Music in Public Libraries in New Zealand and the Sound and Music CentreAuthor(s): Roger FlurySource: Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 37, No. 2 (April-Juni 1990), pp. 172-176Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres(IAML)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23507377 .

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172

Music in Public Libraries in New Zealand

and the Sound and Music Centre*

Roger Flury (Wellington)**

Tena Koutou.

No te Putamatauranga O Aotearoa.

Nga mihi kia koutou katoa Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

I am very happy to be here today to talk about music in public libraries in New Zealand

and also about the role of the National Library. I am especially happy to be speaking to you in England because, although I represent New Zealand, I spent the first 28 years of my life in London. As a child I used Lambeth Public Libraries extensively, and gained my first working experience with Westminster City Libraries, in both the Charing Cross Road record library and the Central Music Library at Buckingham Palace Road.

I emigrated to New Zealand in 1974, and now hold dual nationality. So I am in the

fortunate position of feeling very much at home in both countries.

My official designation is Librarian, Sound and Music Centre, National Library of New Zealand. We are not very happy with that, mainly because the name of the Sound

and Music Centre conjours up other associations, and we have already been nicknamed

"The Julie Andrews Suite". But since I am addressing the Public Libraries section, perhaps I should reassure you that 15 of my working years have been spent in public

libraries, and that deep down I remain totally dedicated to public library service.

Those of you with a good sense of geography will be able to ignore the following

information, but I feel that I should give you a very brief introduction to New Zealand; otherwise much of what follows will not make sense. New Zealand is about as far away from Oxford as you can possibly travel without beginning to return to Oxford again. We are located in the South Pacific Ocean, 1600 kilometres South-East of Australia, and a total of 19000 kilometres from England. The population of approximately 3.4

million is distributed unevenly over two main islands, with one third living north of Hamilton. Auckland is the commercial capital; Wellington is the political capital. Christchurch is the centre of the country's farming wealth, and Dunedin, formerly the

financial centre, now struggles to retain its position as one of the main centres — even

though it's a beautiful city with particularly fine architecture and a spectacular harbour

setting. New Zealand is often described as a young country, so it's appropriate to remind

ourselves that the first settlers may have arrived as early as 700 AD. Classical Maori

society evolved around the 13-14th centuries, and the arrival of Abel Tasman's fleet of

ships in 1642 marked the beginning of the end of New Zealand's isolation from the rest of the world. Nowadays, New Zealand is a multi-cultural society; home to Maori,

Europeans of all nationalities, Asians, and a large number of Polynesians from other

South Pacific countries, who are drawn there by the temptation of employment and

wages. In 1990, we mark the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi; essentially a pact between the Maori and the European. I use the word 'mark' rather

than 'celebrate' because the Treaty is rather a controversial document. The way in

which New Zealand resolves the conflicts caused by the Treaty will indicate whether

Paper given to the Public Libraries at the IAML Congress, Oxford, August 1989.

Roger Flury is Librarian, Sound and Music Centre, National Library of New Zealand, Wellington.

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R. Flury: Music in Public Libraries in New Zealand and the Sound and Music Centre 173

or not we have come of age as a Pacific nation, or whether we will struggle on with

the mentality of a distant colonial outpost. I read somewhere that New Zealanders are, per capita, amongst the greatest pur

chasers of books in the world. Apart from being a reflection on the quality of New Zea land television programmes, it is more positively a reflection on the emphasis placed on literacy in our education system. In most towns in New Zealand, the two most

frequently visited public buildings are the Post Office and the Public Library. Whilst the present Labour Government has done its utmost to close down uneconomic post offices and replace them with unemployment offices, it is reassuring to know that the

Public Library is surviving virtually unscathed. At the moment, local authorities are going through an uneasy period of enforced

amalgamation. For libraries, this seems to be having positive spin-offs, so that boroughs or counties, which formerly could not afford decent library services, will now find

themselves part of a much larger authority which can provide full library services to

its ratepayers. It is also indicative of the importance that local authorities place on the

vote-catching potential of a good library service, that in many centres, new or refur

bished public libraries are springing up. In the main centres, both Dunedin and Christ church have new buildings, and Wellington is soon to follow suit. I hope to give you some idea of the geographical spread of music holdings in public libraries in New

Zealand, and look at some of the strengths and weaknesses.

About 18 months ago, the New Zealand Branch of IAML undertook a general survey of music holdings in all types of libraries throughout the country. 200 questionnaires were dispatched and we included any library that we suspected of holding even one

score. The results really confirmed what we knew already, and simply gave us up-to date statistics. The four main centres of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and

Dunedin were the most well endowed musically, with both public and university libraries in each centre providing quite impressive figures.

The questionnaire brought its surprises too. One day a parcel arrived with the

completed form wrapped around four miniature scores. Apparently that particular

library had always wondered what to do with them, and our survey had given them the

opportunity to dispose of their total music collection.

But it was also encouraging to see some smaller libraries branching out into video

and compact disc collections. In the general climate of user-pays and cost recovery, this sort of extension of service is a highly attractive proposition for libraries on shrinking

budgets. I speak as someone who is totally opposed to additional user charges for rates

funded public libraries, and I am saddened to see us in New Zealand moving rapidly in that direction with considerable flair.

But as a realist, I would rather see those services developed than not introduced at

all. And in my job at the National Library, I am ashamed to say that I have been party to the introduction of several user-pays services which would otherwise have failed to

get off the ground.

Wellington Public Library stands out as a shining example of a free public library ser

vice, although we all know that no library service is actually free. Quite how long it will be able to retain those noble ideals is debatable. The chart on p. 174 shows (in broad terms) the size of music collections in the larger New Zealand cities serving populations of over 10,000. I think it speaks for itself.

Collection building is done, I suspect, pretty much in the traditional way; a magical formula of user demand, staff preference, and pot luck. This is, of course, totally

unsatisfactory, and too much time and money is spent on impulse buying, and not

enough on careful collection building. And this leads me neatly on to three of the uni versal problems of public library music collections — lack of money, staff, and space. I have found, on the whole, that library managers have little awareness of the impor

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174 R. Flury: Music in Public Libraries in New Zealand and the Sound and Music Centre

Major Holdings of Music in New Zealand Libraries as at 1988

Library Books Scores Orch

Sets

Choral

Sets

Serials

Titles

LP +

Cas

sette

CD Vid

Full

Time

Staff

Equiva lents

Auckland Public 10,000 29,000 250 300 64 22,000 2,000 100 3.5

Auckland Univ. 7,550 27,076 152 747 265 9,000 730 59 2

Hamilton Public 1,020 2,260 — — 16 6,000 633 60 1.5

Lower Hutt Public 2,050 2,260 — — 9 5,400 450 8 —

Wellington Public 10,470 8,500 75 — 48 26,460 2,000 40 1.5

Victoria Univ. 5,250 4,300 — — 152 3,415 30 — .5

National Library 8,297 13,290 4,040 1,220 124 22,000 5,000 89 4

Tumbull Library 352 3,322 800 — 20 3,097 2 24 1

Canterbury Public 2,000 3,462 — — 35 17,000 2,500 165 2

Canterbury Univ. 5,042 7,071 — — 2 64 — — —

Dunedin Public

Otago Univ.

2,300

4,400

4,600

8,900

— 29

124

12,200

1 1,255 15

* Staffing statistics relate to staff who deal exclusively in music. Many New Zealand music librarians also deal

with other subjects. These librarians are not shown in these statistics.

tance of printed music in their collections, and only a grudging acknowledgement of

the role of non-book materials. When these services are introduced correctly, and

administered by competent and enthusiastic staff, the results can be quite staggering, and even an embarrassment to the unprepared librarian.

Just to illustrate my point, I shall describe my experiences at Canterbury Public Library in Christchurch. When the new library building opened in 1982, the music services were gathered together and given a focal point. They became part of the Arts

and Music Division which was allocated a staff of one librarian and one assistant. Until that time, music services had been run on a low-profile basis, almost like a private club. The new building was located right in the heart of the city. It had good street frontage and looked very attractive from the outside. It was warm and inviting. The result was

an explosion in the use of printed materials and reference services, and a positive eruption in the demand for non-book materials and music. With a staff of two and a

budget for sound recordings of $5,000, it was apparent from the outset that we would

not be able to cope. When I left the department 18 months ago, the budget for sound

recordings had increased from $5,000 to over $60,000, and the staffing levels had increased from two to eight. It goes without saying that this sort of growth could not have happened without the support of an enlightened City Librarian and an enthu siastic and dedicated staff.

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R. Flury: Music in Public Libraries in New Zealand and the Sound and Music Centre 175

Proper funding is obviously vital for a successful music department, but so too is

proper staffing — not just in numbers, but also in quality. We have a long way to go

in New Zealand before a career as a music librarian can be considered a reasonable

option. As you can see from these statistics, the number of librarians who deal solely with music is very small. Most staff have to deal with music as a part of a broader area

of responsibility, such as the whole of the Dewey 700s and/or literature. Trying to be

all things to all people means that we spread our talents rather thinly. On the positive side, one can at least argue for more staff and a larger slice of the

funding. But the third of my universal problems — space — is more difficult and expensive to correct. One would expect older buildings to be inadequate to meet

current needs. Wellington Public Library is the oldest of the major public library buildings in the country. The Music and Fine Arts Department is wedged into a tiny basement area, and always looks as if the long-awaited big earthquake has already struck. But as stated earlier, a new building is on the way, and IAML has asked to be involved in the planning of the music department. My own experiences with new

buildings have not been very happy ones. Although Canterbury Public Library was an award-winning open-plan building, the Music Desk was located in a narrow passage

way, between an immoveable wall and the main catalogue. Necessary extensions to the

work areas automatically decreased the public space, and created a lot of congestion. This was an example of a library that was 10 years in the planning, but which failed to anticipate the level of public demand. It was, in fact, ten years out of date.

The good news in this particular saga, is that the library management is looking at a complete reorganisation of the Central Library interior, moving all non-public services out into other locations. The Music Department should benefit enormously,

especially since they were, in the main, responsible for forcing this decision to be made. You can be sure that IAML will be watching carefully to ensure that justice is seen to

be done! Dunedin's City Library building is about the same age as Canterbury Public Library, but it's totally different in concept. Whereas Canterbury Public Library places the emphasis on horizontal planning, Dunedin is designed vertically. Music services operate from the first floor, and, although they do not seem particularly cramped for

space, there is not much room for expansion. Perhaps the most exciting development in the public music library area is the one which is still little more than a rumour. Auckland's long-awaited Aotea Centre is nearing completion of stage one, and should

provide world-class concert, theatre and conference venues. It has been suggested that a public library service, along the lines of New York Public Library's Lincoln Center

Library and Museum of the Performing Arts, should be incorporated into a later stage of the development. If this ever comes about, it will be a milestone in the development of music library services in New Zealand.

The National Library's Sound and Music Centre

I did say that my experiences of new buildings have not been very happy, and this is

no exception. The Centre is located on the lower ground floor, adjacent to the air con

ditioning plant. So not only is there no natural light, but we are also prone to experi ence a low-pitch rumble rather like the engine room of an ocean-going liner. The Centre has been operating for two years, but for nearly half of that time the Music Suite

has been closed for alterations which, in fairness, I should say have improved the noise levels considerably. But, of course, we still have no windows.

Apart from problems related to the building, we have also experienced the triple horrors of government dictated budget cuts, downsizing of staff, and now restruc

turing. On a more positive note, I feel that the Centre is beginning to consolidate its position, and the future looks quite promising. The National Library has always had printed music collections, but these were purchased in response to interloan requests

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176 R. Flury: Music in Public Libraries in New Zealand and the Sound and Music Centre

which could not be satisfied elsewhere. Its main aim was to act as a clearing house for

these requests, and to maintain the National Union Catalogue of Music.

The establishment of the Sound and Music Centre has brought about some major

changes. Firstly, we continue our role as a central clearing agency for interloan

requests. It is our function to locate music scores and, if no holdings can be found, try to purchase the items for our own collection. Secondly, we are now open to the public from nine to five each weekday. This means that we also act as an in-depth reference

library, and are therefore expected to maintain a large collection of standard scores,

monographs, serials, and recordings. Thirdly, we provide technical assistance to the

Music Librarian of the Alexander Turnbull Library. This is the specialist collection of New Zealand materials and rare manuscripts, and our help usually takes the form of

making transcriptions of sound recordings, to assist in the conservation and preser vation of New Zealand recorded materials.

We offer a wide range of services to libraries and individual clients:

A music reference service

Interloan of scores

Transcription service

Listening/viewing facilities

Recording studio and practice room

Video editing suite Soundline: a CD lending service to libraries Hire of orchestral parts and choral sets

We are also involved in the promotion of musical events in the Auditorium. A series

of piano recitals is underway at present, and we recently assisted with a series of

multi-media presentations called Concerts Plus. All this activity, plus of course the

day-to-day routines, is undertaken by three full-time, and two part-time staff. Hope

fully, by the time I return, we will have increased our full-time staff by one. I think that the real benefit of the Sound and Music Centre is its role as a focal point

for library music services in New Zealand. As a high-profile resource, we also attract

donations. The most important of these has been the Radio New Zealand music li

brary. This consists of some 12,000 items, including orchestral parts and choral sets.

Last month we received the Brian Salkeld collection of over 16,000 sound recordings,

including many rare 78s. The National Library provides a suitable home for such dona

tions, but of course, it stretches our staff resources to the limit and beyond. New Zealand is going through an interesting phase in its development

— socially and

economically. Libraries are having to operate in a tough environment, but I am sure

that we will emerge in a much healthier state to continue the good work. For every

disappointment we may suffer along the way, there are always the odd moments of

triumph. And for me, that makes the profession exciting and, above all, challenging. If it were otherwise, I certainly would not want to be a part of it.

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