The purpose of this guide is to familiarize you with the best resources for research in music by genre, nationality and time period. For further assistance, contact Judith Downie, Humanities Librarian.

Getting Started

Keywords

Think about words that describe your topic and the variations of that word as well as artists and groups that are involved in the musical genre you are studying. Boundaries are not clear-cut between styles and some artists cross musical styles (rock n' roll can get country radio airplay) and many artists attribute other music and musicians with influencing their own style and development (the members of the Rolling Stones admit to being influenced by many of the earlier African-American blues musicians.)  This can give you great angles for your research, but can also make it hard to stay focused on a small enough topic for a paper.

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias are a good place to start your research. They can help you identify a topic for your paper, and often include useful bibliographies.

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians REFERENCE ML 100 .N48 2001 More than a dictionary, this is actually one of the premier encyclopedic resources on music and musicians. If you don't look at anything else, look at this. An older edition of this is in the Book Stacks at the same call number and the volumes can be checked out.

Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo-Wop Vocal Groups REFERENCE ML 102 .P66 R67 2000 New Grove Gospel, Blues and Jazz BOOK STACKS ML 3556 .O456 1986b New Grove Dictionary of Jazz REFERENCE ML 102 .J3 N48 2001 South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean REFERENCE ML 100 .G16

Music Index BOOK STACKS and REFERENCE ML 118 .M84 Yearly indexes from 1961-on which help you in research for articles published before 1969 (the RILM database found in our Research Databases collection begins coverage with 1969).

Books

A research paper on music is not a review of a performance you attended or what you think about an artist. You need to do research and find 5-10 books on your topic to write a decent paper.  Depending on how much time you have, you have a couple of options for where you can search:

Books at Cal State San Marcos

Library Catalog
Search our local collection of about 250,000 books.

Other Options

Circuit (1-3 day delivery)
Search the collections of other San Diego area libraries -- about 3,000,000 books. Find and request books directly online; pick them up at our Library in 1-3 days.

WorldCat (5-10 day delivery)
Search the collections of libraries world-wide -- about 52,000,000 books. Find a book in this database, and fill-out an Interlibrary Loan delivery request. Book will be delivered to Library for pickup.

Library of Congress: Search Music, Theatre, and Dance
This agency works to collect all materials published in the US as well as all English language materials, so the coverage on any research topic is extensive. The catch is that the LoC does not lend materials, so try ordering through our Interlibrary Loan office if you find something you must have. The search information offered on this page is very useful in understanding how an academic library collection works.

Useful Subject Terms
Can't think of terms to accurately describe your topic?  Library catalogs use specific subject headings to group related books together. 'Music' is such a large topic, you will want to think of ways to narrow it down, by time, geography, musical genre, specific performer, etc. Ask a librarian to help, or here are some examples to think about:

• Music -- 20th century -- History
• Music -- Caribbean area -- Video recordings
• Coltrane, John, 1926-1967 (note the last name, first name when looking for a person as subject)
• Musical instruments
• Reggae Music

Genre Searches
If you are interested in a specific type of resource, such as video recordings of music performances, we have the tool for you! In the library catalog, change the search field label to GENRE/FORM and type in "music". This is a growing category, but right now you will find:

• Music Electronic Journals (all full-text journals we have in electronic format, we do have print titles as well)
• Music Video Recordings (these may be documentaries or offer interviews and analysis compared to the Music Videos category)
• Music Videos  (these are recordings of performances and there is some overlap of titles as in the Music Video Recordings category)
• Musical Films (films where music plays an important role in mood, plot development or other aspect of storytelling.)

Browse the Book Stacks
Sometimes, just looking through the shelves can turn up works you would not have considered otherwise. Using the Library of Congress subject system, Music is shelved in the M call number area. The Wikipedia online encyclopedia provides a list of the subclasses in the M area so you can see how this is organized.

Journal Articles

Music journals include some of the latest research in the field as well as discussion of performances, styles and historical developments.  They're a good source for finding very detailed information on your topic.  It's best to start with a couple of books before diving into journals to get ideas on terms to use in your search. To find articles, you need to start with research databases. 

Some databases do not offer full text of the articles. Use the button to check our other resources for full text.

Each will allow you to search hundreds or even thousands of journals at once. The problem is, which databases to look in first! Here are some ideas:

Alternative Formats

Research in music topics can locate information in a variety of less traditional formats such as CDs and their liner notes or video recordings. Your professor will specify what are appropriate sources for information and if allowed, listening to or watching the performance can provide insights to include in your paper. The library catalog notes what format the information is in by using a bracketed note after the title in the search result list. The notations [Videorecording] and [Sound Recording] are the most common formats in the catalog for now, although online resources and other formats are in our future. You can MODIFY SEARCH after searching your term to only the media formats you want--use the MATERIAL TYPE drop-down menu in the 'modify' screen.

Internet Sources

Your instructor may allow use of some web pages you find on the Wild Wild Web. NOT ALL SITES ARE OF EQUAL VALUE TO YOU AS A RESEARCHER. Exercise caution with statements you find and discographies as well as downloading any songs you might come across. You don't know without careful checking what is truth and what is fiction, but the instructor grading your paper is going to know!

As for downloading, between harmful viruses and lawsuits being brought by the RIAA (Recording Industry of Association of America) who is aggressively pursuing users who download illegally, it just isn't worth the risk.

Organizations & Associations

ASCAP American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

BMI Broadcast Music Incorporated

International Music Council (part of UNESCO)

Music Related Associations A-M and N-Z

Musical Associations and Professional Societies (list maintained by Indiana University)

NAMM International Music Products Association, formerly National Association of Music Merchants

National Association for Music Education and its California Chapter

Other Sources

Center for Black Music Research
The Library & Archives link is the portal to various resources including descriptions of various musical styles in African and African-American music, bibliographies and discographies.

Copyright for Music Librarians This isn't just for librarians, but can help answer questions you may have about using music in class presentations, art installations and more. Also see the thorough treatment at Stanford University's Copyright & Fair Use site.

Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project This is a collection of music recorded on cylinders and digitized to play either on-site or download as an i-tune. Text is provided on the history of the cylinder recording.

Digital Sheet Music Collection (University of Colorado)
This collection has an emphasis on regional (Colorado and the West) music with a collection of ragtime sheet music. Digitized covers and music cover the time period 1890-1922.

Directory Of Open Access Journals Click on "music" for access to freely-available full text online journals.

International Foundation for Music Research A limited and not-frequently updated site with the goal of examining the relationship of music to physical and emotional wellness. Some useful topics are addressed in the MuSICA Research Notes, but each issue must be searched individually.

Music Career Resources (maintained by Berkelee School of Music) An extensive list of books, directories and online resources.

Music Journals and Magazines, Newspapers and Periodicals From Indiana University School of Music, an extensive alphabetical list of journals and other publications found online. Not all will provide full-text of the journals, but what is available is noted.

Music Reference Online Resources From Rider University Libraries, a list of links to online reference tools and sites on a variety of musical topics including sacred and religious music, popular music, history, composers and music education.

ographies (Society for Ethnomusicology) Bibliographies, discographies, filmographies and videographies of ethnic music as published in Ethnomusicology: The Journal of the Society of Ethnomusicology.

Performing Arts Encyclopedia (Library of Congress) Providing links to digitized collections and exhibits as well as bibliographies to lead to more. Both searchable and browseable to find the rich variety of resources.

Video On Demand A collection of performances, lectures, interviews, and installations recorded at UCSD. These are free to watch using RealPlayer. Use the video finder subject divisions to look at the offering (advise using the Arts & Music collection and then using the "by subject" tab". A title/keyword search option is available also. Of interest are the various music sections.

Worldwide Internet Music Resources (Indiana University School of Music) offers an extensive list of links to museums, publications, genres and commercial aspects of music research.

Archives & Collections

Archive of Dissertation Abstracts in Music
Short listing of dissertations in music with access to abstracts.

British Library Sound Archive
This site focuses on describing the collections available at the British Library, but offers a large number of sound recordings available online and an extensive list of links to related European and American web sites on classical, popular and world music.

Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology
Listing of dissertations, both completed and in progress from around the world. List is maintained by Vanderbilt University.

International Guitar Research Archive (CSU Northridge)
Extensive bibliography of holdings and discography. The site is currently under development and more is being added all the time.

Music Theory Online Dissertation Index
Compilation of dissertations specifically on music theory maintained by the journal Music Theory Online. Click on the author link to access the abstract and content descriptors.

Need More?

As you research, you may find yourself stuck or need to find more. Here are ways to get help!

The librarian listed at the top of this page is here to help. Email or call 760-750-4374 to make an appointment. Also, my office is KEL 3424 and if my door is open, I am available for drop-in appointments.

The Research Help Desk is open during library hours. Email or a reply in 24 hours or call 760-750-4342.

The CSUSM Writing Center (located within the Kellogg Library on 1st floor) can help with developing good writing. Fill in an electronic appointment form or call 760-750-4168