Cool info on Streaming Audio Playlists

One of the cool things about the streaming audio databases we have is the ability to create playlists.  So professors can make playlists for their classes to use or individuals can keep their fav tunes together.  The Alexander Street Press playlists are pretty straightforward on their website.  The Naxos instructions for faculty are more involved, so with the help of my dear friend Diane Steinhaus over at UNC Chapel Hill (and a little nudging from Jim Douglass here at UNCG), here are some helpful hints:

Creating Playlists in Naxos Music Library

A: Professors or Administrators [B: Students – see below!!]

You have the ability to create institutional playlists by logging in with the professor/administrator password at www.NaxosMusicLibrary.com (ask Sarah for the password) .Once logged in, click on the playlist tab at the top of the page. It has a user-friendly interface, and there is also a PDF Playlist User Guide on the right of the screen. This walks you through the process step-by-step or see below. NOTE: Be careful not to delete/edit playlists that aren't yours! Unless you lock your list and create a password, we all have the same access through the username and password.
Open either Internet Explorer or Firefox. Go to www.naxosmusiclibrary.com (rather than going through the library's web site)
Log in at www.naxosmusiclibrary.com with username and Password you can get from Sarah.
Once you are logged in, search for the recordings you want to put in a playlist. When you are in the screen for a particular CD, click the tracks you want to include (or click the whole work). Click on the + sign next to the track to see the performers.
Once you've selected the track(s) you want, select Add to Playlist from the menu on the left side of the screen. The first time you do this, Select locations Tab = My Playlists, Folder = Current; and name a New Playlist – save to UNCG tab if you want others to see it! [There is a limit of 60 tracks or 4 hours per playlist.]
Once your playlist is complete, select Playlists from the upper toolbar (in this same login) to create and name a folder for your class (eg. MUS437/637).
Under the UNCG Playlists, select and name a New Folder. Then click on the My Playlists tab, put a check box next to your playlist, select Move Playlist to move your list to the UNCG playlists (from My Playlists). Select the University of North Carolina Greensboro tab, and select the folder you want to move your playlist(s) to.
Now your playlist(s) will be accessible to students who visit Naxos from the library website.
STUDENTS: Students may create your own, private playlists. Go to Naxos through the UNCG library website as usual. Click on the Playlist tab on the top of the page. Click on Student/Member Playlists and Sign-up. Follow the instructions and you will be ready to create your own playlists from any piece in the Naxos Music Library. Each time you access the NML, you will need to sign-in to the student playlists to access your personal playlists.

Have fun, everyone and if you have any questions, ask Diane or Jim...ha ha, JOKE - ask me, Sarah, anytime!

How to be a BAD Music Library User Taking Good Care of Music Library Materials

Back in August, I wrote a post entitled Some Reminders for our ML Patrons that listed several ways in which you, as a Music Library user, could treat the library well. Today I’m going to address two of those items in greater detail and provide photographic evidence of ways in which Music Library materials have been treated badly. I'll also list the possible costs of various types of damage. (Click on photos for larger view, if needed.)

Please don't write, put tape on or in any way manipulate Library materials, this includes scores.
Here’s the deal, folks. Materials that you borrow from a library do not belong to you. They are not yours; you are borrowing them for a limited amount of time. (Yes, I am aware that I’m being repetitive. I’m hoping that it will help to make my point.) Once you return an item, someone else is going to use it. Shouldn’t they get a chance to use it in pristine condition?

[Writing] Those markings that you made in a score may have been helpful to you, but the person using it after you doesn’t want to see them. You may be saying to yourself, but isn’t it okay as long as I use a pencil? No! Erasing, even when you use a gentle stroke and a special gummy eraser, damages paper. There is a simple solution, just don’t do it. If you’re studying a score in a way that’s going to lead you to write it in, shouldn’t you purchase it for your personal library anyway? That way you, your studio teacher or your accompanist can do as much score marking as you wish.

Cost: $.25 per page for pencil marks; $.50 per page for ink, highlighter, crayon, etc.

[Tape] Tape is an enemy of paper! Audrey Sage of Preservation Services in Jackson Library tells me that, “Tape rots paper.” There it is folks - from an expert, tape and paper don’t mix as far as library materials are concerned. (Please don’t attempt to repair library items with tape; there's more about that in the last section of this post.)

I’ve also noticed lately that some scores have been coming back to the Music Library with photocopies taped to them. It appears that this is done for ease of page turning. Accompanists, please, please don’t do it. Ask someone to turn pages for you.
Cost: Up to $5.00 per page

[Post-it Notes, Sticky Flags, Paper Clips, Folds, etc] Here’s the rule: don’t attach anything to library materials. Sticky things like post-it notes and those handy flags leave chemicals that break down paper. Paperclips, especially the uncoated ones, leave rust stains. Paperclips also damage paper by leaving indentations behind. Folding pages weakens them and leads to rips and tears. If you need to keep your place, use a bookmark or a slip of paper.
Cost: $.10 per post-it notes, flags, paper clip, fold, etc.; More for ripped pages

[Pets] This one is easy! When you take library materials home, make sure that you leave them in a place where your pets can’t reach them.
Cost: from $15 for new cover to $125 for replacement

[Liquids] Keep library materials dry. If it’s raining, ask a library staff member for a bag to protect your scores and books. Don’t drop your library book in a puddle. When you’re at home, don’t read library materials while you’re having a soak in the tub. Don’t spill your coffee on library materials. Be careful! If an item does get wet, bring it to the Music Library immediately. The quicker the wet item can be dealt with the lower the chance that it will have to be replaced and the lower the fees that you will be charged.
Costs: varies according to the amount of damage, but can be as high as $125 for replacement

If a Library item in your possession is or becomes damaged, please do not attempt to repair it. Bring the item back to us and we will send it to the Preservation staff at Jackson Library for repair.
Do-It-Yourself is never a good idea when it comes to repairing library materials. Even if it’s just one ripped page, bring the item to the Music Library and we’ll enlist the help of Audrey Sage and Stefani Hobbick in the University Libraries Preservation Services Department. In emergency cases, we’ll even walk the item to Jackson Library, have Stefani or Audrey repair it on the spot, and bring the item back to you.

Some Important Links

University Libraries' Library Crimes

Dean of Students Office's Academic Integrity Misuse of Academic Resources

Music Library Assocaition's Repairs and Conservation of Scores and Sheet Music

American Library Association's Code of Ethics

If you have any questions about damaged library items, please leave a comment or contact me at mkamos@uncg.edu. If you think of other examples of things one shouldn’t do to library materials, please share those as well.

Thanks for taking care of our stuff!
mka, Your Evening/Weekend Music Library Manager

All photos by Mallory McComas, Veteran Music Library Student Assistant