The Allen Library, a branch of the University Libraries, has had close ties to The Hartt School since the library’s founding nearly eighty years ago. This is typical of music libraries, many of which start as departmental libraries. While documenting the library from its early history through the numerous changes that have taken place, this brief history focuses on developments since 1987 during my tenure as head of the library.
From Its Beginning
Now nearly seventy years old, what started as the “Hartt Library” began in 1938, eighteen years after the founding of the school, when Gladys Pellettieri (wife of Hartt Professor Louis Pellettieri) brought together books, scores, and recordings donated by members of the faculty. The library moved to the University of Hartford campus along with The Hartt School in 1957, and was initially located within the school’s Alfred C. Fuller Music Center. In 1963 it was named the Mildred P. Allen Memorial Library as a permanent memorial to Mrs. Allen, former Secretary of State, a pianist, music-lover, and friend of Hartt. The Allen Library moved from its original campus location in the Fuller Music Building to its present quarters in the Gray Center in 1989. Small renovations were completed during the summers of 2001 and 2006.
Staff
In 1946 Wanda Schwerdtfeger was named Librarian, and in 1960 Ethel Bacon was appointed Librarian. Ethel served until her retirement in 1987 when I was appointed head of the Allen Library. As do most libraries, we depended heavily on the work of student staff, who were primarily Hartt students. Interestingly – and happily – a number of them were promoted into regular positions after graduation. Readers may recall Jeffrey Heyl, Phil Ponella , Sara Lindberg, Dylan Armstrong, Amy Dankowski, Kaitlin Earley, Aaron Muller, Pete Kemble, and Dan Román, several of whom continued on to library school and became music librarians in their own right. Yet the makeup of the library’s staffing gradually changed as we realigned positions to meet new needs:
In 1988 we appointed our first professional music cataloger (Paula Hickner) to deal with the intricacies of describing the great variety of formats, languages, editions, arrangements, and providing bibliographic control required for music materials. A part-time assistant (Hartt graduate student Kristine Day) soon followed to take over the burden of the clerical workload, and in 1999 this position became full time. A part-time cataloging assistant was added in 2003.
In public services we added a part-time evening supervisor (Aaron Muller, another Hartt graduate) in 1997 to accommodate increased activity in circulation and reserves. In 2005 we appointed our first public services librarian (Tom Caw) to address the growing demands for reference and instruction.
Technology
When one thinks about technological developments over the last twenty years, it is not hard to imagine the paradigmatic changes that have occurred in libraries. In 1987, the University Libraries owned perhaps four computers, all dedicated to staff cataloging. By 1991 as the University Libraries introduced its first automated library system and access to the library’s collection moved from printed cards to an online database, the Allen Library acquired five “dumb terminals” for public use and each staff member was given a large and clunky desktop PC. In 1993 a new system and a nifty web interface brought new public