[Dixielandjazz] Query: does your library have a jazz room?

[Norman Vickers]

To: DJML and Musicians and Jazzfans

From: Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola

 

DOES YOUR LIBRARY HAVE A JAZZ ROOM?

 

I have just written a brief article about our Jazz Room for our county
library system.  Brief history-in mid 80s Jazz Society of Pensacola( JSOP)
was  approached by director of our county library system for advice on
building a jazz collection. This was about the time when LPs were
transitioning to CDs.   He wanted a jazz collection but didn't know how to
go about it.

Jsop  got record producers George Buck of New Orleans and Gus Statiras of
NYC and Tifton, GA to advise and the  JSOP and the "Friends of the Library"
group would make annual contributions of approx $1,000 each for books, CDs
and, initially, videotapes  until DVDs became dominant modality.  They let
the JSOP advise about what books, CDs and DVDs to purchase.

 

 

Then a couple of years ago, we got a new downtown library, doubling the
previous space.  We had a major donor to the library request that they have
a designated jazz room for the collection.  Previously jazzfan had to look
in 3 places to find material-CDs, books and DVDs.  Now it's all in one area
and we have decorated with appropriate jazz photos and paintings- Milt
Hinton, Gottlieb and others.

 

Library staff is uncertain whether there are similar jazz room collections
in city/county library systems.  So, I'm making my own informal inquiry.

 

I know, for example, that Hartford has a grand piano and has some Sunday
free jazz programs. Let me know if your library has dedicated jazz
collection.

Yes, new library has meeting rooms and we've done jazz lectures and musical
jazz programs.  When we were first starting the collection, we'd have some
"dancing in the stacks" programs from time to time to call attention to our
effort.

 

Thanks for your kind responses.

 

Norman Vickers

Jazz Society of Pensacola