Through Mendel, the Princeton University Library offers several online databases and resources related to the performing arts that can be used for both learning and leisure. Some of our most popular online resources are highlighted in the sidebar of our home page at https://library.princeton.edu/music. They are indicated with an orange box in this image:
These resources include Oxford Music Online (music dictionary), Naxos Music Library (music streaming), Met Opera on Demand (live and archived performances from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City), and Digital Concert Hall (live and archived performances from the Berlin Philharmonic).
We’re preparing some posts for this blog that focus on specific online resources, so stay tuned! Once those are posted, we’ll update this post with direct links to those posts.
Accessing Resources
Accessing these databases is as easy as clicking on the link in our sidebar and logging in with your Princeton credentials via CAS. Your Princeton log-in offers you on-demand, unlimited access to these resources, so you can do things like watch performances by the Metropolitan Opera or the Berlin Philharmonic from the comfort of your dorm room or anywhere with Internet access.
Resources for Research
If you’re doing research related to music and the performing arts, our Mendel Music Librarian, Darwin Scott, has prepared resource guides for music, dance, and theater. Links to those guides are also located in the right sidebar, but farther down the page. Many of these guides contain strategies for searching for sources, including tips on using the catalog as well as relevant Library of Congress subject headings (read our previous post for a little more on the Library of Congress classification system in use by PUL and Mendel).
Performance @ Princeton
Another fascinating online resource offered through Mendel is our Performance @ Princeton archive. Through that archive, you can access recordings of performances by Princeton ensembles, including the Princeton University Orchestra, the Glee Club, and other Music Department ensembles. The online PUO performance archives date all the way back to 1990 and the Glee Club has performances from 1986.
The Catalog
Last, but certainly not least, in this post is the PUL catalog. The catalog is an immensely powerful tool for exploring both electronic and print resources because its search function is integrated into so many of PUL’s resources. A single search will bring up results that are print books that can be checked out from a PUL branch, scanned versions of materials in PUL’s physical collections, and materials available solely online through the likes of special collections and various databases. Plus, the results can be filtered based on access (in the Library or Online), home library branch, and format (book, audio, video, musical score, database, etc.).
For materials housed in a PUL branch, the catalog can show you where to find it if you are less familiar with the Library of Congress call numbers or Mendel’s layout:
Clicking on “Where to find it” brings up this diagram with an approximate location:
Closing Remarks
With the immense diversity of online resources, it would be impossible to cover all of them in our blog posts, so we encourage you to let your curiosity guide you as you explore PUL’s online resources. As with print and physical materials, the Mendel staff are happy to help. You can visit us in the Woolworth Center or email us at muslib@princeton.edu to ask us any questions.