Below are a few reference titles that contain biographies of composers, performers, and writers; articles on instruments; styles, terms, and genres of music. Reference books are on the first floor of the library.
The Grove Dictionary of American Music by 
The Harvard Dictionary of Music by 
The Oxford Companion to Music by If you have a specific piece of music that you’d like to locate, then you will want start with a Bearcat Catalog Search. Using the advanced search you can select for the material type: scores. Use Bearcat Search to locate books, CDs, and DVDs held at the library; as well as access ebooks and streaming media. See our help video tutorials on getting started with Bearcat Search.
When using Bearcat Search you can use the advanced search to find specific material types, such as scores, sound recordings, and video.
Here is an example of an advanced search for scores and Mozart.
The Library of Congress (LC or LoC) is the library for the U.S. Congress and is the largest in the world. Here at Jackson Library we use their classification system to organize our materials. If you pick a book or dvd off a shelf, you will see a sticker (usually located on the spine or front cover) with a call number that may look something like this:
Here you can find a LC call number overview, as well as an interactive tutorial.
Our circulating book collection is located on the top floor of the library and is arranged by subject using LC call numbers. If you want to browse here, is a simple breakdown of the arrangement:
M – Music
ML – Literature on Music
MT – Music Instruction and Study
If you have a specific book in mind use the online catalog to search by title, author, or keyword to find the exact call number for the item.
A more detailed classification schedule can be found at the Library of Congress website