Grants and conjunto music

Well, the IMLS grant thing fell through. Not enough time to get it together. The library director heading abroad...yadda, yadda, yadda. But they said they hope to use this to apply for a state grant. My take is that they should start smaller, and start to plan steps for preservation. Survey their materials of audio tape, develop strategies for ways to bake the tape or do digital transfer off-site. We'll see. Still, many possibilities ahead. And I'm still going to the ARSC conference in Austin. :-)

There are so many exciting possibilities and challenges to creating a digital library of sound recordings. It's hard to know where to begin. I feel that my MLS curriculum has given me some of the basics in terms of the general approach. I've definitely had to supplement that with readings and other material online. I could stay in this program, get an MIS, an Archives Specialization, and an MA in Musicology and Folklore, and still not know everything--and it keeps changing. I just don't have that many hours in the day. But we do the best with what we know at the time.

In cataloging news, I'm cataloging this for the Music Library,



or rather a recent re-release of many 78s and 45s on one CD. I've been having fun with the 505 field. I get to be very detailed and descriptive with the titles, composers, and artists. I love giving this level of access to popular and ethnic music. It deserves this sort of structure, because our patrons will demand it (hopefully). San Antonio's Conjuntos in the 1950s is a really cool album with dozens of conjuntos (bands), singers, and other artists including Flaco Jiménez.