ALL-SINGING, ALL-DANCING? EDS FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

EDITH SPELLERLIBRARY SYSTEMS AND USER EDUCATION MANAGERe.speller@trinitylaban.ac.uk@wiilassie

COMING UP...

• Implementation

• EDS strengths and weaknesses

• Coverage

• Technical issues

• User feedback

• Impact on training

FACULTY OF MUSIC

FACULTY OF DANCE

IMPLEMENTATION

Less is more:

• Being selective when choosing Discovery Service Sources

• Default to full text available/in library

• Seamless full resource access via customlinks and LinkSource

• Leaving out a library catalogue...

QUICKSEARCH (OUR EDS)

QUICKSEARCH (OUR EDS)

PERFORMING ARTS USER SURVEYCirculated to music librarian email lists in May 2015. 7 respondents:

4 3

University Specialist HEI

5 2

EDS Summon

0 1 2 1 1Satisfaction with EDS

for Performing Arts

Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral

STRENGTHS

• Potential for interdisciplinary searching

• Searching for text-based resources

• Ease of access to full text/item

WEAKNESSES

• Searching for multimedia resources (e.g. a specific recording).

• ‘Too much stuff’ – a particular issue for dyslexic students?

• Lacks discipline-specific filters.

COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTS• EBSCO databases

– RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (A&I only)– IBTD International Bibliography of Theatre and

Dance (some full text)– SPORTDiscus (full text)– Academic Search Complete

• Multi-media publishers– Alexander Street Press (audio, video, scores plus

reference materials)– Naxos Music Library and Naxos Jazz (audio)

COVERAGE OMISSIONS• ProQuest...

– IIPA International Index of Performing Arts Full Text– IIMP International Index of Music Periodicals Full

Text– Dissertations and Theses

• My iLibrary

• Smaller specialist music publishers/databases– IPASource (phonetic transcriptions of vocal music)– British Library Archival Sound Recordings– Rock’s Backpages– DRAM Database of Recorded American Music

SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES• Alexander Street Press: vanishing

customlinks/results not in full text filter

• Naxos Music Library: concern over missing recordings

• RILM: mis-categorisation of book chapter entries as periodical articles (ongoing)

• General customlink woes

USER FEEDBACK

Especially positive from dance, multi-disciplinary & distance students

e.g. 64% of final year Musical Theatre students mentioned EDS in their post-infolit feedback “wish we had it [EDS] in first year”

Beta testing feedback largely positive too: “IT’S FAST!!!” (senior admin staff)

IMPACT ON TRAINING

Why do we still cover separate resources?

• Highlight key resources that are ‘buried’ in EDS e.g. Grove (New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians)

• More focused search experience e.g. RILM/IBTD to focus on research

• Subject-specific interface e.g. Alexander Street Press...

SUBJECT-SPECIFIC INTERFACE

SEPARATE PROFILE?

Do performing arts students need their own EDS profile?

• Streamline sources being searched

• Streamline available options (e.g. discipline filter)

• Consider default sort and limiters

FURTHER READING

• Why Can't Streaming Services Get Classical Music Right?Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR Musichttp://n.pr/1RMaTPM

• IAML (International Association of Music Libraries) http://www.iaml.info/

ANY QUESTIONS?

GET IN TOUCH:

Edith SpellerLibrary Systems and User Education Manager

e.speller@trinitylaban.ac.uk@wiilassie