Creating Information-Literate Musicians in the Academic Library

Abstract

For musicians, the act of creation is multifaceted: musicians perform, analyze, write, speak, and teach in highly collaborative and diverse environments. Information-literate musicians require training to understand and engage with the myriad kinds of content and materials inherent to the contemplation, study, creation, and enjoyment of music.

The various information needs of musicians requires creators to make many choices--from selecting a particular score edition or recording from many similar options, to employing a specific scholarly or pedagogical methodology to their work, musicians require the skills to critically evaluate information and determine its usefulness. Music’s ubiquity adds a further layer of intricacy, as music-related research happens in both the concert hall and the classroom, and is not limited to music programs. Disciplines from anthropology to psychology to literature to media studies employ music as a lens through which to examine art, culture, and social structures. As in other creative fields, the history of music scholarship has been heavily influenced by its focus on Western art music and has resulted in the prioritization of Euro-centric musical traditions in study and performance, making research on non-Western and popular music trickier for creators and researchers to conduct. Each of these elements contributes to a complex landscape for librarians planning information literacy instruction activities in support of music-related research and creation.

Because of this complexity, students pursuing academic projects that involve music may need support for a range of creative endeavors, and information literacy instruction might seem like a complicated feat for the librarians who work with these creators. By defining what information literacy is for music students and exploring the ways that academic research and creation in music intersects with other disciplines, the authors provide a framework to help librarians contribute to the development of information-literate musicians.