Al coda?

The Dutch librarians’ vision on the future of music collections in public libraries  

Hanneke van der Veen & Frank Huysmans

Library & Information Science, University of Amsterdam

7 July 2009

Public libraries in the Netherlands

• NL: 16,5 mio inhabitants; 4 mio registered users (25%)• 2001-2007 nationwide process of ‘library renewal’• Co-operation libraries, national, provincial and local

governments• From appr. 600 to 200 library organisations• # of branches constant at appr. 1,080• Merging library organisations means collection

rationalisation: ‘de-doubling’• Recent developments: investments in digital library

Music in Dutch public libraries

• Centrale Discotheek Rotterdam (CDR) nationwide backoffice music supplier for majority of Dutch PLs

• CDR buys all cds available on the Dutch market (2009 appr. 400,000)

• LeenDirect: nationwide 135,000 cds (2005: 168,000)• Since 2005 digital lending/borrowing: Digileen (mainly

classical music, jazz, independent pop/rock from NL)• 2006-2008: appr 450,000 tracks lent digitally

About the survey

• Dutch librarians' perceptions on the future of music collections in public libraries

• Digitisation audio and sheet music in PLs• The survey targeted 64 music divisions of PLs• 30 (47%) filled out surveys • These 30 have an audio music collection• 25 out of 30 also lend sheet music

Average number of lendings print sheet music per week

• Maximum 50 lendings (40%)• 51 - 200 lendings (36%)• 201 - 500 lendings (8%)• 501 - 750 lendings (12%)• More than 750 lendings (4%)

Degree of satisfaction with number of lendings print sheet music per week

• The majority is somewhat or very satisfied (54%)

• How to stimulate the number of lendings?– Collaboration with (music)institutions– Improve search opportunities– Make a better presentation/marketing– Play along CDs / collected editions

Digital sheet music: a surplus value?

• 70% of the responding libraries is of the opinion that digital sheet music has big advantages for the user:

– Better search opportunities– Greater and wider supply – Better availability

Digitisation sheet music

Digitisation is (still) in its infancy:

• Digital sheet music on DVD / CD-ROM (20 %)• Linking to external sources with digital sheet music

(16%)• Own digital collection via the internet (0%)• Own digital collection: not via the internet, but only

available on the computer in the library (8%)• On request (0%)• None of the above (56%)

Bottlenecks digitisation sheet music

Responding libraries mention the followingbottlenecks:

– No time– Legal bottlenecks– Financial bottlenecks– Technical bottlenecks– No demand– Competition

Use of Zoek&Boek

• What’s Zoek&Boek (Seek&Book)?: users can request items from libraries in the whole country by clicking a button

• Number of lendings Zoek&Boek per week:

– 1 - 25 lendings (31%) – 0 lendings (45%)– Don’t know (14%)– Not (yet) connected to Zoek&Boek (10%)

• Big price differences between libraries (provinces)

Perceptions of the future

• Majority of responding libraries expect a decrease in physical lendings

• But: majority (65%) is positive about the future• Many responding libraries think that they will supply

digital sheet music in the future• High bandwidth

– It depends on the size / diversity library(collection)

CODA

• Decrease in physical lendings and bottlenecks• But also ... challenges

– Majority is positive about the future – Expected rise of digital sheet music– Digital future starts NOW!