Research Tips
Improved search engines, ever larger databases and new portals with digital content – the internet offers countless musical treasures and answers to many questions about music. However, it is not always possible to filter the mass of information and quickly find the relevant results. This tutorial gives research tips and link-lists for online resources, free and fee-required, regarding music-related writings, digitised sheets and music manuscripts as well as streaming offers. In addition, indispensable print materials are still taken into account.
The tutorial also provides orientation for dealing with library catalogues. In addition to physical media, these catalogues increasingly contain online reference works and music streaming portals, some of which are available to users of public and academic libraries via login at home or on the move.
Susanne Hein is a musicologist as well as a library and information scientist. She heads the music library of the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin and represents the music libraries of the capital in the State Music Council of Berlin. Since 2020, she has been on the editorial board of the professional journal ‘Forum Musikbibliothek’. The tutorial was created thanks to numerous professional tips from staff of academic and public libraries, including the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and the library of the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf. The editorial deadline was 31 January 2022.
