Finding Aid for Music Library Administrative Records, 1917-2007 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Noah Lenstra, Nolan Vallier, Katie Nichols, Carol Berthold

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Collection Overview

Title: Music Library Administrative Records, 1917-2007

ID: 35/3/68

Primary Creator: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Music and Performing Arts Library (1944-)

Extent: 6.0 cubic feet

Arrangement: The Music Library Administrative Records is arranged into three distinct series 1) Library Administrative Files, 2) Personnel Files, and 3) Closed Music Library Special Collections Lead Files. Each of the three series maintains the original order kept by the Music Library but have been arranged by file type. Series 1 and Series 2 maintains the original order as the arrangement. The 3rd series, arranged alphabetically, includes inventories of special collections as well as financial information regarding gifts and purchases. Access will be granted to researchers only with the prior written permission of the Head of the Special Collections Division. In requesting access to this record series, researchers should provide a written description of their research project and a list of the file folders to which they desire access.

Date Acquired: 12/12/2010. More info below under Accruals.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Music Library Administrative Records includes Music Library Business Records collected by and recorded by the music librarians Jay Allen, William McClellan and Jean Geil. The Administrative records includes correspondence, business records, personnel files, special collections lead files, inventory lists, appraisals, descriptions of collections offered for donation or purchase, accession agreements, clippings, and recommendations from faculty members concerning potential and actual acquisitions of collections of manuscripts, recordings, photographs, sheet music and monographs purchased by or donated to the library. Materials in Series 1, Subseries 2 and 3 were acquired from MPAL on July 2, 2021.

Biographical Note

The University of Illinois Music and Performing Arts Library was initially founded in the memorial room of Smith Hall in 1943. The school's first music librarian was Jay Allen (1943-1960) and his assistant was Virginia Shirley. In 1963, the University of Illinois received a generous gift from Ellnora Krannert (class of 1912). However, the grant arrived just as the School of Music was planning to construct a new educational building for music on campus. Since Krannert's grant was so substantial, the State of Illinois dropped the budget it had planned for two construction projects: a new library (conceived to alleviate the overcrowded music library in Smith) as well as an addition to Smith Hall. At the time, the library was under the direction of Thor E. Wood (1960-1965). While the new Krannert Center (opened in 1969) contained numerous performance spaces, it did not have space to accomodate the vast library of music books and recordings that had been collected by the School of Music. Funding eventually came in the early 1970s and the School of Music moved into its current location in the Music Building 1114 W. Nevada Street in 1972. The library soon followed, opening in 1974. Head librarian William McClellan (1965-1997) resided over the new library space and quickly began expanding the library's holdings to include not only books and audio recordings but also special collections. Wilma Jean Geil (assistant librarian 1965-1996) collected and processed many of the small special collections. In most cases, if a collection contained published music, LPs, or tape cassettes the items were ingested, cataloged, and dispersed among the circulating library collection. Many of the paper records within special collections acquired by the library remained unprocessed until 2015 when the majority of the special collections were transferred to the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music.

Administrative Information

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: Additional materials acquired January 12, 2015. Materials from William McClellan's and Jay Allen's administrative files acquired from MPAL on July 2, 2021.

Access Restrictions: Restricted files can only be accessed with permission from University Archivist or Archivist for Fine and Applied Arts or 50 years after the last date in the file.

Acquisition Source: Music and Performing Arts Library

Related Materials: Music and Performing Arts Library Small Special Collections (35/3/81), Kitty Cheatham Personal Papers and Theater Program Collection (12/9/119), Shirley Meyer Blankenship Music and Papers (12/5/53), Gerard Behague and Everett Helm Latin American Sheet Music Collection (12/5/44), Natalia Belting Sound Recording Collection (12/9/106), Jean Cutler Theatrical Films, Audio Recordings, and Papers (26/20/140), Dennis Eberhard Music and Papers (26/20/189), Lloyd Farrar Music Instrument Collection and Personal Papers (12/9/92), Hunleth Music Store Sheet Music and Photograph Collection (12/9/123), Rafael Joseffy Music and Personal Papers (12/9/116), Walter J. Kasura Russian Folk Music Collection (12/5/61), Robert Kelly Music and Papers (12/5/46), Music and Performing Arts Library Alexander Kutin Balalaika Symphonic Orchestra Music (35/3/97), Gabriel Magyar Papers (12/5/23), Music and Performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection (35/3/82), Morgan Powell Music Manuscripts (12/5/41), Paul Price Percussion Music and Papers (12/5/51), Paul Rolland Papers (12/5/21), Roslyn Rensch Papers (26/20/95), Emanuil Sheynkman Papers and Russian Music (12/5/71), Frederic B. Stiven Papers (12/5/20), School of Music Audio Department Sound Recordings (12/5/64), Jeffrey Sandborg Collection of Yrjo Kilpinen Music (26/20/147), WGN Radio Station Studio Orchestra Music Library and Records (12/9/114), Ned Williams Sound Recordings (12/5/54), Morris and Barnard Young Music Business Records (12/9/108), and Paul Martin Zonn Music and Papers (12/5/35).

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Library Administrative Files, 1917-2007],
[Series 2: Personnel Files, 1961-2007],
[Series 3: Closed Music Library Special Collections Lead Files, 1958-2005],
[All]

Series 1: Library Administrative Files, 1917-2007

Sub-Series 1: General Administrative Files

Box 1

Folder 1: Fund acquisitions - NEH Challenge Grant (1 of 2), 1991-2003
Folder 2: Fund acquisitions - NEH Challenge Grant (2 of 2), 1991-2003
Folder 3: Fund acquisitions - Library Friends Designated Gift Funds - Music, 1991-2004
Folder 4: Fund acquisitions - Opportunity Fund, ca. 2002
Folder 5: Fund acquisitions - 6010 Music dissertations, 1981-1996
Folder 6: Acquisitions - Ordering policies and procedures, 1989-1997
Folder 7: Acquisitions - Price quotes in process, 1999
Folder 8: Administration - Organization and operation, 1987-1997
Folder 9: Analytics - Monographic series, 1985-1995
Folder 10: Music Library Annual Reports, 1944-1950
Folder 11: Music Library Annual Reports, 1951-1960
Folder 12: Music Library Annual Reports, 1960-1969
Folder 13: Music Library Annual Reports, 1969-1979
Folder 14: Music Library Annual Reports, 1980-1990
Folder 15: Music Library Annual Reports, 1990-1999
Folder 16: Music Library Annual Reports, 1999
Folder 17: Music Library Annual Reports, 2000
Folder 18: Music Library Annual Reports, 2001
Folder 19: Music Library Annual Reports, 2002
Folder 20: Music Library Annual Reports, 2003
Folder 21: Music Library Annual Reports, 2000-2003: Includes similar information to folders 17-20 with some additional information.
Folder 22: Annual Report Guidelines, ca. 1994-1998
Folder 23: Budget - Allocation surveys and plans, 1999-2001
Folder 24: Collection Development Policies - Music, 1976-1998
Folder 25: Renaissance Archives/Descriptions and PR statements, 1966-2003
Folder 26: History of the Music Library, draft, undated
Folder 27: Grove materials, 1997
Folder 28: University of Illinois Library Resources pamphlet, 1996
Folder 29: Descriptions and PR statements, 1979-2002
Folder 30: McMurtry-Noel Fund, 2002-2004
Folder 31: Evaluation/Assessment of Needs, 1982-1993
Folder 32: OCLC/AMIGOS collection analysis, ca. 1992
Folder 33: Collection development special project assessment, 1990
Folder 34: Research board application, 2003
Folder 35: BMI Foundation proposal, 2003
Folder 36: Library Friends Preservation Gift Fund proposal, 1999-2000
Folder 37: Education Technologies Board grant, 1998-2000
Folder 38: Grant proposal 1979, 1978-1980
Folder 39: Grant proposal 1979, 1980-1993
Folder 40: Problem patrons and warnings/complaints, 1961-1977

Box 2

Folder 16: Instructional Materials Center proposal, 1969-1973
Folder 17: Listening Facilities proposal, 1966-1984
Folder 18: Performing Arts Library proposal, 1970-1974
Folder 19: Policies - operations and services, 1975-1990
Folder 20: Questionnaires and surveys, 1990-1995
Folder 21: Sound recordings - access to pre-CDs, 1994-1996
Folder 22: Special Collections policy and procedure, 1978
Folder 23: Special Collections reports and memos, 1988-1993
Folder 24: Special Collections sheet music projects, 1974-1992
Folder 25: "Musical Codex" pamphlet and order form, 1996-1998
Folder 26: Statistics - policy and procedure forms, 1967-1975
Folder 27: Statistics - special projects, 1944-1990
Folder 28: User services - reports and memos, 1986-1996

Box 5

Folder 1: Acquisitions (1 of 4), 1948-1952: Lists of acquisitions for Music Library.
Folder 2: Acquisitions (2 of 4), 1953-1958: Lists of acquisitions for Music Library.
Folder 3: Acquisitions (3 of 4), 1959-1962: Lists of acquisitions for Music Library.
Folder 4: Acquisitions (4 of 4), 1963-1964: Lists of acquisitions for Music Library.
Folder 5: Acquisition Lists, Other Libraries, 1958-1961
Folder 6: Music Library Services Survey, 1986
Folder 7: Music Library Studies, 1934-1986
Folder 8: National Association of Schools of Music, Self-Survey Report, 1980
Folder 9: School of Music History, 1907-1996

Sub-Series 2: Jay Allen Files

Box 5

Folder 10: Budget - 1949-1950, 1950-1951, 1949-1951
Folder 11: Budget - 1951-1952, 1952-1953, 1951-1953
Folder 12: Cataloging, 1944-1959
Folder 13: Correspondence, Memos, Minutes of Committee Meetings, 1943-1959
Folder 14: Correspondence with Duane Branigan, 1951-1958
Folder 15: Disk Room Rules, 1947-1968
Folder 16: Ensemble Music Collection, 1950-1958
Folder 17: Exhibits, 1945-1949
Folder 18: Expansion Correspondence, 1957-1959
Folder 19: Memos to Faculty, 1944-1962
Folder 20: Music Library Descriptions, Holdings, Lists, 1946-1975
Folder 21: Music Library Expansion, 1958-1960
Folder 22: Music Library Important Holdings, 1948-1952
Folder 23: Music Library Procedures, 1944-1956
Folder 24: Music Library Space: Blueprints, Drawings - Smith Music Building, 1917-1959
Folder 25: Music Library Space: Memos, Plans, Drawings, 1944-1955
Folder 26: Music Library Staff Manual, May, 1957

Box 6

Folder 1: Musical and Literary Works: School of Music Faculty, 1950-1954
Folder 2: Newsletter: Notes from the School of Music, 1953-1959: Periodic newsletter to Alumni of School of Music (SOM) from Director of SOM.
Folder 3: Publicity, 1944-1958
Folder 4: Sampling of Important Holdings, 1948-1952
Folder 5: Stiven, F.B. - Correspondence, Memos, Minutes, 1944-1960: Stiven was director of the School of Music.
Folder 6: Survey Data, 1947-1948

Sub-Series 3: William McClellan Files

Box 6

Folder 7: Budgets - Expenditures, 1970-1971
Folder 8: Budgets - Expenditures, 1971-1972
Folder 9: Budgets - Expenditures, 1973-1974
Folder 10: Budgets - Expenditures, 1974-1975
Folder 11: Budgets - Expenditures, 1975-1976
Folder 12: Budgets - Expenditures, 1976-1977
Folder 13: Budgets - Expenditures, 1977-1978
Folder 14: Budgets - Expenditures, 1978-1979
Folder 15: Budgets - Expenditures, 1979-1980
Folder 16: Budgets - Expenditures, 1980-1981
Folder 17: Budgets - Expenditures, 1981-1982
Folder 18: Budgets - Expenditures, 1982-1983
Folder 19: Budgets - Expenditures, 1983-1984
Folder 20: Budgets - Expenditures, 1984-1985
Folder 21: Budgets - Expenditures, 1985-1986
Folder 22: Budgets - Expenditures, 1986-1987
Folder 23: Budgets - Expenditures, 1987-1988
Folder 24: Budgets - Expenditures, 1988-1989
Folder 25: Budgets - Expenditures, 1989-1990
Folder 26: Card Filing: Rules and Procedures, 1977
Folder 27: Festival of Contemporary Arts, 1965-1978: Programs.
Folder 28: Moving Manual, 1974: Details for use of space in new Music Building.
Folder 29: Music Library Acquisition Practices, 1982
Folder 30: Music Library Association Programs at Urbana, 1974 and 1988, 1974-1988
Folder 31: Music Library Manual, 1975
Folder 32: Music Library Photo Negatives (1 of 2), undated
Folder 33: Music Library Photo Negatives (2 of 2), undated
Folder 34: Music Library Photos (1 of 2), undated
Folder 35: Music Library Photos (2 of 2), 1973-1974
Folder 36: Music Library Slides (1 of 2), May, 1975
Folder 37: Music Library Slides (2 of 2), undated
Folder 38: Music Library Reorganizations, 1976-1987
Folder 39: Music Sale, 1979
Folder 40: Photos - Ambassador Theater, undated
Folder 41: Questionnaires and Surveys, 1972-1989
Folder 42: Redordings: Open Stacks Proposal, 1974
Folder 43: School of Music Report, 1965
Folder 44: Staff Meeting Notes, Minutes, 1970-1978
Folder 45: Student Term Paper on Library Rearrangement (LIS 428), 1986: Lucy Barron and Janet Bischoff.
Folder 46: Student Term Paper on the Music Library (204), 1968: Helen Kowalczyk.

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Library Administrative Files, 1917-2007],
[Series 2: Personnel Files, 1961-2007],
[Series 3: Closed Music Library Special Collections Lead Files, 1958-2005],
[All]