One of the best reference sources for music education and enjoyment is Grove Music Online, a comprehensive research database that combines The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Articles appearing in the online Grove not only duplicate the text and bibliography of their respective print versions, but also include multimedia offerings, searching choices, and hypertext capabilities. An advantage of the online resource is the ease of updating information; when an article has been amended by the publishers, the new date appears in the upper right corner of the screen. Additionally, the "What's New" link on the homepage provides a clear delineation of all new additions and revisions.
This database, which contains over 50,000 articles and 2,000 links, provides four searching choices: "Advanced Search," "Special Features," "Browse," and "Explore." The "Advanced Search" option allows users to choose from "Full Text," "Biographies," "Links," "Contributors," and "Works Cited." The Special Features heading links to transcribed interviews and discussions by experts on timely subjects. "Browse" has an alphabetical choice of topics for the novice student. "Explore" offers "Research Resources" that provide access to print and manuscript sources and institutions holding significant archives.
This and other electronic resources are available from the Library's homepage under the heading "Research Online". Click on it to further your educational horizons. If you need assistance, please feel free to contact me or the Reference Desk at 291-4840.