Expansion of audio streaming services at UT Libraries

Access to a world of music–from classical to classic film scores– is now available to University of Tennessee students, faculty and staff thanks to the university libraries. Thousands of music recordings are available now that the libraries has expanded its audio streaming services.

“Want to listen to a Mozart symphony, Appalachian dulcimer music, folk songs of Woody Guthrie, Portuguese Fado, or Tuvan throat singing? These databases have you covered,” Mark Puente, Music Library resident librarian, said. “A vast array of genres and styles from many countries and traditions are represented,” Puente continued.

The expanded services include access to the Classical Music Library and Naxos Music Library, large databases that contain classical, jazz, and music from film and stage, among other categories of music; Smithsonian Global Sound, which provides an array of musical genres including folk songs, jazz, world music, as well as spoken recordings of children’s stories, and speeches by important historical figures; and African-American Song, one of the most heavily used databases, which focuses on African-American artists and composers, featuring jazz, blues, gospel, and spoken narratives. In the past, only a limited number of patrons could use these databases simultaneously, but now unlimited users can access the databases at once.

Students and faculty of the School of Music have long enjoyed using these downloadable services, but students in every major will find the contents of these databases useful for both scholarly and personal use. Audio clips from these databases provide glimpses of the political, historical, and sociological record, as well as great music. Users have the option of downloading many of the tracks (for about 99¢ per song) and importing them into iTunes, loading them onto their MP3 players, or burning CDs. Students can use tracks when creating multi-media projects, videos, or to find musical excerpts to accompany presentations. The databases also include additional information about performers and musical selections, advanced searching and browsing features, themed collections, and the ability listen to or create personal play lists.

In the digital age, librarians are constantly seeking ways to expand the library walls and to bring resources and information directly to the university community. Online streaming audio databases bring music from across the globe that can be accessed 24 hours a day directly to the patron. The university libraries hopes that this service will help students, faculty and staff experience a variety of musical styles from all across the globe.

For more information, please contact

Chris Durman
Librarian for Public Services, Music Library
(865)974-7542
cdurman@utk.edu

or

Mark Puente
Resident Librarian, Music Library
(865)974-3474
mpuente@utk.edu