About the Music and Performing Arts Library

The University of Illinois's Music and Performing Arts Library is one of the largest at a public university, and its music holdings are currently ranked very high among music libraries in the United States and, indeed, in the world. Its collections contain more than 765,000 volumes, including over 55,000 books, 520,000 scores, 19,000 microforms, 150,000 sound recordings, and over 20,000 items in other formats and media. Dance materials became part of the library's collections when they were transferred from the University of Illinois's Applied Life Studies Library in the 1990s. Theatre materials were transferred from the English Library in summer 2008, and at the same time the library's name was changed to its current form. The library supports a wide range of advanced programs in the School of Music, Department of Dance, and Department of Theatre, and collects widely in all three areas. The library's reference collection is extensive, and the library has current subscriptions to many electronic resources in music, dance, and theatre. Bringing together these three areas facilitates interdisciplinary dialogue between performers of all kinds.