How to find recordings

Tutorial: Finding Recordings Using the Catalogues and Online Sources

To see if the Music Library owns a specific recording or a recording of a specific piece, search the following locations:

1. The Library catalogues:

Classic Catalogue or McGill WorldCat Catalogue

2. Online audio / video:

The Music Library subscribes to a number of streaming and downloadable audio and video providers.

Schulich School of Music Concert Recordings

The Schulich School of Music of McGill University presents several hundred concerts per year. All large ensemble performances as well as a selection of other concerts recorded by students in the sound recording program are deposited in the Music Library collection.

To find these recordings in the Library catalogue

• Click on the "Advanced" tab
• From the drop-down "All types of materials" list select "Recorded music" or "DVD" or "Videorecording"
• Enter the ensemble name (e.g., Jazz Orchestra II) and McGill as keywords. Entering the month or year of the concert will help narrow the results.

If it's not at McGill...

Always doublecheck with a full-time member of the Library staff before deciding that McGill does not own a particular item.

Check other Library catalogues in Montreal or beyond.

Borrowing from other libraries

If an item is not in the McGill Library collection, it may be available for consultation or loan at another Quebec library. Holders of McGill photo ID cards may obtain a CREPUQ borrowing card, which grants its holder limited borrowing privileges at participating institutions.

All Montreal residents may obtain borrowing privileges at the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec and other local public libraries.

Interlibrary Loan

Print music resources (scores, books, and articles) may be requested from more distant libraries by completing an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) form. For more information, visit the McGill Library borrowing items from other libraries page. Due to their fragility, music recordings are rarely available via ILL.

Suggest a purchase

The Marvin Duchow Music Library aims to provide collections that support and strengthen music performance, teaching, learning, and research at McGill University and beyond. Please direct any suggestions for expanding the collection to cynthia [dot] leive [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Cynthia Leive) .