Searching IUCAT for Periodicals
If you know the title of the periodical you need:
Do a title search (leaving out any initial indefinite or definite article -- A, AN, or THE in any language):
If the title is common, or you remember only part of the title, do a keyword search:
To browse in a particular subject area:
[subject heading]--PERIODICALS
e.g., OPERA--PERIODICALS
Locating Periodicals in the Music Library
Periodical Browsing
These are the shelves of current periodicals, located on the west (3rd Street) side of the first floor. Be aware that some subscriptions, particularly of foreign journals, may run months or even years behind. If you are curious about whether the library has received a particular issue, check the holdings in IUCAT.
The Stacks
The periodicals go to the stacks after they are bound (usually a year or so after the individual issues are received). To find the call number, do a title search for the periodical in IUCAT.
Most bound periodicals are located in ML1 (American) or ML5 (foreign) on the 3rd floor.
Some periodicals are located in the stacks under their subject areas, also on the third floor. For example, periodicals devoted to a single composer are located in ML410 with biographies of that composer (e.g., Bach: Quarterly Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute, ML410 .B1 A53).
Microforms
A small number of periodicals are held as microform (microfilm or microfiche) instead of, or as well as, in printed form. Note, however, that this number include some periodicals in heavy demand, such as Music Educators Journal and Gramophone. Print out the IUCAT record and take it to the Circulation Desk. Be sure to specify which volume(s) or year(s) you need. One of the Circulation Assistants will retrieve the microform and direct you to one of the microform readers. In some cases, when you are searching in the stacks you may come upon a piece of wood or cardboard with a note on it indicating that the remainder of the library's holdings of that particular periodical are on microfilm and giving the call number of the microfilm.
Variety and Billboard
Note that the Music Library does not hold these commonly requested periodicals.
Variety is in the Research Collection at the Wells Library (current issues in the Current Periodicals Collection).
Billboard is available in the Research Collection at the Wells Library (current issues in the Current Periodicals Collection).
See also
our Current Journal Subscriptions list and/or
our index to selected Fulltext Electronic Music Journals and Newspapers