“An alum just offered my music library their archival papers, including correspondence and programs of their performance history. How do I process these?”
“What are some resources for getting started with digital preservation?”
“How should my library manage access to archival materials that may contain confidential information?”
“My library’s older sheet music is very fragile. How should I store it?”
These are just a few questions that MLA’s new Ask an Archivist service can answer. The Archives and Special Collections Committee launched the service in October 2021 for members of the music library community to request help from an archivist or special collections librarian about any aspect of work in archives or special collections.
The idea for the service grew out of a committee meeting at the 2020 MLA annual meeting in Norfolk. Members of the committee were looking for new ways to share their knowledge of archival work with colleagues who may not be experts, but occasionally work with archives-related projects. The original idea for a no-appointment-necessary help desk at a future MLA meeting had to be put on hold, so the group pivoted to setting up an online submission form that can accept questions year-round. Committee members Matt Testa, Melissa Wertheimer, Jane Cross, and Stacey Krim have offered to respond to any questions within two business days.
The service encourages all music library workers to submit questions on any part of work in archives and special collections or to email the group at askanarchivist@musiclibraryassoc.org. Archivists are standing by!
Photo credit: League of Nations archives in the John D. Rockefeller Jr. League of Nations and UNOG Archives Reading Room in Geneva, Switzerland. UN Photo/Stefan Vukotic.