JAVS Fall 2022

at a public library. For me, I found librarianship to be the perfect compliment to my training in music, and I have frequently encountered both music and orchestral librarians who are violists! There are several societies and professional organizations that support orchestral and music librarians. The Music Library Association, founded in 1931, is the largest organization dedicated to music librarianship. The MLA has an international a membership of librarians, musicians, scholars, educators, and members of the book and music trades. Additionally, it publishes its own Journal, Notes , and has eleven regional chapters that carry out its programs on the local level. The Major Orchestra Librarians Association, which was founded in 1983, seeks to bridge communication between professional performance librarians and assist them in providing service to their organizations. Its mission includes providing support and resources to the performing arts and working with publishers to achieve the highest standards in music performance materials. The American Library Association should also be included in this resource list. The ALA is the oldest and largest library association the world, and it seeks to “provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” Their website provides core standards and information on all aspects and genres of librarianship. I have included links to all three of these organizations at the end of this article.

I would encourage any violist (or string player) with an interest in working in a non-performing position to consider either (or both) orchestral and music librarianship as part of your career path. There are many supportive people and organizations to assist young and interested librarians, and this career offers we violists additional opportunities to further the progress of “classical music” in the 21 st century.

ORGANIZATIONS

Music Library Association – www.musiclibraryassoc.org

Major Orchestra Librarians Association – www.mola-inc.org

American Library Association – www.ala.org

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 38, No. 2, Fall 2022

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