Our collection includes thousands of music reference books. They are shelved separately in the front rows on the north end of the Music Library. In order to make sure that they are constantly available to all users, they are not allowed to be checked out.

They include works such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, thematic catalogs, bibliographies, and discographies. Some of them, for example the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, have electronic versions, and we subscribe to them. Most of them, however, do not, and it is extremely unlikely that very many of them will be digitized soon. Unlike in the STEM fields, such print resources in the arts and humanities remain vitally important for research, even if they are very old. That is why our reference area is an important component in our status as a major music research library. 

If you need directions to the reference area, please consult any staff member.