Download music from the library today

The library has several databases with streaming music. The best part: absolutely no ads. None. And, you can send music to your phone. You've already paid for access with your library fee, so why not use them? To find them go to our Databases A-Z page and then go to M for music.

If you are off campus, you will need to log in with your NTNET username and password.
Below are the names of our databases with streaming music:

Music Online: American Music. Browse over 30 genres of music.




Screenshot from Music Online: American Music.


Music Online: Classical Music Library. You can choose from 9 time periods.

Screenshot from Music Online: Classical Music Library

Music Online: Contemporary World Music. You can browse by title, genre, musical instrument, or country

Screenshot from Music Online: Contemporary World Music.

Music Online: Jazz Music Library. You can browse by genre, title, artist, or instrument.

Screenshot from Music Online: Jazz Music Library.

Music Online: Popular Music Library. Browse over 20 different genres.

Screenshot from Music Online: Popular Music Library.

Classical Performance in Video:  See video performances of such classics as Madame Butterfly and Peter and the Wolf.

Screenshot of Music Online: Classical Performance in Video.

Some other cool features of` these databases: they help you with citing the music for your research, you can email yourself a link to the music, you can create a playlist. You can also send the music to your phone.

Jazz Appreciation Month

April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Jazz is a uniquely American musical art form. It originated in the African-American community in New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 1800s. The Great Migration helped to spread Jazz to other parts of the country. The development of commercial radio programming in the 1920s made Jazz a national and international phenomenon.

New Orleans, March 2010. Jazz dance at "Maison", 508 Frenchmen Street. Detroit Brooks on banjo, Dr. Michael White on clarinet, Gregg Stafford, trumpet.
By Seamus Murray (originally posted to Flickr as Maison) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. 

Our library has a large collection of Jazz books, audio recordings, and other items.

Books:
The Contradictions of Jazz by Paul E. Rinzler
Giants of Jazz by Studs Terkel
Jazz: A History of America's Music by Geoffrey C. Ward
Jazz Icons: Heroes, Myths and the Jazz Tradition by Tony Whyton
Jazz Improvisation for Keyboard Players by Dan Haerle
Jazz Italian Style: From its Origins in New Orleans to Fascist Italy and Sinatra by Anna Harwell Celenza
Jazz: Its Evolution and Essence by Andre Hodier
Jazz Masters of the Thirties by Rex Stewart
The Jazz Tradition by Martin T. Williams
Texan Jazz by Dave Oliphant
Understanding Jazz by Leroy Ostransky
Where's the Melody? A Listeners' Introduction to Jazz by Martin T. Williams
Why Jazz Happened by Marc Myers

Thelonious Monk in 1947.
William P. Gottlieb [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Digital Audio Recordings:
Billie Holiday: The Commodore Master Takes by Billie Holiday
Cole Porter Songbook by Cole Porter
Count Basie and Oscar Peterson: Yessir, That's my Baby by Count Basie
Ella Fitzgerald, the Best of the Concert Years by Ella Fitzgerald
The European Tour by John Coltrane
Gentle Duke by Duke Ellington
Miles Davis Plays for Lovers by Miles Davis
Satchmo Serenades by Louis Armstrong

Ella Fitzgerald in 1947.
By William P. Gottlieb  [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Biographies:
Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon by Donald Clarke
Count Basie: Swingin' the Blues, 1936-1950 by Ken Vail
Duke Ellington and His World: A Biography by A.H. Lawrence
Ella Fitzgerald: The Complete Biography by Stuart Nicholson
John Coltrane and Black America's Quest for Freedom: Spirituality and the Music by Leonard L. Brown
Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life by Laurence Bergreen
Miles Davis: A Biography by Ian Carr
Monk's Music: Thelonious Monk and Jazz History in the Making by Gabriel Solis

Louis Armstrong in 1953.
By World-Telegram staff photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Let us know if you need help finding additional library resources on Jazz or any other topic by calling 254-968-9249 or emailing reference@tarleton.edu.

Chinese New Year - January 28th

The biggest holiday of the year for Chinese families will soon be upon us: Chinese New Year (also known as Spring Festival) is happening this Saturday January 28th (New Year's Eve is the 27th). To compare the significance of this holiday for the American context, it would be like combining Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's all in one. Click here to learn more about Chinese New Year. 

There are many different foods that are typically eaten on this occasion, and they are often symbolic of  increasing your chances of long life or wealth. One favorite is dumplings (like the ones pictured below), eating them on New Year's is supposed to bring increased wealth.

Dumplings (shui jiao 水餃) - Joshua Wallace, photographer and copyright holder, 2015.

Chinese New Year is based on a lunar calendar, and therefore doesn't happen on the same day every year on the solar calendar that we use. It fluctuates between mid-January to mid-February. According to the Chinese zodiac the new year will be the year of the chicken, and we are leaving the year of the monkey.  The Chinese zodiac consists of twelve animals, so the same animal reoccurs every twelve years. Click here to learn more about the Chinese zodiac. 

A common part of the Chinese New Year holiday is for the adults of the family to give red envelopes full of money to the children of the family. 

A Red Envelope (hong bao 紅包) - Joshua Wallace, photographer and copyright holder, 2017.
Roughly translated the words on the envelope mean "wish you prosperity, money is coming your way" (gong xi fa cai, gun gun er lai). 

A legend associated with the Chinese New Year is that of the Nian monster (nian shou 年獸). This creature comes out of hiding on New Year's Eve to eat people. Luckily, this monster is afraid of firecrackers and the color red, and that's why you see plenty of both this time of year. Typically, families will stay up late into the night to guard against the nian shou. According to some, this monster can eat a whole village in one bite. 

Some Chinese phrases for New Year's: 

• Xin nian kuai le (新年快樂) - "Happy New Year"
• Gong xi fa cai (恭禧發財) - A common expression heard during Chinese New Year, roughly translates to "Wishing you increased prosperity." A comical reply to this phrase is hong bao na lai (紅包拿來) which means "hand over the red envelope." 

If you want to learn Chinese or another language, then you should check out the Mango Languages database. It's available on the library website's A-Z database page. 

The library has several books about Chinese New Year in the Curriculum Collection, which is located on the lower level at our Stephenville location: 

• Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
• Celebrating Chinese New Year by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
• The Dragon Year: A Chinese Legend by Dave Bouchard 
• Happy New Year!: Kung-hsi fa ts'ai! by Demi 
• Long-Long's New Year: A Story About the Chinese Spring Festival by Catherine Gower
• Moonbeams, Dumplings, & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities, and Recipes by Nina Simonds 
• The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

Click here to listen to some Chinese New Year's music. That link takes you to the library's catalog, from there click on the "Online Access Click Here" link. 

Click here to watch a documentary about how modern Beijing families celebrate New Year's. 

International Programs will be hosting a Chinese New Year celebration on Friday January 27th from 6PM - 8PM at the Thompson Student Center. There will be food and activities. Click here for more details. 

New Music Databases

The library added 10 new music databases this week! These databases contain streaming music files, videos, scores, discographies, and musician biographies, as well as more traditional reference materials. They cover a variety of genres from throughout time and around the world, from medieval motets and early american folk music to jazz and hip-hop. There are also databases specifically devoted to dance and opera. Basically, no matter your musical tastes or academic interest, you can find something in these new databases.

One of the most interesting new databases to me is Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries. This database contains streaming music from the Smithsonian's Folkways Recordings, which collects diverse, traditional musical forms from around the world. It also contains music from archives in Africa and Asia.

Music students and faculty will probably find a lot to use in the Classical Scores Library. This database contains over 45,000 scores. They include everything from individual instrumental parts to full orchestral arrangements. They are presented in an easy-to read format and can be printed.

New Database: Garland Encyclopedia of World Music

Are you a Music major? Maybe you're a music fan? 

Tarleton Libraries has a new database called Garland Encyclopedia of World Music located on the A-Z Database List. 

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Volume 8: Europe ed. Rice, Timothy, Porter, James & Goertzen, Chris

With this database, you can explore several types of music from all over the world.

You can also create "play lists" which are themed collections of materials and can be created by any user of the database.

Users can create play lists containing various types of documents, images, whole videos, tracks, segments (clips) and/or other items such as links to any URL.

Play lists can be annotated, edited, copied, shared, and all play lists contain their own unique static URL. Play lists can be used as lists of personal favorites, class viewing/listening assignments, or as a teaching resource for in-class use.

Check it out and let us know what you think! 

Need assistance? 

Contact us: 

(254)968-9249 or reference@tarleton.edu 

Hip hop hurray

Did you know the library has 50  resources that cover hip hop and/or rap music? They approach the topic from political, historical and cultural perspectives and include print books, electronic books, and digital music.

Here are just a few. By the way, "General Stacks" is upstairs.

Holiday Treats from the Library

Once your holiday festivities are over, you may find yourself with time to spare and in need of some reading or listening material. In case that happens, check out these ideas from previous LOL posts:

1. Read the library's online books.


2. Try out some new recipes.


3. Expand your language skills with Mango.


4. Listen to selections from Contemporary World Music and Classical Music Library.


5. Enjoy Issue #1 of the Library Chronicles newsmagazine.


6. Read J-TAC articles 1919-2007.


7. Check out the library's mobile site.


8. Learn TSU history from Tarleton Thursdays LOL posts.

The library will close over the break (Dec. 23 - Jan. 2), but our online resources will be available when you want them. Happy Holidays!

Top Ten Tuesday: Stay Informed

The following list, in no particular order, offers links to Tarleton resources that will help you stay in the know.

• Tarleton homepage
• Check out news releases, spotlighted announcements, and upcoming events notices.
• Current Students page
• Learn about campus life, technology & support, news & events, student activities, and health & safety, as well as locate featured links from the Bleed Purple page.
• Bleed Purple page
• Find links to all things purple:
  Tarleton on Facebook, Tarleton YouTube videos, Tarleton blogs, photo archives, the Purple Book, and more.
• J-TAC
• Read articles about campus life, sports, and entertainment, along with editorials and letters to the editor.
• Post comments to the message board.
• Tarleton Radio KTRL 90.5 FM and The Planet 100.7 FM
• Listen to music, announcements, and live broadcasts.
• Texan News Service, sponsored by Tarleton's Communications Studies Department
• View Texan TV News and read feature, sports, and news stories.
• University News from the Marketing & Communications Department
• Read press releases, submit event information, search for subject experts, and access the Publications Guide.
• Tarleton Today
• View articles about Tarleton events, athletics, and activities, as well as campus announcements.
• Submit event information for inclusion in future postings.
• University calendar
• Look up events by dates and categories.
• Code Purple
• Enroll in Code Purple to receive notifications about health and safety emergencies, closings or delays due to weather, and crime or other events that pose a threat to those on or coming to campus.

Contemporary World Music

A while back, I wrote a post on Classical Music Library. The library now has access to another database that allows you to listen to lots of music, Contemporary World Music. It doesn't have as many playlists as Classical Music Library (yet?), so I tend to prefer browsing by places or instruments.

My current favorite places:

• Japan
• China

My current favorite instruments:

• koto
• erhu

Got any browsing, album, or track recommendations of your own? Please share!

Classical Music Library

Believe or not, there is actually some fun to be found in our databases - they don't have to be just for coursework! One of my favorite "fun" databases is Classical Music Library. In addition to the other information it provides, you can also listen to over 60,000 music tracks using this database.

I don't know much about classical music, so it's tough for me to just go straight to a song or composer that I like. What's great about Classical Music Library is that you can browse its collection in various ways as well as search it. Plus (my absolute favorite way to use this database), you can try out playlists. I'm a big fan of "Bach: Cello Suite," "Awesome Piano Music," "Music to Write By," and "Baroque Violin Selection." There are currently over 1000 playlists, and you can create playlists of your own if you'd like.

So, try it out if you haven't already, and feel free to comment and share your favorite tracks or playlists.

Top Ten Tuesday - 10 Songs for Earth Day

Earth Day was founded back in 1970 and falls on April 22nd each year. To help celebrate, I thought I would share one of my favorite places to find out about music - the Y! Music Playlist. They have created this Top 10 Earth Day songs playlist. Read their blog post to find out more about music and earth day...they have a long history together.  I hope you enjoy.

1. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye
2. Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
3. Paradise - John Prine
4. Shapes Of Things - The Yardbirds
5. Nature's Way - Spirit
6. Don't Go Near The Water - The Beach Boys
7. If A Tree Falls - Bruce Cockburn
8. Don't Go Near The Water - Johnny Cash
9. Mother Earth (Natural Anthem) - Neil Young
10. I Remember California - R.E.M.

Do you have a favorite environmental song?  Post a comment and share!

Audiovisual Collection

As you exit the stairs or elevator onto the lower level of the Dick Smith Library, just to the right is the Audiovisual (AV) Collection. For you commuters or anyone about to take a long road trip, there is a growing collection of audiobooks in CD format, with many audiobooks still available in cassette format. Suggestions for CD format audiobook purchases are always welcome; use the comments area below!

There are also small but growing collections of DVDs and music and other information on CD, primarily to support the university’s educational programs. There are also (for now) VHS videocassettes, audio cassette tapes, 35 mm slides, and even vinyl phonograph records. Faculty may check out items for a full semester; students, staff, and others may check out CDs and DVDs for 7 days and all other media (except records) for 28 days.

Listening and viewing equipment is provided for individual and group use, in a small AV room in the area, plus some individual study carrels. Media equipment available for use on-site includes televisions with VCR and DVD players, a slide projector, a stereo phonograph, and an audio cassette and CD player. Microphones and headphones are available for use with this equipment.

Some specialized equipment is also available for public use in this area, such as a VideoEye video magnification system and a TeleSensory Vantage CCD (both used to magnify print and objects), and an opaque projector (to enlarge drawings for tracing, as in the photograph to the left).

Special Services Librarian Amanda Pape and Special Services Assistant Vickie Sowell are available to assist patrons in locating all media materials and in using the media equipment from 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. For assistance beyond these hours contact the Information Desk or the Circulation Desk on the main floor.

[photo: opaque projector in use - Special Services Department]