Incorporating Information Literacy into Music in the Twentieth Century (MUS 359): A Required Course for All Music Degrees

Course: Music in the Twentieth Century
Faculty: Dr. Timothy J. Roden, Music Department, tjroden@owu.edu
Librarian: Margie Wiers, M.A., M.L.S., Music Librarian, mlwiers@owu.edu

Introduction

The material presented in this course for seniors is a continuation of MUS 357 (taken during the Junior year). By the time music majors complete their music history requirement, they will have been exposed to a wide variety of standard sources as well as some of the most recent developments in information technology.

Nature of the Project

The Information Literacy topics covered in MUS 359 will furnish exposure to additional research tools, including those less accessible due to subject matter or language other than English. After completing this course, music majors will have a working knowledge of professional level bibliographic tools and sources. Students will learn how to use (1) bibliographies of music sources and professional directories; (2) foreign language resources; (3) use of print bibliographic sources; and (4) opera omnia. Students will learn to manage and use the information tools available, while evaluating these resources. Thus, critical thinking skills will prepare the student for graduate school level research.

Students will be expected to submit short assignments after each session that will be evaluated and included as part of their semester grade. The final assignment for each session will also require a student evaluation of the session and its accompanying homework. It is planned that these assignments and evaluations will be available through an internet site that would be developed by the music librarian and music history instructor.

1. Bibliographies and professional directories: this section will acquaint students to music bibliographies such as Duckles as well as general bibliographies (e.g., Sheehy). The use of directories of professional organizations in music will also be explored. Knowledge of these directories will be especially useful as students begin seeking educational, professional, and performance opportunities after graduation.
   
   
2. Foreign language resources: students are reluctant to make use of scholarship that is written in a foreign language. The purpose of this assignment will be to introduce students to such sources as music encyclopedias, biographical dictionaries, and journal articles. They will learn that much that is contained in these sources (e.g., illustrations and structural diagrams of specific compositions, bibliographies) is not dependent upon understanding the language. Further, with a little effort, they can often follow the musical analysis in spite of the language barrier.
   
   
3. Print bibliographic sources: this session will introduce composer bibliographies and thematic catalogues as well as compilation bibliographies available in selected journals and independent volumes.
   
   
4. Opera omnia: understanding the organization of these important collections of a composer's complete works is a complicated process. Students will be introduced to different editorial policies (thereby learning how to evaluate any edition of music they might encounter in their future studies and performances), methods of organization, and importantly, how to find selected compositions. Since each opera omnia has its individual characteristics based on the specific corpus of each composer's work, this is not a simple task.

Project Timeline

Developing assignments to support Information Literacy sessions will require a substantial amount of time. The instructor and music librarian will meet regularly, probably once a week, during the spring semester to develop the content of the sessions and the assignments.

Faculty Time to Complete the Project

The instructor, with the assistance of the music librarian, will need to construct search assignments that will support and amplify the specific information literacy session as well as have relevance to the pedagogical goals of the course. Developing clear assignments for items 1 and 2 listed above will be particularly time consuming. We would like to develop web-based materials and assignments as much as possible, an area in which the music librarian has a particular expertise, which will also require a substantial amount of preparation. However, this will ultimately reduce the costs for copying as well as facilitate grading. We also plan to evaluate each session at the completion of the last assignment. It will take approximately ten to sixteen hours to develop the assignments for each session, probably more for the session dealing with electronic media, for a total of between fifty to eighty hours. Preparation will commence during Spring Semester and, on the instructor's part, continue throughout the summer.

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