Mills Music Library Collection Development Policy

Introduction

The Mills Music Library collects music and music-related resources in support of the teaching, learning and research needs of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, the UW-Madison community and the UW system.  A member of UW-Madison’s General Library System, this work is done in collaboration with GLS colleagues, as well as institutional partners such as the Big Ten Academic Alliance. 

In keeping with UW-Madison’s commitment to the Wisconsin Idea, materials are made as accessible as possible throughout Wisconsin, and to wider musical communities nationally and internationally.

As UW-Madison is an R1 Research Institution (R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity), the Mills Music Library’s collection has the breadth and depth to support music research up through doctoral levels and beyond. Archival materials and special collections of rare or topically comprehensive published materials are within the collection scope. 

Guidelines to selection of materials

• Music materials related to the current and evolving teaching, learning and research needs of students and faculty of the University, with major focus on the Mead Witter School of Music.
• Materials that contribute to deep coverage of music-related disciplines, such as performance, musicology, ethnomusicology, music education, folklore, cultural history and interdisciplinary subjects.
• Materials reflecting the musical heritage and contemporary musical activities of Wisconsin. This is in cooperation with campus partners such as the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies, and the Wisconsin Historical Society.
• Dance materials that support the teaching and learning of UW-Madison’s Dance Department, in partnership with other campus libraries.

Types of materials selected include:

• Performing, pedagogical and critical editions of music scores 
• Scholarly and consumer literature related to music research, such as books, journals and magazines
• Audio and video recordings (performances, documentaries, master classes, field recordings
• Archival and special collections (papers, photos, rare items, manuscripts, media).

The above are collected in electronic and print formats, including obsolete media as deemed appropriate. 

Gifts

Mills Music Library reviews offers of gifts relevant to the UW-Madison Libraries’ needs and evaluates all potential gifts with respect to its collection development goals. Please view the Libraries’ guidelines on gifts of physical materials.

Offers of rare items, focused/specialized collections, and archival collections are welcome!  These could include:

• Wisconsin-related recordings, sheet music, posters, photos, magazines
• Focused collections of historic audio, such as 78s, LPs, CDs
• Unusual materials related to jazz, hip-hop, popular, traditional, and ethnic music, particularly those related to underrepresented cultural groups
• Obsolete playback equipment in good working condition.

Offers of these types of potential gifts should be made through University of Wisconsin-Madison General Library System Gifts-In-Kind Form or email askmusic@library.wisc.edu with questions.   

        Last reviewed 2023