Library Spotlight: CCM Library
For over 70 years, the Albino Gorno Memorial Library has served the research and instructional needs of the students and faculty of the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati.
The CCM Library was founded in 1949, built on the personal collection of Professor Albino Gorno, dean of the Cincinnati College of Music for over 40 years. Today, the CCM Library collections focus on materials that support CCM-related areas of music, musical theater, dance, and some aspects of theater and drama, while the Walter C. Langsam Library holds materials that support theater and media productions.
The CCM Library collections currently comprises over 208,600 physical items:
- 44,460 print volumes (books and serials),
- 87,543 scores,
- 67,000 sound recordings,
- 4,000 media materials (videos, DVDs, CD-ROMs), and
- 5,600 microforms.
The library also provides access to electronic resources, including databases specific to researching performance arts fields, major subject-specific dictionaries (e.g. Oxford Music Online), streaming audio and video services, e-journals and e-books.
Special collections relevant to the performing arts are held in both the CCM Library and the Archives and Rare Books Library. Materials include the 16th-century illuminated manuscript, the Spanish Antiphoner (on display in the library), the CCM Brass Chamber Music collection, records of specific musicians and artists, papers relevant to the history of CCM and records of other Cincinnati arts institutions.
The CCM Library is located on the 6th floor of the Blegen Library building. Highlights of the CCM Library space include:
- The Reading Room recaptures the grandeur of the original 1930 library with its high ceiling, classical pillar effects, chandeliers and paneling.
- Large score room storing the library’s impressive collection of music scores.
- Journal room storing the library’s current (unbound) and bound periodical collections held in print.
- Media/computer lab with workstations (many with MIDI keyboards), listening stations for playing physical sound recordings, as well as multiple electronic keyboards. The media lab offers scanning, printing and copying facilities.
- Group study rooms and a seminar room upstairs offer sound and audio-visual technologies for group study, group listening to media materials and for working on group projects.
- Quiet study area offers private study carrels for upper-level and graduate students.
The CCM Library staff – Jenny Doctor, head librarian; Suzanne Bratt, cataloging librarian and David Sandor, public services supervisor – stand at the ready to work with students, faculty, musicians and performers in support of their research and scholarly work.
Hours of operation and more information about the CCM Library can be found on their website.
