WHERE TO SEARCH

The Library's sound recordings are roughly, at this point in time, 50% cataloged. Bibliographic information about the recordings is available in three places, the Library of Congress Integrated Library System (LCILS, formerly MUMS), the Recorded Sound Section's SONIC database, and the Rigler-Deutsch 78 rpm disc project microfiche presently available via the RLIN utility. A chart of cataloged Recorded Sound materials and their appropriate bibliographic databases is specified in a Recorded Sound Collection Bibliographic Location Matrix.

The LCILS contains bibliographic records for approximately 20% of the collection, primarily data describing commercial LPs and CDs of western Classical, ethnographic and popular music, as the data for these recordings was judged to be most in demand by other institutions for shared cataloging. "Live" recordings of concerts and poetry readings in the Library's Coolidge Auditorium are also cataloged in the LCILS.

SONIC is a database comprised of information about a portion of the Library's 78 rpm discs, nearly all the 45 rpm discs, cassettes, as well as several special collections on various formats. Recordings of music and spoken word are represented in the database, and include such diverse materials as the Newport Jazz Festivals, NBC Radio, Meet the Press, and Copyright submissions on cassette. This database is comprised of some 350,000 bibliographic records representing roughly 25% of the Library's entire sound recording holdings. A complete listing of SONIC Contents by general categories and collections is available.

SONIC HOME | Introduction | Where to Search | How to Search SONIC | Contents

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