Scope of Collection
The primary goal of the Music and Performing Arts Library (MPAL) Special Collections is to serve the research and performance needs of the University’s faculty and students. To this end, we seek to collect in subject areas receiving substantial and sustained attention within the School of Music, the Department of Dance, and the Department of Theatre, those representing ongoing departmental research interests, those that build on existing collection strengths, or those areas that are the focus of state and regional musical and performing arts heritage.
Collection Criteria
An item may be housed in the Special Collections area of the Music and Performing Arts Library if it meets one or more of the following criteria. Items are evaluated individually and may be added to Special Collections at the discretion of the librarians, using these guidelines.
- Age
- Availability
- Condition
- Physical and aesthetic value
- Provenance or association, including markings
- Rarity
- Value
Donating Materials
Interested parties must contact the Head of the Music and Performing Arts Library to discuss potential donations as we do not accept unsolicited donations. We accept gifts of single items or collections that will support the scope of the collection outlined above. Only items in good condition deemed to be of enduring value will be added to the Library’s holdings, as determined by the Head of the Music and Performing Arts Library.
Considerations of limited space, personnel, and financial resources dictate that we accept or decline donations, regardless of source, based on their potential to support the institution’s research, teaching, and performance missions. Each collection will be evaluated based on its merits in this context.
Where possible, it is preferable that gift collections be accompanied by a monetary donation sufficient for processing, conservation, arrangement, and description of the collection in accordance with accepted archival and preservation practice. It is also preferable that donors of accepted gift collections place no restrictions on access.
The Music and Performing Arts Library Special Collections may dispose of any materials found within gift collections that are of insufficient enduring value, in poor condition, or that do not further the educational mission of the University of Illinois.
Some donations or materials therein may be more suitable for housing at the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music and/or the University Archives, and may be referred to archivists there for consideration.
Accessing Materials
Researchers or performers who wish to use special collections materials should request them from the Library’s service desk. Because there is no secure research area within the Music and Performing Arts Library, a limit of three items from Special Collections may be charged out to the researcher at one time. Researchers needing access to Special Collections materials in greater volume or over a sustained period, and/or those visiting from off-campus should contact the Head of the Music and Performing Arts Library via email at least two weeks in advance of your visit to discuss options for access.
Access to special collections materials that have not been processed will not normally be granted except under direct supervision by the Head of the Music and Performing Arts Library or other designated library personnel.
Reproduction Requests
Researchers using MPAL Special Collections materials on site may make scans of print items or microfilm when the item’s physical condition allows. Researchers working from a distance should send any reproduction requests to mpal@library.illinois.edu. Requests may be denied based on the item’s condition, copyright status, or format. Larger requests may need to be referred to the Library’s Digitization Services unit, which will incur charges.