Pat Thomson suggests reasons why journals reject papers

Anyone in the business of writing and submitting articles will read Pat Thomson's latest blogpost with considerable interest:-

Seven Reasons why Journals Reject Papers

Pat's writing always comes highly recommended!

The Helpfulness of a Music Librarian

Of course, you already know how helpful music librarians can be! Our professional association is celebrating 60 years of helpfulness, as you see on this mailing from Cambridge ...

"This week a new exhibition was launched at Cambridge University Library celebrating 60 years of IAML (UK & IRL); more information at http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/deptserv/music/exhibitions.html

"The exhibition is now launched with a blog post titled "The most helpful people on earth: 60 years of IAML(UK and Ireland)" by Susi Woodhouse: 

"So wrote Imogen Holst of music librarians in her article Gustav Holst's manuscripts in Brio vol. 4 no. 1. As true now as it was back in 1967. This year, the United Kingdom and Ireland Branch of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (to give it its full name) celebrates its […]" Read more of this post here.

The Lure of the Hunt: Old Music Dictionaries

Promises, Promises ...



Watch this space!  'Whittaker' isn't in the Library today, but he wants to share with you some useful sources of historical info about traditional Scottish music.

At the earliest opportunity, we'll tell you about Baptie, Glen, Reeves, Kidson, J. D. Brown, and the undeservedly forgotten John S. Sainsbury ...

Traditional Music in Scotland - Know who to turn to

Two useful groups for traditional Scottish music:-

TMSA - Traditional Music and Song Association

Patrons are weel-kennt names:- Aly Bain, Margaret Bennett, Phil Cunningham, Barbara Dickson, Archie Fisher and Sheena Wellington.

Traditional Music Forum

Described as 'a network of over 70 traditional music organisations working in Scotland today'.

• Forum members (the organisations represented in the TMF)
• Board and staff (included are Simon Thoumire, Gillian Frame, our own Josh Dickson, and various people involved in policy-making and steering the direction of traditional music activities.)

Running a music society?

Running Your Group

Whittaker found a useful website offering advice if you're setting up or running a society - music, or indeed any other enthusiast group.  If you want to follow best practice, then it would be a good idea to take note of this one!

http://runningyourgroup.org/

Pianist Leo Blanco Coming to Glasgow

Leo Blanco

Music journalist Rob Adams is keen to share with us the fact that Leo Blanco will be playing in the forthcoming Glasgow Jazzfest.

Rob tweets that Blanco is "Brilliant pianist, Berklee piano prof, playing Glasgow Jazzfest, touring UK".

Always keen to pick up a good story, Whittaker shares the Jazzfest website with you:- 

http://www.jazzfest.co.uk/

Blanco is performing in the City Halls on 26th June.  Don't miss it!

Job-hunting tips from Jobs.ac.uk

Finishing your time with us at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland?  Unless you're going on to further study elsewhere, you'll be job-hunting.

If you haven't met Jobs.ac.uk, you really should.  Here's an introduction with 101 job-hunting tips!

The Jungle Beat of The Tweet

'Whittaker' was meant to be in Birmingham giving a presentation on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, a virus (real, not cyber) prevented 'him' from being there.

The presentation was all about using social media for outreach.  Here it is, for anyone who's interested!  I understand that it provoked quite a bit of discussion, so I've since written another powerpoint - Multiple identities in social media.  I'm sharing that one here, too.

The jungle beat of the tweet from Karen McAulay

Multiple identities in social media from Karen McAulay

Composition Competition, Italy (deadline 14th June)

“... a Camillo Togni”

International Composition Competition

SEVENTH EDITION 2012

BRESCIA, ITALY
Deadline:
June 14, 2013

• Download the full regulations in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian; Registration form and Declarations form on the website www.dedaloensemble.it 

• Email: concorso@dedaloensemble.it

Creatives! Your Library Supports Creativity

Readers will have noticed recent blogposts about creativity, and how the library can support your leaps of imagination and inspiration.

'Whittaker' would like to offer a reading list, compiled from the Whittaker Library's catalogue.  Anyone can see the list.  Registered readers can similarly make their own lists, choosing whether or not to share them with the wider community.

Here it is: Creativity in the Whittaker Library.

And, just to bring you up to speed, here are our earlier postings on creativity:-

• Creativity is our Second Name
• How can a Performing Arts Library Encourage Creativity?

Did this posting interest you?  We love getting feedback, so do consider leaving a Comment!

Writing about Social Media in Libraries - Whittaker seeks Feedback, please!

Whittaker Live has been blogging about the performing arts for over a decade.  This Wednesday, I'm going to Birmingham, where I'll be talking to my peers about social media in academic music libraries.  I'd really appreciate your help!  What I need is feedback: when you visit Whittaker Live, do you get what you expected?  Are you likely to return to the site?  Are you favourably impressed, or disappointed?  (If disappointed, what did you hope to find?)

I do also blog in a private capacity.  True Imaginary Friends has been my blog whilst preparing my first scholarly book for publication.  (The book was released in March 2013, so hopefully I'll soon be able to read some reviews.)  I also set up my professional development blog called Airs and Graces CPD, as part of the 23 Things project, though I only write on it occasionally now.

As well as blogging, I tweet as @WhittakerLib and as myself @Karenmca.  During the week, I try to maintain a professional persona in either capacity.  This idea of different personae interests me, and I'm curious what other folk do.  I find I use Twitter in several quite distinct ways - this is another intriguing angle, and I wonder if anyone else has categorised their tweets like this.

I use Diigo for social bookmarking, and sometimes share my lists.  I also occasionally use Storify.  I've made a deliberate policy not to use Facebook except for family and a very few close friends, and I'm a limited user of LinkedIn.

If you're a librarian or a library user - any kind of library - I'd love to hear from you.  If you're part of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland community, thank you for following, and for letting me share 'your' blog with other interested parties!

Competition for Innovative Researchers

The British Library has launched a fabulous competition.  If you need funding for an innovative research project using the BL's digitised collections, visit this link:-

http://labs.bl.uk/Competition+2013

Use that creativity!  And good luck!

Dance Base - Scottish Country Dancing Workshops this Weekend

Edinburgh Dance Base Workshops - find out more here.

"This event is part of Tradfest, a new festival inspired by the traditional arts of Scotland."

Whittaker has an indirect connection with the RSCDS, for "his" late mother-in-law had a scroll of honour from that esteemed body. Sadly, the left-handed "Whittaker" has two left feet  ...

Seafaring and Seafarers: Music around the Atlantic Rim

A Conference CFP (Call for papers)

           Joint conference hosted by

THE BRITISH FORUM FOR ETHNOMUSICOLOGY

     and

THE AHRC RESEARCH NETWORKING PROJECT

          ‘ATLANTIC SOUNDS: SHIPS AND SAILOR TOWNS’

       Saturday 19th October, 2013

    in association with

THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY 

Read the full CFP here

How can a performing arts library encourage creativity?

Our mission is to encourage creativity in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland community.

We tend our stock carefully - like a garden, weeding and sowing (but not watering - that would be crazy!).  Books, electronic media, music, sound and video recordings all go into the mix.  That's what libraries do.  We try to provide the materials you need, and other inspirational things for you to find.

We try to keep the environment appropriate for study.  And we talk to our plants!  (Quietly.)

We have library events, like book launches, to bring people into the library and give them an insight into the authors' thought processes.  Quite often, there's live music, or reading poetry/prose from the author's work.  And we exhibit appropriate library materials, again in the hope something might just catch your eye, intrigue or inspire you.

How else can we encourage and foster your creativity?   Do respond to this posting or speak to the library staff!

Summer publishing internship in New York, anyone?

This is an unpaid opportunity that has been shared on the IAML music libraries list.  It could be very interesting to a music student considering publishing as a career - great for the CV, and with a publishing giant - Grove Music at Oxford University Press, no less!

      Internship. We’re looking for a summer intern to help us with a variety of Grove Music editorial projects.  The job posting should be up shortly at the OUP jobs site.  The position is unpaid and students should be able to receive college credit. 

Anna-Lise Santella | Editor, Grove Music Online and Oxford Reference

Oxford University Press | 198 Madison Avenue | New York  10016

anna-lise.santella@oup.com | +1 (212) 743-8322

www.oxfordmusic.com | www.oxfordbibliographies.com  | www.oxfordhandbooks.com

twitter: OUPMusic  | OUP Music blog

Finzi Trust Scholarship Awards

Are you involved in music scholarship?  This is definitely worthy of consideration.  Why not apply?

Details of award scheme

Artists' Development Conference - and we MISSED it!

Whittaker is kicking himself.

He missed all mention of the EFDSS 2013 Artists' Development Conference.  It might be the English Folk Dance and Song Society, but artist development is what we're all about, here at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland!

Read the conference report, and see if you don't agree with me?  It must have been epic!

efdss homepage

Money for Music Research

AHRC Doctoral Studentship (PhD)

The Open University in Collaboration with the National Library of Scotland

Do you fancy doing doctoral research in Edinburgh?  As part of 'The Arts and their Audences', the Open University is able to offer this fully-funded studentship.

• Details of Arts and Humanities Studentships at the Open University
• Music Research at the Open University
• NLS Music Collections

JSTOR to the Rescue! (B-listed Composers? No Problem!)

They were in a panic.

"We've got to give a talk ..."

Confidentiality prevents 'Whittaker' from revealing who the B-listed composers were.  Suffice to say, we checked JSTOR - the back-copy journal database - and the problem was sorted.  Instantly.*

The Whittaker Library subscribes to the JSTOR Music package.  Recommended!


* Big names are also covered.  And there's no harm in looking for the wee ones, either!