Circulating Collections at the Performing Arts Library

Despite its large size, the circulating music collection contains only a fraction of the available music in print. Selection of titles and types of music are based primarily on the interest of our public as they have developed over the past eighty years ever since the Circulating Music Collection was established in 1924 as part of the 58th St. Branch.

The circulating drama collection encompasses all aspects of the performing arts that are not strictly music or dance. The collection contains available published plays and screenplays in English. The collection also has an extensive collection of film and dramatic criticism and history. The collection includes much material on film and theater production. The collection covers every aspect of acting, directing, playwriting, screenwriting, set design, costume, makeup, etc. Other subjects represented include television and radio broadcasting, magic, puppetry and the circus. The collection contains important periodicals in our fields, plus trade papers such as Variety and Backstage.

The circulating dance collection consists of an extensive array of books which illuminate all aspects of theatrical and non-theatrical forms of dance. The collection is especially strong in dance history, dance instruction, and biographies of leading dance figures. The collection is further enhanced by periodicals and commercial videos and DVDs.

* The circulating CD's are now located on the second floor. As of October 1, 2010, we will begin to move the circulating DVDs to the second floor.

Material in the circulating sound and video collection consists solely of commercially released items.

The Reserve Film and Video Collection includes more than 6,000 16mm films, 5,000 VHS videocassettes, and 1,200 DVDs.

The New York Public Library began acquiring films in 1953, and established a film collection at the Donnell Library in 1958. The library began adding videos to the collection in the 1970s.

The Orchestra Collection is located on the first floor of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, just past the elevators and the copy room. Due to the specialized nature of the Collection, access is limited to four hours per week and is only open during the concert season, September through June. Materials for summer loan are checked out during the month of June and must be returned before or on the September due date. For more information see Summer Loan.

The contents of songbooks are not always listed in the library catalog. This makes searches for individual songs in the catalog, at best, incomplete. To remedy this situation, we have indexed close to 2,000 reference scores and songbooks. The collection includes full piano-vocal scores, selections from musicals, compilations by a specific composer and/or performer and song anthologies. Currently the Song Index contains over 40,000 songs ranging from Broadway show tunes to pop and jazz standards. Users may search the Song Index by title, first line and Show, Film, Television title. The Song index is kept current and is heavily used by the public. Users must come to the Library for the Performing Arts to access the Song Index material and will need a valid NYPL library card. Users may search the Song Index at the Library for the Performing Arts and from home.

Though quite small, the Arts Administration Collection contains comprehensive information on all aspects of the administration and management of performing arts organizations. Special emphasis is placed on financial management, particularly funding and grant-seeking at an individual and institutional level. Other areas of interest include arts services organizations, forming and running nonprofit organizations publicity, special tax considerations, arts centers and arts councils, general entertainment law and copyright.