Music Collections

The Music Library collects materials that support the instruction, research, study, and performing needs of students and faculty of the Bienen School of Music and the entire Northwestern community. Books, scores, sound recordings, electronic databases, and other materials of all historical periods, genres, and traditions are collected at the research level.

The Northwestern University Music library has an important collection of twentieth-century music. Our mission is to collect as comprehensively as possible all Western art music written since 1945. In addition, many of our special collections are related to music of the twentieth-century.

Our full collection development policy is available by follwing the link below:

Music Collection Development Policy [1]

Music Special Collections – click here [2] for more information

Finding Music Library Materials

NUCat [3] – Our online catalog is used to look for books scores, and recordings held in the Music Library and other NU libraries.

Guide to Music Library Collections

Call Number	Material	Location
M M 2-3 Mini Oversize	Scores Scores	Score stacks, enter from Reading Room Kept in shelving in Reading Room
ML	Books (music literature)	Books stacks, 1st floor Deering, enter from hallway connecting Deering and Main
ML REF	Books (reference)	Reference area of Reading Room
ML 1-5	Periodicals	Reading Room, both current and back issues
MT	Books (music instruction)	Books stacks, 1st floor Deering, enter from hallway connecting Deering and Main
CD	Compact Disc	Listening Center – ask at desk
ST	Phonograph "record"	Listening Center – ask at desk
LP	Phonograph "record"	Listening Center – ask at desk
T-0250	NU recording	Listening Center – ask at desk
RARE	All materials	Closed shelving – ask at Reading Room circ desk
DISS 378	Music dissertations	Remote storage - request online http://www.library.northwestern.edu/item-request [4]

Library of Congress Classification [5] – This guide gives a complete breakdown of all music call numbers.

WorldCat [6] – Search for and request materials in other libraries

Make a Purchase Request [7] – Let us know what else we should add to our collection.