FEATURE
Collecting and Managing Music Scores—Print and Digital
by Michael Standard and Keani King
| Developing and maintaining a collection of music scores within a library’s holdings poses unique and interesting challenges. |
The University of Tennessee–Chattanooga’s (UTC) library takes a multifaceted approach to managing its music score collection. This approach encompasses strategies for purchasing new scores, addressing ongoing concerns about the scope and condition of the collection, refining the details of the acquisition process, enhancing the discoverability of materials, and engaging in long-term planning across all of these areas. By coordinating efforts between music subject specialists and the acquisitions and collection management unit, the library ensures that the music score collection remains responsive to the changing curricular needs of our students, faculty members, and performers while adapting to evolving trends in both print and digital formats.
Developing and maintaining a collection of music scores within a library’s holdings poses unique and interesting challenges. As with books, music scores are printed stacks of paper with a binding, a title, an author, a copyright, and a publisher. However, music scores are a unique kind of printed monograph, as they have their own cataloging standards and are often physically taller than most print books, requiring specialized binding to ensure the scores are well-maintained and have appropriate longevity. With the advent of modern technology, the music scores of today exist in both physical and digital formats. But the new digital format, combined with adaptive technologies, has completely transformed the way musicians connect with music. Now more than ever, the acquisition of digital scores and the inclusion of necessary assistive technologies require special consideration to existing workflow requirements and logistics, with particular attention to system compatibility within our library’s infrastructure.
At UTC’s library, rather than managing our music scores as a standalone collection, they are integrated into the library’s broader general collection. As a result, they often fall under the same overarching collection development policies that govern the way we acquire and maintain our general resources. However, this integration can be both a strength and a limitation. On one hand, it promotes a unified approach to collection building and simplifies administrative oversight. On the other hand, it can obscure the specialized needs of music materials, which require distinct formats, cataloging standards (such as those outlined by the Music Library Association), and user considerations, particularly for performers, conductors, and music scholars. Without dedicated policies or tailored workflows, the unique challenges of acquiring, processing, and preserving scores—especially performance parts, large-format items, or digitally interactive editions—may not receive the focused attention they require. Therefore, even within a general framework, thoughtful adaptation and subject specialist input are essential to ensure that music scores are adequately supported and discoverable within the larger library ecosystem.
Incorporating Living Composers
Like all libraries, UTC’s library serves as a repository of historical information. This includes musical scores by historical composers such as Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de St. George, Johann Sebastian Bach, Marianna Martines, and Ludwig van Beethoven. These composers belong in the library’s collection for the purposes of study, enjoyment, listening, and historical research. Since UTC’s collections department places special emphasis on items regarding the area of Chattanooga and East Tennessee, we also have some items by local musicians that we collect. Additionally, we hold legacy items in our collection that are not held by many other libraries. We maintain collected works of many historically prominent composers such as Joseph Haydn and Gustav Mahler, but for many scores that have entered the public domain, we often refer patrons to the International Music Score Library Project website (imslp.org).
In addition to our collection of historical music, we also make an effort to collect and maintain the music of living composers. These scores demonstrate to our patrons the current cutting-edge artistic work in the music field. We use our ability to purchase sheet music to present innovative art to our patrons and to make it discoverable in a variety of formats. Many works by living composers are available in both physical and digital formats, which makes it easier for us to present these artistic works in our collection. Purchasing sheet music by living composers poses unique challenges for libraries: The work is under copyright, the items are physically taller and wider than regular books, the vendors are idiosyncratic, and sheet music has its own unique cataloging standards.
Academic libraries treat books differently from sheet music. Purchasing material by living authors is straightforward, as libraries have approval plans set up with vendors that allow for recent releases to be acquired through standing orders. These books are quickly cataloged, displayed, and made accessible, both physically and digitally, through platforms such as hoopla and Libby. Ultimately, libraries, especially in academic settings, make the work of living authors a priority.
However, sheet music presents unique challenges. Sheet music is not available on Libby, many publishers and distributors primarily focus on historical composers, and many librarians are not familiar with sheet music’s specialized cataloging standards. In the context of a wider collection, sheet music is a niche special-format item that requires extra maintenance to accommodate in a library collection that services all subject areas. Despite this, the work to create standardized workflows for purchasing sheet music is worth the effort. All composers, whether historical or living, benefit patrons in their study. Meeting this need involves careful analysis of the library’s existing holdings to determine if the collection effectively serves the patron’s holistic needs.
Unique Purchasing Processes for Living Composers
Purchasing music scores often differs from buying print books, largely because sheet music is distributed through distinct vendors, separate from traditional book publishers. Living composers publish their music in one of a few ways. They can publish with a large, well-known publisher or a small independent publisher, or they can self-publish their own music. Each model presents unique challenges for libraries. Large publishers resemble book vendors in their processes, offering many titles and standard payment portals that libraries can easily use. Smaller independent publishers may be able to take payments in a similar way, but they may only provide scores in specific formats, for example, offering only 8.5" x 11" paper scores or digital downloads. Self-published composers present additional hurdles. From a university’s perspective, living composers who self-publish pose a risk due to their status of being small or independent vendors. If the composer runs a publishing company for their music, we can pay an invoice from that company. If payments are handled through services such as PayPal, the university must set up a vendor profile, requiring the composer to sign an agreement. Once the profile is established, we are then able to purchase the score from the composer.
Purchasing within an academic library, wherein state policies govern what is permissible, demands thoughtful attention to procedural detail. UTC is a constituent campus of the University of Tennessee’s system, a public higher education system, and a high-profile university system in the state of Tennessee. Our status as a public university in a larger system restricts our purchasing flexibility, and we have established procedures to address various situations. As of 2024, the University of Tennessee’s system is using a large enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform to manage purchases. This platform is a large custom Oracle software product called DASH (Dynamic Administrative System for Higher Ed). Most regular purchases can be managed through this platform, especially with vendors with whom we maintain annual contracts. DASH also serves as a contract management system, which facilitates most annual contracts and purchase agreements.
However, in the case of purchasing with a new vendor, the only time the University of Tennessee’s system requires a master or license agreement is if we purchase the material outside DASH. One common example is when the composer only accepts payment via PayPal. Because they are directly invoicing us and are not registered in our contract management system, we have to have our business manager create a vendor profile in PaymentWorks. Once everything has been processed within DASH and approved, we can move forward with the purchase. This process highlights how we are able to create reliable procedures for purchasing these unconventional items, but that align with our priorities as a library.
 Diversifying Demographics in the Collection
Similar to many academic disciplines, the study of music has historically centered on the work of white male composers. Nevertheless, Black composers, women, and other underrepresented groups have contributed to music for as long as it has existed, although they have often been marginalized or excluded in the classroom and, by extension, our library collections. As a result, sheet music by white male composers is significantly overrepresented in most library holdings, and UTC’s library is no exception. To combat this, we take an active approach to diversifying our collections. We seek to purchase music by composers from underrepresented demographics, both historical and living. In the case of historical composers, finding a publisher is sometimes challenging. Purchasing music by living composers poses its own set of issues. However, since our collection often already holds a copy from a historical white male composer, we use purchasing opportunities to add underrepresented historical composers to our collection.
Digital Scores
Sheet music has existed for centuries in print, and printed scores remain essential to our collection. However, as musicians have transitioned to using sheet music in digital environments (performing on iPads, using iPads for music analysis, remote teaching), digital sheet music has become more prevalent. For libraries, this means that music score PDFs become digital items that require management, cataloging, discoverability, and findability. Digital music scores can be used for performance, study, and teaching. To support accessibility in our library, we have explored options for patrons with visual impairments. While various tools are available, we have not yet implemented them, as there has been no direct demand from our student body so far.
UTC’s library maintains an on-premises server to store our digital items. When we purchase digital scores, they are downloaded to a university-managed computer within our secure digital environment. A disclaimer outlining U.S. copyright law is added to the PDF, and the finalized file is uploaded to our on-premises server, ensuring the item remains within our system.
Conclusion
At times, the librarian’s side of purchasing music seems like extra paperwork. Sheet music purchasing is already more complicated than book purchasing. However, from discussions with our music faculty colleagues, the principle of purchasing the music of living composers is valuable and supported in the service of our students’ experience. It is important that library patrons have access to the work of music professionals in the music field today. It is equally vital that students see the work of composers who reflect their own identities. Additionally, maintaining reliable and accessible digital scores is a key part of supporting these goals. Ultimately, we actively uphold these principles through our collection management work and detailed purchasing strategies.
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