Music in edwationIt is the task of the popular libraries to organize special sections for
the music education of young people and adults.
The libraries of the Italian conservatories are made widely accessible
to the public, which have open reading-rooms and, in certain cases,
offer home-lending and reproduction services.
The library of the Li$ge Conservatory admits individual members
of the public upon request, provided that the request is based on good
and sufficient reasons and is approved by the director; it also operates
home-lending and photocopying services.
Certain Swiss conservatories (Geneva, Musikschule at Basle) open
their libraries to students, teachers, and others on payment of an annual
subscription fee. They also have a home-lending service, but works
are lent out only if suitable guarantees (which vary according to cir-
cumstances) are given. Others (Zurich, Schola Cantorum at Basle)
have libraries that are strictly reserved for teachers and students. But
in Switzerland there is an agreement, as well as a system of lending,
between the various conservatories and the radio, under which all have
the use of a common stock; each benefits from the resources of the
others; and they agree not to duplicate purchases or to purchase in
competition with each other.
This brief survey of the general situation in regard to conservatory
libraries reveals great differences in organization which seem to result
from the absence of a general plan and from adherence to an over-
localized system.
A search for the reasons for this situation may lead us to the sugges-
tion of certain remedies. Large-scale dissemination of the works of
these libraries is usually impeded by purely material factors. First,
there is the nature of the premises: because of their small size it
is often impossible to set aside one room for the preservation of
books and music texts or scores, another for reading, and a third
for text reproduction. Secondly, there is the question of staff: for it
is necessary to index, draw up catalogues and supervise. Assuming
these problems could be solved, it would obviously be desirable
to unify the various collections so far as possible by a process of
exchange, microfilming and photocopying, and to combine them as
a common stock.
what, then, might be the basic programme for ensuring that libraries
of conservatories play a part in the education of young people and
adults, independently of music experts?
In our opinion, the first essential is that each music establishment
should possess adequate premises and equipment: (a) a room with