The Peter Jay Sharp Library, a new facility that opened in the fall of 2004, offers students superb collections and a wide range of services, all focused on serving students’ musical and academic interests and needs.

Collections

Apart from course reserve materials and reference scores and books, you may check out and take home almost anything in our collections.

• 20,000 CDs and 9,000 LPs. Largely classical and jazz, with frequent forays into other kinds of music. We collect reissues of historic performances as well as significant new releases. In addition, all recordings of School performances are kept here. These are supplemented by nearly 1,000,000 additional tracks available via our streaming audio subscriptions.
• 2,500 DVDs. Music, opera, movies, plays, musicals, dance, documentaries, etc. To see a detailed inventory of the DVD browsing lists in our catalog, click here.
• 50,000 scores. You’ll find the standard repertoire in a variety of fine editions as well as a great deal of more unusual repertoire to explore. We purchase all new scores by major composers of today.
• 18,000 books. Music, literature, the fine arts, theater, film, dance, history, philosophy, and so forth.
• 107 periodicals. Music magazines, plus local papers (The New York Times, Time Out New York, The New Yorker, etc.) and others of general interest (The Times Literary Supplement, Time magazine) are available on the open display racks in the periodicals reading area of the Library. Some titles are also available online; check our catalog for more information.
• MSM Archives. The Library houses the official Manhattan School of Music Archives.

Services

• WiFi and data ports. Bring your laptop and enjoy full Internet access. Our WiFi also reaches the lounge outside the Library, in case you need Internet access after Library hours.
• Streaming audio. Listen to music at home, 24 hours a day. To access via the Library catalog, click here.
• Online subscriptions. Grove Music Online, MusicalAmerica.com, JSTOR, and more. For more information in our catalog, click here.
• Catalog. The Library catalog is more than a guide to our collections. Look here for links to Internet resources and other information we think you might find valuable. To access the on-line catalog, click here.
• Finale and Sibelius. The software for the two most popular music notation programs, with a keyboard and printer, is installed on a G5 iMac.
• Interlibrary loan. If we don’t own something you need, we can usually borrow it from another library on your behalf.
• Reference service. A librarian is on duty at the reference desk Monday-Thursday, 10–5; Friday, 11–5; and Saturday, 9–5.

Facilities

• PCs. Browse the Library catalog and search the Internet.
• Listening and viewing equipment. Most audiovisual materials may be taken home, but you can also use them in our listening room, where we have facilities for playing CDs, LPs, DVDs, audiocassettes, and videocassettes.
• Photocopiers. Purchase a copy card to get the best price.
• Microform reader. The machine is equipped for viewing microfilms and microfiche, and has a printer.
• Study carrels. Use these enclosed individual desks for quiet study.
• Exhibits. Rotating exhibits highlight materials in our collections and the School’s history and musical endeavors.
• Library sale shelf. Purchase duplicates and discards at bargain prices.

The Evelyn Sharp Performance Library

Manly Romero, performance librarian (ext. 4510)

Located just outside the entrance to the Peter Jay Sharp Library, the Performance Library contains performing materials for orchestra, wind ensemble, and chorus. Complete sets of materials may be borrowed only for Manhattan School of Music concerts and readings. Individual parts may be borrowed for perusal purposes for one hour. For more information, click here.