.php?image_id=408
music Iconography, CUNY Research Center - http://web.gc.cuny.edu/rcmi/
***Composers net -  http://www.composers.net/