MUSIC LIBRARIES IN CHINA

Author(s): WU Xu
Source: Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 61, No. 1 (January-March 2014), pp. 25-29
Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation
Centres (IAML)
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24330403
Accessed: 19-11-2019 07:01 UTC

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 MUSIC LIBRARIES IN
CHINA

WUXu1

English Abstract
Nine major music libraries in China act as critical role to serve the academic music information
needs from both inside and outside China. Each of the libraries' collection represents its geograph
ical, ethnic and folk music cultural characteristic. This article briefs key sources of Chinese musi
literature and its distribution, discusses, from personal perspective, the collaborative endeavors and
the problems facing both individual music library and the community in China. The lack of musi
librarianship training needs to be addressed.

French Abstract
En Chine, neuf bibliothèques musicales majeures jouent un rôle essentiel pour répondre aux be
soins en information spécialisée sur la musique, tant à l'intérieur qu'à l'extérieur de la Chine. Le
collections des bibliothèques reflètent les caractéristiques culturelles géographiques et ethniques
ainsi que les traditions musicales des régions que les bibliothèques desservent. Cet article identif
les principales sources de la littérature musicale chinoise et de sa diffusion, et traite, d'un point d
vue personnel, des efforts de collaboration et des problèmes auxquels sont confrontées les biblio
thèques musicales individuelles ainsi que la collectivité. Le manque de formation des bibliothécaire
de musique se doit également d'être abordé.

German Abstract
Um dem Bedürfnis nach musikalischer Fachinformation innerhalb und außerhalb Chinas gerec
zu werden, haben sich neun große chinesische Musikbibliotheken zusammengetan. Der Bestan
der einzelnen Bibliotheken repräsentiert jeweils den individuellen geografischen, ethnischen u
volksmusikalischen Charakter ihrer kulturellen Zugehörigkeit. Dieser Aufsatz benennt Schlüss
quellen der chinesischen Musikliteratur sowie ihre Verbreitung und erörtert aus einer persönlich
Sicht die Bemühungen und Probleme in China bei der Zusammenarbeit in musikbibliothekarisch
und gesellschaftlicher Hinsicht. Der Mangel an musikbibliothekarischer Ausbildung muss ang
gangen werden.

Library systems in China

There are three major library systems, first, public libraries of all levels, from the
National Library of China to village libraries, governed by the China Ministry of Cultu
second, educational institution libraries, from university libraries to primary school re
ing rooms, funded by the China Ministry of Education and local administration of edu
tion; third, a cluster of special libraries headed by the Chinese Academy of Science.

1. Wu Xu is Librarian of the Central Conservatory of Music library, Beijing, China.

25

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26 FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE 61/1

Music libraries in general

Nine music libraries, affiliated with nine independent music conservatories,
second category of educational institution libraries. In addition, almost e
library has a music collection of various scales. In alphabetical order, th
conservatories are the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the Chin
of Music in Beijing, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the Shenyang C
Music, the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, the Tianjin Conservatory
Wuhan Conservatory of Music, the Xi'an Conservatory of Music, and th
servatory of Music in Guangzhou. Theoretically, each of the conservato
their geographical, ethnic and folk music cultural characteristics, so do
collections.
Among educational institutions in music and also the arts in general,
Conservatory is the only one institution of its kind eligible to be in The Proj
project of National Key Universities and colleges initiated in 1995 by th
Education, with the intent of raising the research standards of high-level un
cultivating strategies for socio-economic development. The Project of 211
colleges is funded directly by the Ministry.
The Central Conservatory focuses on the teaching and researching of
music and Chinese traditional music, in aspects of theory and performan
vanced degree programs from undergraduate to postgraduate. So far, ma
servatory alumni are among the most active composers and musicians all
such as Tan Dun, Qu Xiaosong, Zhoulong and Chenyi, Chen Qigang, Ye X
Wenjing, the pianist Lang Lang, and many players in top American and
phony orchestras.
The library of the Central Conservatory is the largest of its kind in China,
a million items in its music collection3, on both western style and Chi
music, among them are music scores, music books, music periodicals, mu
and special collections for Chinese contemporary music and Guqin music
Within the last ten years, all music conservatories began to provide an
sic curriculum both in Western and Chinese music, however, each music
own collection emphasis. Sichuan Conservatory library, for example, loca
western part of China, which is amazingly rich in Minority groups' music cu
exotically different from each other. Correspondingly, the library collec
the study of ethnic and folk music with unique geographical and ethnic
Conservatory library, Xi'an Conservatory Library (348,000 items in musi
Shenyang Conservatory Library (more than 200,000 items and a Chinese
ethnic music instrument museum5) have their respective ancient and r
tions on traditional Chinese music and music philosophy as well as man
archeological discoveries spanning the time from 17th century BC to th

2. "Brief Introduction of Project 211". MOE.GOV.CN. 10 Oct. 2013 <http://www.moe.e

/business/htmlfiles/moe/moe_846/200804/33122.html>.
3. “本馆介绍.”中央音乐学院图书馆.04 Oct. 2013 <http://library.ccom.edu.cn/bggk/gc
4. “本馆概况”.西安音乐学院图书馆.10 Oct. 2013 <http://subject.xacom.edu.cn/lib
.asp?artTypeid=33>
5. “本馆简介”.沈阳音乐学院图书馆.10 Oct. 2013 <http://lib.sycm.com.cn/LibIntro.asp

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MUSIC LIBRARIES IN CHINA 27

ample, a Set of Bells6 (bianzhong) from the tomb of Marquis Yi of the Zen g state (c433
BCE) and related research materials are in the Wuhan Conservatory library and there is
a Xi'an Drum Music7 collection in the Xi'an Conservatory library The Tianjin Con
servatory Library, with music holdings of 264,000 items8, owns the largest musical drama
and narrative collection from the north provinces of China. The Xinghai Conservatory
Library in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong province, supports its patrons with
280,000 music items, and holds the finest collection of Cantonese Music and a special col
lection for Lingnan Music9. The China Conservatory of Music Library10 holds 241,988
items, which includes its unique on-site recording collection of Chinese Folk music that
has been building during the past decades. The library of Shanghai Conservatory of
Music" highlights their historical preservation on early part of China modern music
history, for example, music manuscripts, musicians' correspondence, pictures, etc., with
total holdings of over 350,000 items.
All these music libraries in China serve the academic and educational needs both in
side and outside China. It is not difficult to imagine what important roles these music li
braries play in holding and preserving the Chinese music historical legacy that enjoys
nearly four thousand years of longevity.

Music library's organizations and Cooperative works in China

National Music Higher Education Institution's Library Group (NMHEILG)

NMHEILG was founded in 1985, with the nine music conservatory's libraries as the
founding members, aiming at the literature and resource sharing among major music li
braries. But no any official report about its work could be found except for a retrievable
published brief report on a journal shows that the group was reunified in 1997 at the
Central Conservatory Library to discuss "Interlibrary loan", "Music Classification", and
"Music Library Automation".12 In 2004, the Group's conference was held again at the
Central Conservatory library with the main topic as "Digital Music Library Construction
and Resource Sharing"13.

China Music Education Institution Library Alliance (CMEILA)

In 2009, the CMEILA was jointly founded by four initiating music libraries14 and soon
the other five also joined, aiming at developing universal working standards among

6. Alan R. Thrasher, et al. "China." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press,
(viewed 4 Nov 2013).
7. "Intangible Cultural Heritage." RSS. http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/00212，(Viewed 04 Nov.
2013)
8. “天津音乐学院图书馆”.天津音乐学院图书馆.04 Nov. 2013 <http://lib.tjcm.edu.cn/intro.asp?id=5>.
9. “本馆介绍”.星海音乐学院图书馆.10 Oct. 2013 <http://www.xhcomlib.cn/benguan/gaikuang /29.html.
Lingnan Music refers to music from the southeast corner of China.
10. “图书馆概况.”中国音乐学院图书馆.04 Nov. 2013 <http://www.ccmusic.edu.cn/ccmusic/tushuguan
/bggk>.
11. “图书馆简介.”上海音乐学院图书馆.04 Nov. 2013 <http://www.lib.shcmusic.edu.cn/html/list_883
•html〉.

12.廖崇向，“全国高等音乐院校图书馆协作组工作会议在京召开”.艺术教■竄No.l(1998):47
13. “全国音乐艺术院校图书馆协作组第三次工作会议顺利闭幕.”中央音乐学院研究所.10 Oct 2013
〈http://iom.ccom.edu.cn/ar ticle_view.asp?ar ticle_id=175>
14.张爱红，吴春明,“中国音乐院&图书馆联盟建运的障碍分析”.大学图书情报学刊，29.1(2011): 23-26

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28 FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE 61/1

Chinese music libraries, such as music material descriptive rules, appropri

sification schedules and so on, and promoting nation-wide music resourc
international interlibrary loan. In the year of 2011, first workshop was held at
Conservatory Library, trying to develop suitable music cataloging rules
libraries to adapt in China.

The Problems Facing Chinese Music Libraries

Acquisition of music materials published outside China

Music materials acquisition work in the nine music libraries is still done
ans. There are no domestic vendors who provide world-wide music publica
tion or approval plans, and, on the other side, so far, no overseas music ve
able to materials for mainland China libraries, because of monetary regula
sequence, the above mentioned situations pose direct threat to effective a
building of Western music collections in music libraries in China.

Challenge of cataloguing western music

As music libraries in China acquire more and more music materials, su

sound recordings, books, and periodicals published outside China, the ch
loguing western music literature, especially printed music and music recor
come up. Academic music libraries in the United States or in other parts of
ploy standardized description rules such as AACRII and ISDB or even RDA,
cataloguing work done using the Connecxion system form OCLC, and en
thority control from the Library of Congress or other library cooperativ
ever, Chinese music libraries are on their own to describe western music m
appropriate detail according to their patron's need. There is no universal stand
Furthermore, the classification schedules employed in each music library
different, even though some of them are based on the Chinese Library
(CLC) the part for Music, is too general to be used to classify western mu
standable that western music, as a constitutional part of one culture, cou
in different way when a Chinese music cataloger is making description of
sic score, and vice versa. As for music authority control, music libraries are ag
own to create authority records or not at all.

Discourse community of music librarianship is still far away

Music librarianship is still a word outside most peoples' concept of libra

workforce structure in China's music libraries is basically a dichotomy,
those with a music-related education background and those with a library
tion. The situation is very much like what J. Bradford Young pictured
"Education for Music Librarianship," "many of today's prominent music librar
formal training in library science, while most people entering the profes
years are library school graduates."15 Unfortunately, the two parallels still fin
point for each other, patrons walking into an academic music library with

15. J. Bradford Young "Education for Music Librarianship," Notes 40 (1984): 510-528

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MUSIC LIBRARIES IN CHINA 29

music information needs find either musicians, musicologists, or libr

tise never overlaps. No one can answer questions such as how a music
is assigned? Why libraries circulate printed music only in closed stacks
Liszt's piano work in the OPAC? There is no detailed statistics on prof
qualifications required by main music libraries in China, but surely no
were able to ask job candidates to have an educational background bo
brary science, because there is no such workforce supply at all. Unive
in China provide only a general library science education, contrast to train
field of librarianship. Education for music librarianship may be the ke
One can imagine that when music librarianship education is provided;
tion for professional positions in music libraries can be clearly defined
community of music librarianship will grow to take an active part in
Chinese music libraries and even public libraries. Only at this point c
sic libraries better meet the needs of patrons both inside and outside
cooperative works and projects of music knowledge, and, finally, cou
ment be achieved.

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