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Service Spotlight
Dear MLA readers,
I’m long overdue for a column from the President, and so I write to share news about the board’s recent activities. Before I launch into that let me express what an honor it is to serve as MLA President. Our board and membership continually impress me with your talent, wisdom, and service.
Conference planning:
At the May/June board of directors budget meetings the finance committee recommended (and the board agreed) to keep membership dues stable for FY23 and to increase streaming rates for the convention budget (the convention is in hybrid mode for 2023, Saint Louis). As you’ll read in the minutes (see rates, page 13: ), the hybrid convention model is significantly more expensive than either solely in person or fully virtual, particularly due to streaming technology costs. The Finance Committee and board agreed that keeping the in-person registration rates stable and increasing the virtual registration rates will help offset the costs of the conference. Tables reflecting precise changes are published in the minutes, and you’ll find links to those above and here: https://www.musiclibraryassoc.org/page/Boardminutes.
The board, in consultation with our program chair for MLA/TLA 2023 (Rachel Smiley) and our convention managers (Andrew Justice and Sylvia Yang) voted to approve the following conference lineup through 2026 (alternating virtual and hybrid):
2023: Saint Louis, MO – Hybrid (MLA/TLA)
2024: Cincinnati, OH – Hybrid
2025: Fully Virtual
2026: Salt Lake City, UT – Hybrid
In summary, we made a deliberate move toward alternating hybrid and virtual in response to both the need to control costs (virtual years allow us to recoup expenses from hosting hybrid, which is more expensive) and to the post-conference survey results, wherein members endorsed our shared values of inclusivity and equity. Virtual components allow us to include our members who can’t travel for a variety of reasons including lack of institutional support. Finally, the board also voted to support a pilot institutional group registration (details in progress), in response to feedback from members. Other initiatives are in the works, in response to focus group feedback during the strategic planning process (but too early yet to report – watch this space).
Student member rights and privileges:
The May/June board meetings were eventful. Many of you may recall that in March at the conference business meeting, we discussed the desire many members have for students to have voting privileges in MLA (new business). At the spring meeting the board voted in support of student members being able to vote and hold elected office. Because this required a constitution/bylaws amendment, a ballot was sent to the entire membership in September. MLA members voted IN FAVOR of the proposal to grant voting benefits to student members, IN FAVOR of the proposal to grant eligibility to student members to run for and hold office, and IN FAVOR of the proposal to establish the Student/Early-Career Representative position as an elected, voting board member with a two-year term in the MLA Constitution and Bylaws.
The Committee Recruitment Task Force, chaired by Erin Conor, has recommended a new appointments procedure that (in accordance with our strategic goals) increases transparency, equity, and inclusivity. A new committee management team shall be formed via open call and will feature a common application, and measures to improve equity of representation. Timelines and details are yet to be worked out if we are to implement this effectively and so I ask for your patience as we roll this out. Committee chairs should rest assured that you’ll still have ample input into the recruitment process. A charge will likely be approved in the fall, and membership call to follow. Thank you to Erin and her team: Mary Huismann, Kristine Nelsen, Mallory Sajewski, Zachary Tumlin, and Kristin Wolski.
Publicity and Outreach Officer: After extended recruitment challenges, the board came to the decision to redistribute the work of this position between the newsletter editor (the social media posts), the Membership Committee, and the board (for handling conference exhibits and music librarianship presentations to library school programs).
Strategic Planning: MLA now has an inspiring 2022-2030 strategic plan thanks to Holling Smith-Borne and his fearless task force: https://www.musiclibraryassoc.org/page/Stratplanlanding. All of our work seeks to foster the overarching goals in support of our mission and values: organize strategically, develop and maintain membership, foster inclusivity, and strengthen communications. The board planning officers (Scott Stone and Sonia Archer-Capuzzo) are working to coordinate regular action plans for implementation throughout the association (with regular reporting on a bi-annual basis).
Coming soon:
In closing, a teaser or few: look for forthcoming news about our second climate survey cycle soon. In late July an MLA cohort attended IAML in beautiful Prague and I do hope you’ll contribute a newsletter report if you attended. IAML-US is actively working with the IAML board on the best way to support colleagues in Ukrainian libraries. Many thanks to those of you who are working on your own initiatives (and do get in touch with the board if we can be of service).
And speaking of IAML, please consider joining us for a ‘meet the board’ event October 18. The event will have two focal points (with room for additional topics): the vitality of IAML’s
national branches, and the structure of IAML’s future congresses. The meeting will be scheduled twice during the day to facilitate for members from different time zones to participate.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArcOurrzMjE9MDUvJhXp0qn0q_cGytPgBB
Thank you all for everything you do to make MLA a wonderful community of music library stewards.
Sincerely,
Liza Vick, President
Session Summary
On September 28, MLA hosted a town hall for officer/editor recruitment. Participants enjoyed hearing from representatives who shared about a variety of roles, including MLA’s monographic series editors, Notes book review editor, Open Access editor, and membership management officers. MLA’s assistant chief financial officer, advertising manager, and web manager were also available to answer questions about their work.
A robust Q&A followed, with excellent tips on professional development, particularly for those interested in sharpening their writing and editing skills. Specific resources mentioned include the Subversive Copy Editor, the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), University of Chicago’s Little Red Schoolhouse, and the Editorial Freelancers Association.
The recorded session can be viewed online.
Thanks are due to the planning team for their talents and acumen: Marci Cohen, Matthew Vest, Melanie Zeck, Anna Kijas, Lois Kuyper-Rushing, Jonathan Sauceda, Jason Imbesi, Melissa Moll, and Serena Vaquilar.
Chapter Updates
‘Tis the season…for fall chapter meetings, that is! Check out the slate below, in order of appearance:
On September 30 and October 1, the Atlantic Chapter (ATMLA) hosted its annual meeting (and traditional post-chapter-meeting bike ride!) at Temple University in Philadelphia. Take a look at the program and abstracts, available on their website.
The New York State – Ontario Chapter (NYS-O) will host its fall meeting on Friday, October 14 from 10:00am-4:45pm at the Sidney Cox Library, Cornell University. Check out the program or use this form to register. Virtual attendance is an option ($5), and online participants are asked to register.
The California Chapter (MLACC) will host its annual chapter conference virtually on Friday, October 21st from 9:30am to 4:30pm. The program can be viewed online, and all sessions are listed in Pacific Time.
The Midwest Chapter (MWMLA) will host its 81st meeting at the Indiana University Bloomington Campus from Thursday, October 27th through Saturday, October 29th, 2022. Visit the meeting website to register. Virtual attendance is an option ($10), and online participants are asked to register.
The Texas Chapter (TMLA) will host a hybrid meeting,”Back in the Saddle Again: Texas Music Libraries Today”, November 4-5, 2022 at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Registration is free, and there’s still time to apply for a meeting travel grant! The grant is open to TMLA members and library staff working at a Texas library, and to students enrolled in a Texas library/information science program. Applications from outside the state of Texas will be considered, provided they are accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a TMLA member who either resides in Texas or in the same state as the applicant. Applicants need not be members of TMLA at the time of application, but must agree to join the chapter upon receiving the award. This award covers travel expenses up to $300. Applications are due October 14, 2022. Visit the TMLA website for more info.
The Southeast Chapter (SEMLA) will host a hybrid meeting October 20-22 at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Given that hurricanes don’t consult calendars, Laura Gayle Green from the local arrangements committee advises attendees to please check the conference website or MLA-L for updates if weather looks unfavorable. If needed, contact her directly at laura.gayle.green@fsu.edu.
The New England Chapter (NEMLA) will host its Fall 2022 meeting online via Zoom on November 4, 2022, from 10AM-11:45AM. The meeting will focus on the content and frequency of NEMLA annual meetings and how they can best serve the needs of the membership. Registration is not necessary. The committee will send a zoom link to the entire membership prior to the meeting.
Destination: Prague
As mentioned in the president’s letter, several MLA members traveled to Prague during July for the 2022 IAML conference. Below you’ll find excerpts from Ray Heigemeir’s travel blog.
Day 1 of the conference was warm and sunny, and well-caffeinated attendees bustled around our two meeting venues: the Municipal Library and the neighboring National Library, which is housed in the Klementinum, a complex of buildings originally used as a monastery and then a Jesuit college. My 2 pm presentation was in the rather generically-named “Meeting Hall C.” Imagine my shock and absolute delight when the venue turned out to be the baroque Mirror Chapel (built 1724-25). Never have I doled out Powerpoint in such ornate surroundings!
Paper topics ranged from archival practices to music encoding to collaborative research to data modeling (and more) and many focused on the Czech Big Four: Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček, and Martinů. Poster sessions touched on composers, collections, staff training, and preservation projects, among other areas. Thursday’s session was a joint meeting with the Conference of Digital Libraries for Musicology.
Attendees were treated to three evening concerts. First, a performance at the National Museum by Cancionata Praga, a women’s a cappela group singing traditional and popular Czech music (and thank you Chris Durman for navigating the transit system!); the next night we were treated to a chamber concert in the Mirror Chapel by the Epoque Quartet; and on Thursday night we gathered in St. Salvator Church for chamber music by the Capella Regia Musicalis.
Additional musical encounters included a behind-the-scenes look into cylinder preservation at the Czech Museum of Music (thanks to Filip Šir for hosting us!); a stroll by the Estates National Theatre, where Mozart premiered Don Giovanni in 1787 (movie buffs, this is one of the Prague locations where Miloš Forman filmed Amadeus); and some social time with professional harpsichordist and Stanford alum, Mahan Esfahani.
Thanks for sharing, Ray!
Did You Know?…
…composer Max Bruch, whose cello work Kol Nidrei features Jewish melodies, was not Jewish?
Bruch, a German Protestant, took inspiration while serving as conductor of Berlin’s Stern’scher Gesangverein, a choir whose Jewish members also supplied material he incorporated into his three Hebrew songs, Hebräische Gesänge, published in 1888. Kol nidrei , written in 1881, incorporates two melodies associated with Yom Kippur, and the cello is intended to depict the voice of a Jewish cantor.
Context provided by Annette Oppermann,”The other type of sources: Letters about Max Bruch’s “Kol Nidrei” and Christopher Fifield, “Bruch, Max.” Grove Music Online. 2001.
Photo by Maria Cappelli via Unsplash.com.