{"id":224,"date":"2012-08-22T11:23:21","date_gmt":"2012-08-22T15:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.library.mcgill.ca\/music-flipside\/?p=224"},"modified":"2012-08-24T13:27:14","modified_gmt":"2012-08-24T17:27:14","slug":"sibley-music-librarys-preservation-workshop-and-a-mcgill-music-library-sheet-music-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.mcgill.ca\/music-flipside\/sibley-music-librarys-preservation-workshop-and-a-mcgill-music-library-sheet-music-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"Sibley Music Library\u2019s Preservation Workshop and a McGill Music Library sheet music collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> Hello! My name is Houman Behzadi and I am very excited to share one of my recent projects at the Marvin Duchow Music Library with you.\u00a0 During the previous academic year, you might have seen me working at the fourth floor audio\/visual reserves or the third floor reference desk.\u00a0 I am afraid, however, that I will be less visible for the next few months as I\u2019ll be spending most of my time \u201cbehind the scenes\u201d working in our Rare Book and Special Collections Room.<\/p>\n

Please allow me to tell you a little bit about my background:\u00a0 I hold a Master\u2019s degree in Violin Solo Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario and will soon start my second year of a Masters of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) at McGill.\u00a0 My work and study have been in the areas of violin and vocal performance and pedagogy, historical performance practice, music printing and publishing, rare and antiquarian books and scores, and most recently physical conservation and digital preservation.\u00a0 In addition to being employed at the Music Library, I work at the McGill\u2019s Rare Books and Special Collections (http:\/\/www.mcgill.ca\/library\/library-using\/branches\/rarebooks\/<\/a>) where I have the good fortune of being able to work with rare and antiquarian books and documents.<\/p>\n

About a year ago, my supervisor at the Music Library introduced me to a large collection of 19th <\/sup>century French sheet music donated to us by the National Gallery (http:\/\/www.gallery.ca\/en\/<\/a>) and Library Archives Canada (http:\/\/www.collectionscanada.gc.ca\/index-e.html\/<\/a>).\u00a0 Two things about this collection caught my attention immediately: first, the richness and beauty of the lithography, and second, the inappropriate conditions in which it had been originally stored. \u00a0To be more precise, every piece of sheet music had been glued, from its four corners, to highly acidic cardboard.\u00a0 If sheet music publication dates falls around the end of the 19th<\/sup> or the beginning of 20th<\/sup> century, it is likely the attached cardboard will contribute to the discoloration and brittleness of the sheet music.\u00a0 A major step towards the preservation of this fine collection would be to detach each item from its acidic backing (without causing any damage to the item), store it in an acid-free folder and then, along with other sheet music pieces, house it in an acid-free box.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Anticipating some involvement in both the aforementioned project and various other tasks in our Rare Book and Special Collections Room, I felt the need to further educate myself and learn about best practices in the field.\u00a0 Earlier this year, I received an email message through the listserv of the Music Library Association (http:\/\/musiclibraryassoc.org\/default.aspx<\/a>) regarding the possibility of attending a Music Preservation Workshop at the Sibley Music Library in Rochester, New York.\u00a0 The Sibley Music Library (http:\/\/www.esm.rochester.edu\/sibley\/<\/a>) is the largest academic music library in the United States and happens to have its own preservation\/conservation laboratory directed by Alice Carli.\u00a0 I managed to take a week off from work to travel to Rochester and attend the workshop.\u00a0 Working under Alice\u2019s direction proved to be an invaluable experience!<\/p>\n

Six students in total took part.\u00a0 This meant we got a great deal of personal attention from the instructor.\u00a0 The major areas addressed were:<\/p>\n