AU Music Library Doubles Sound Collection
At the end of 2008, American University Library received a generous donation of approximately 4,000 CDs from Bil Shaw in memory of Robert M. Sasmor. Sasmor was an opera enthusiast and collector of sound recordings of exceptional classical music performances.
The Sasmor Collection at American University, as it is now to be known, covers a time period from the Medieval to the 20th Century and consists mainly of releases by well-respected labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Philips, London, Sony Classical, and RCA. This collection's greatest strengths are opera and vocal recordings, most notably Maria Callas' twenty four complete opera productions recorded with EMI as well as additional live performances and recitals.
The instrumental part of this collection includes the GREAT PIANISTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY series featuring over 180 artists as well as historical recording sets of violinists Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern and Arthur Grumiaux, and major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra. Many of these recordings are out-of-print and/or imported items. The collection is the largest and the most comprehensive sound recording donation that American University Library has ever received. By the time the entire Sasmor collection is available to the public by January 2010; the music library's CD collection will grow to 10,000.
---Nobue Matsuoka-Motley is Music/Performing Arts Librarian at American University
In January 2006 the Music Library at Indiana University of Pennsylvania moved into a new facility as part of an $8.9 million renovation and expansion of Cogswell Hall, the music building. The new 6,400 square foot music library, a branch of the IUP Libraries, is located on the ground floor just inside the main entrance to Cogswell Hall. It features new automatic compact shelving housing the score collection, a large commons area with comfortable furniture, and a seminar room for small class instruction and meetings. The entire library is wireless for personal laptop use. There are new multi-media carrels with state of the art (in 2006) public computers and audio equipment for most formats. 