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Subject Guide » Music Research Tips

Books, Scores, Recordings, Videos

3 resources available.
restricted - Restricted to WMU users open access - Open Access
Use WestCat to find books, periodicals, scores, sound recordings, and videos in the WMU Libraries. WestCat does not include articles from journals and magazines.

You may use WorldCat to identify materials in other libraries.

WestCat open access WestCat is WMU's online library catalog. It can be used to identify books (including online books), government documents, journals, videos, sound recordings, slides and other items that the University Libraries has in its collections. WestCat can be searched by title, author, subject heading, keyword, call number, and more.

Librarian's Comment: For books about a person, first try a Basic Search using the last name first, followed by the first letters of the first name. In the "Search by" box, select "Subject Heading." For books on a topic, it is usually best to combine two or three terms related to the topic (names, words from a title, subject terms) in an Advanced Search. Remember that even if you do not find a book that is devoted entirely to your topic, there is often useful information in general histories of music and books about various types or styles of music.

Finding Music in WestCatA guide to finding scores and recordings in the library using WestCat. How to form searches, use limits, interpret results, and avoid some common mistakes.

WorldCat restricted Comprehensive catalog of books and other materials in libraries around the world. Contains millions of records in hundreds of languages. Nonbook materials include (among other publication formats) the titles of journals and magazines, manuscripts, maps, electronic resources, websites, computer programs, musical scores, films, slides, sound recordings, conference proceedings, and videotapes. Items located through WorldCat must be requested through Interlibrary Loan unless they are also listed in the WMU libraries catalog, WestCat.

Ask A Librarian

Greg Fitzgerald, E-mail: gregory.fitzgerald@wmich.edu
Phone: 269-387-5236
Last updated: July 2008

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