CDL: Music Librarians/ Special Collections, LP recordings (response 1)

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==1==

Subject: Re: Music Librarians/ Special Collections, LP recordings
From: Marty Jenkins <martin.jenkins_at_wright.edu>

Hi, Nancy.

I suspect responses to this question will vary widely depending on the 
nature and size of different institutions. Wright State is a mid-size 
university with a Music Department heavily tilted toward music 
education. We're not a conservatory. The music collection is housed in 
the main library, where space is at a premium.

So, we do still have LPs. Probably about 1/5 as many as we had when I 
came here 15 years ago. We are not acquiring LPs and almost always 
turn down gifts of LPs. (I did make an exception about 3 years ago for 
a batch of about 200 LPs that filled a gap in an area of heavy interest.)

I am aggressively weeding the LPs that remain keeping only those where 
the repertoire cannot be found on CD, or where the performance is of 
exceptional historical or local significance.

Some faculty do still occasionally use LPs; students almost never. If 
they do use them, they generally take them into our technology center 
and make a digital file of the works they need.

Though I haven't had to be involved in equipment decisions for a 
while, my impression is that there are enough folks out there who 
still like vinyl, or who have big personal vinyl collections that they 
want to digitize, that decent turntables can be acquired for 
reasonable prices. Many of them come with USB connections so they can 
be played through computer equipment instead of a standard amp, if 
that facilitates matters.

Hope this is helpful.

Cheers,
Martin Jenkins
Head, Technical Services
Wright State University Libraries
3640 Col. Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435
martin.jenkins_at_wright.edu  (937)775-4983