Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Sound FX and Other eBooks Available, But Not in the Catalog

Looking for Sound FX: Unlocking the Creative Potential of Recording Studio Effects by Alexander U. Case? If you check our catalog, you may assume that we only have it in our Valencia library. While we do have it in print in Valencia, we also have it as an eBook, but for now you won't find it in our catalog. Although most of our eBooks (and we have about 8,000) are listed in our regular catalog, we have about a thousand eBooks that you can only find by searching our eBook collection specifically.





Until we get those books added to the catalog, you can find and access them by:
Click E-Resources in the left column of the library homepage.
Click Search Articles & More
Click Search by database
Click eBooks on EBSCOhost (the name, not the check box next to it)

You can then search for, access and download our complete eBook collection.

And here's a direct link to Sound FX, which several students have been looking for. 

Monday, January 28, 2013

The Composer Who Tested Fighter Planes And Partied With Sinatra

Jimmy Van Heusen may not have the name recognition of Cole Porter or George Gershwin, but his grandnephew claims that the composer would probably place in the Top 20 on ASCAP's roster. Van Heusen wrote many of Frank Sinatra's hits, including "Come Fly with Me" and "My Kind of Town," and the two were so close that Van Heusen is buried in the Sinatra family plot. To mark the 100th anniversary of Van Heusen's birth, NPR has a story on his remarkable life.

The Composer Who Tested Fighter Planes And Partied With Sinatra

Be sure to check our collection of materials by Van Heusen to appreciate his legacy.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Archives Update

Since our official start in October, things have been humming right along here at the Archives. This week, Berklee’s faculty got a sneak peek at some of our treasures, as well as coming attractions as part of Berklee Teachers On Teaching. For the rest of you, here’s a little taste of what we shared and what’s in store.

The main task of these last few months has been getting organized, both physically and administratively. We’ve been putting a lot of thought into the everyday operations of the Archives, drafting a mission statement as well as policies to guide future collecting and use of archival materials. More concretely, we’ve also been wading through boxes of donated materials, conducting inventory and creating finding aids that will be searchable online.

Speaking of online, we’re also hard at work planning a new website for the Archives. Our current page has a small sampling of digitized collections: historical photos from the Office of Public Information and Alma Berk; founder Lawrence Berk’s notes from his studies under Joseph Schillinger; interactive scans of Jazz in the Classroom scores and performances; and a small fraction of the interviews recorded as part of the ongoing Berklee Oral History Project.

Of course, not everything has been (or can be) digitized, so in addition to expanding this virtual display, the new Archives page will include finding aids for processed collections available on site in the Archives room here at the Stan Getz Library as well as general information about the Archives. Archival materials are non-circulating but are available Monday - Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. by appointment, with evening hours available upon request.

Interested in scheduling a visit or learning more? Email archives@berklee.edu or call 617-747-8001. We’re still very much a work-in-progress, but in the meantime we’re happy to work with faculty, students, and alumni interested in conducting research, donating materials, or incorporating archival materials in the classroom. Stay tuned for more updates from the Archives!