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Music Basics

Start here if you are just learning how to do music research at Butler.

Reference Resources

Finding Books

The Butler Libraries use the Library of Congress Classification system.  This is an alpha-numeric system of classification (meaning it uses both letters and numbers to describe the classification and location of an item). It groups similar items together on the shelf, allowing you to browse the collection for related material.

Here are some useful basic LC classes for music:

M = Scores

ML = Music History & Literature

ML100-109  Dictionaries and encyclopedias

     ML105-107  Bio-bibliography

ML113-158  Bibliography

     ML134  Composer catalogs, thematic catalogs, A-Z

ML159-3797  History and criticism

     ML1620197  By time period

     ML385-429  Biography

          ML410  Composers, A-Z

          ML416-421  Performers, A-Z

MT = Musical Instruction and Study (scores or books)

MT3  History of music education

MT5.5-7  Music theory

     MT6.5  Collections of music for analysis

MT90-146  Analytical guides

MT170-810  Instrumental techniques

MT820-949  Voice instruction

Use the WorldCat Discover Box (found on the Butler Libraries homepage) to begin your search for print books owned by Butler Libraries, PALNI (Private Academib Library Network of Indiana) Libraries and other WorldCat Libraries around the world.

You can select "Books" from the limiter list on the left-hand side of the screen when you get the results from your initial search so that the results list only shows books.

The books owned by the Butler Libraries will have the following at the bottom of the brief record for the item:

The best place to find individual titles of eBooks is searching in the Butler University Library Catalog (WorldCat).  In addition to searching for books individually, there are several online collections of eBooks that you can browse.  Several of those are listed below.  You are welcome to find out more on the eBook LibGuide, including how institutional eBooks differ from ones you would use personally, which devices are supported by each collection, how to search and download chapters and titles, and more.

A chart with a sample library of congress call number and explanations of how to interpret each part if you are browsing books in the stacks. Call numbers in the Library of Congress system are organized from general classification to more specific identifying information in each part. The sample call number is "PS3527 .E917 G7 1925 V.3." The first part, "PS3527," is the classification number. You read the letters in alphabetical order, so A comes before B, and P comes before PA, comes before PB. PS would come between PR and PT. The number is read in ascending numerical order. One comes before two, which comes before three. In this example, PS3527 would come between PS3526 and PS3528. The second part of the call number is the Cutter number. These have a decimal point at the beginning, followed by an initial letter then a number. Sometimes a call number can have two Cutter numbers, as our example does, ".E917" and "G7." In both cases you would interpret the number as decimal numbers, so ".E917" would come between ".E91" and ".E92" and "G7" would come between "G69" and "G71." The third part of the call number is the publication date. This is the year the book was published. Editions of the same book, published in different years, are arranged in chronological order. In our example, the book was published in 1925. The last part of the call number is the enumeration. If a book has multiple volumes, parts, or copies, those are arranged in numerical order. In our example, this is volume three, "V.3" which would be shelved between volumes 2 and 4.

What if Butler Does Not Own the Book? Use InterLibrary Loan (ILL)!

If you find materials in WorldCat that Butler Libraries do not own, you can obtain these through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). This is a complimentary service that enables Butler students to have access to library resources NOT OWNED by the Butler Libraries.  You make Interlibrary Loan requests directly from the catalog or a database by clicking the "Request" button.  If there is no request button, log on to your Library Account to make an ILL Request.

From your account you can:

  • submit requests (use the Requests tab)
  • check the status of your requests (under the Requests tab)
  • retrieve electronically delivered articles
  • request renewals for loaned items (in the Checkouts tab)

For all ILL questions contact Sarah Damery at 317-940-9677 or sdamery@butler.edu.

 

CONTACT

Email Butler University Libraries
Irwin Library: 317-940-9227
Science Library: 317-940-9937

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