Hello from the Mendel Music Library! We are Princeton’s library for the performing arts, supporting teaching and learning in the Department of Music and the Programs in Dance, Theater, and Musical Theater.

What Mendel Has to Offer

Located within the Woolworth Center for Musical Studies at the heart of campus, our physical location contains Princeton’s collection of musical scores, literature on music and dance, and periodicals for music, dance, and theater. We also have study space in the second floor periodicals reading room as well as computing stations, print release stations, and other media services, including disk drives, a turntable, and book-scanning technology. Our second blog post will introduce our in-person resources in greater detail.

Also held and offered through the library are course reserves materials for courses offered through Mendel’s partner academic units. These are print and digital materials relevant to a course set aside by the instructor through the library. Physical reserves are held behind Mendel’s circulation desk and can be used upon request while electronic reserves are typically accessible via Canvas, Princeton’s learning management system. Reserves will also be discussed further in our second post.

Mendel’s collections are not limited to our location in Woolworth. We have a large collection of online resources that can be accessed anywhere with a Princeton NetID and password. These resources include virtual concerts, music recording libraries, and digital periodicals. Digital resources will be highlighted in our third blog post.

Mendel’s Staff

Mendel’s staff is happy to assist you with general reference questions, library technology, or research-related inquiries. We are available in the library during operating hours and via phone at (609) 258-3032. We are also contactable at muslib@princeton.edu. Here is a little bit about each of the full time staff members at Mendel:

Darwin Scott, Mendel Music Librarian

Darwin is Princeton’s Mendel Music Librarian and has served in that position since April 1, 2009. Previously he was at Brandeis University, where he served as Creative Arts Librarian and then as Assistant Director for Research and Instruction Services, Creative Arts and Humanities. While at Brandeis, Darwin established and developed a collection of early music imprints dating from 1501-1650 (the Gorham Collection), which had grown to over fifty publications by the time he came to Princeton. Darwin has also worked at the UCLA music library, including a stint as head of technical services there. At UCLA, Darwin earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in historical musicology, specializing in medieval music and writing a dissertation on the early motets of the Notre Dame Era. During most of his years at UCLA, Darwin was an active performer, playing oboe in the orchestra and numerous chamber ensembles, and later branching out into early music, playing recorders and crumhorn. Darwin completed an MLS from the UCLA School of Library and Information Science, focusing on reference, cataloging/authority control, and, in particular, Renaissance music publication. While at UCLA, Darwin had two stints of teaching at California State University, Northridge, directing the collegium musicum there returning to teach graduate courses in music research and bibliography, and Renaissance music. Darwin also holds a BM from California State University, Long Beach, where he focused on music performance and musicology.

At Princeton, Darwin also participates in a number of library- and campus-wide initiatives and working groups, including the Library Managers Group, the Princeton Digital Humanities Working Group, the LibGuides Management Group, and board of directors members for the Blue Mountain Project. ​​Darwin is the Princeton representative to the Borrow Direct Music Librarians Group, which is presently focused on the Contemporary Composers Web Archive and an ongoing cooperative project of comprehensively collecting published music by a select group of around 2,000 contemporary composers, particularly those active between 1975 and 2014. Darwin is also currently busy overseeing Princeton’s first contributions to the Music Treasures Consortium and the Sheet Music Consortium.

Dan Gallagher, Reserves & Media Services

Dan oversees print and electronic reserves. He continues to work on the Music Department Audio Archive, a cataloging and streaming project that will give access to over 30 to 40 years of Music Department ensemble performances, including undergraduate, graduate, and faculty recitals, online. He holds a BA in Music Education and studied voice and choral music. He works for both Mendel and Westminster Choir College Talbott Library.

Sara Hagenbuch, Coordinator for Public Services and Outreach

Sara is in charge of the circulation desk, study carrel program, outreach and events, and she works to keep the library running smoothly. She’s also available to answer reference questions and is always happy to help! She previously worked at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and UC Berkeley Libraries, and is a professional classical singer who loves Baroque music. Sara is usually at Mendel during the mornings and early afternoons–please feel comfortable emailing her with questions or saying hello in person! 

Brittany Jones, Coordinator for Special Projects and Collection Management

Brittany is in charge of the stacks and making sure everything is neat and easy to find. She works quite a bit behind the scenes of the library, but is available to answer any reference questions or to help in any way. Please feel free to say hello or ask her any questions. Brittany is currently working on all Mendel digital projects. Brittany worked on Wagner’s operas and staging during WWII during graduate school and still enjoys researching how propaganda affected musicians and the music culture of Germany during WWII. In addition to her Masters in Music History, Brittany also received her Masters in Library and Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.