Presentation 7 July 2009 at IAML2009 Conference, Amsterdam

1. Al coda?
The Dutch librarians’ vision on the future
of music collections in public libraries
Hanneke van der Veen & Frank Huysmans
Library & Information Science, University of Amsterdam
7 July 2009

2. Public libraries in the Netherlands
• NL: 16,5 mio inhabitants; 4 mio registered users (25%)
• 2001-2007 nationwide process of ‘library renewal’
• Co-operation libraries, national, provincial and local
governments
• From appr. 600 to 200 library organisations
• # of branches constant at appr. 1,080
• Merging library organisations means collection
rationalisation: ‘de-doubling’
• Recent developments: investments in digital library

3. Music in Dutch public libraries
• Centrale Discotheek Rotterdam (CDR) nationwide
backoffice music supplier for majority of Dutch PLs
• CDR buys all cds available on the Dutch market
(2009 appr. 400,000)
• LeenDirect: nationwide 135,000 cds (2005: 168,000)
• Since 2005 digital lending/borrowing: Digileen
(mainly classical music, jazz, independent pop/rock
from NL)
• 2006-2008: appr 450,000 tracks lent digitally

6. About the survey
• Dutch librarians' perceptions on the future of music
collections in public libraries
• Digitisation audio and sheet music in PLs
• The survey targeted 64 music divisions of PLs
• 30 (47%) filled out surveys
• These 30 have an audio music collection
• 25 out of 30 also lend sheet music

7. Average number of lendings print
sheet music per week
• Maximum 50 lendings (40%)
• 51 - 200 lendings (36%)
• 201 - 500 lendings (8%)
• 501 - 750 lendings (12%)
• More than 750 lendings (4%)

8. Degree of satisfaction with number of
lendings print sheet music per week
• The majority is somewhat or very satisfied (54%)
• How to stimulate the number of lendings?
– Collaboration with (music)institutions
– Improve search opportunities
– Make a better presentation/marketing
– Play along CDs / collected editions

9. Digital sheet music: a surplus value?
• 70% of the responding libraries is of the opinion
that digital sheet music has big advantages for the
user:
– Better search opportunities
– Greater and wider supply
– Better availability

10. Digitisation sheet music
Digitisation is (still) in its infancy:
• Digital sheet music on DVD / CD-ROM (20 %)
• Linking to external sources with digital sheet music
(16%)
• Own digital collection via the internet (0%)
• Own digital collection: not via the internet, but only
available on the computer in the library (8%)
• On request (0%)
• None of the above (56%)

11. Bottlenecks digitisation sheet music
Responding libraries mention the following
bottlenecks:
– No time
– Legal bottlenecks
– Financial bottlenecks
– Technical bottlenecks
– No demand
– Competition

12. Use of Zoek&Boek
• What’s Zoek&Boek (Seek&Book)?: users can request items
from libraries in the whole country by clicking a button
• Number of lendings Zoek&Boek per week:
– 1 - 25 lendings (31%)
– 0 lendings (45%)
– Don’t know (14%)
– Not (yet) connected to Zoek&Boek (10%)
• Big price differences between libraries (provinces)

13. Perceptions of the future
• Majority of responding libraries expect a decrease
in physical lendings
• But: majority (65%) is positive about the future
• Many responding libraries think that they will supply
digital sheet music in the future
• High bandwidth
– It depends on the size / diversity
library(collection)

14. CODA
• Decrease in physical lendings and bottlenecks
• But also ... challenges
– Majority is positive about the future
– Expected rise of digital sheet music
– Digital future starts NOW!