It's not the Format, but the Content! Oxford Handbooks - Music

The Whittaker Library currently has a trial of Oxford Handbooks Online for music students and staff at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

We're not promoting this just because it's "more online stuff", but because this is truly world-class, quality material which we think our readers will be able to make good use of.  So, if you're part of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland community - whether you're registered on music or other courses - do take a look.  There are just 23 online Oxford Handbooks in music, but they cover many relevant and contemporary aspects of the subject.

Because it is a trial, access is only within the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland buildings, and it continues until 30th June 2015.  Look for our name, and click "Sign in", then use your usual RCS username and password

Visit the Collection here.
 
The Oxford Handbooks series brings together the world’s leading scholars to write articles that survey the current state of scholarship in their field. The articles review the key issues, reveal original arguments and concepts, and set the agenda for new research.

This free access is available until 30^th June 2015

B. B. King, "Beale Street Blues Boy" (and the Vinyl we Nearly Lost)

We heard the news today that blues legend B. B. King has died in Las Vegas aged 89.  Rather to our surprise, the Whittaker Library has just one vinyl record - "Six Silver Strings", which was his 50th album.  Not good enough?  

Actually, you're lucky to see this image - the album slipped down the back of a bookcase while Karen was taking a photo of it. The tale of its rescue is another story entirely!  Suffice to say, it is still in stock, safe and sound, and available for our staff and students to enjoy.  (Here.)

If you're a student or staff colleague at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, you could also visit Alexander Street Press's online Jazz Music Library, where you would find the "B. B. King Blues theme" on an album, Luminescence Disc 2.

Broadening your search, if you investigate the whole Alexander Street Press Music and Arts database, you'll find a number of recordings and plenty of literature about this famous artiste.

You can perform both these searches by searching the databases via the Whittaker Library Electronic Resources page.  Just goes to show that although it's easy enough to get by with Google, there is also a lot of premium information out there that you can access if your library subscribes to it.  So don't just think, "Google" (or even "Google plus") - think "Google AND my library's Electronic Resources" - you'll be surprised what you find.

• Read B. B. King's obituary in The Guardian today 

We are the very helpful Whittaker Library at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, here to assist our students and staff with their information needs. If our library members need any help with using our electronic resources, just ask! We now have a Library Chat facility on our catalogue homepage, too.