Nick Jones wrote:

>Karl Miller wrote:
>
>>OCLC shows a listing of a Planets conducted by Groves with the Royal
>>Phil on Cirrus, CRS 102 copuled with St. Paul's suite.  The Planets
>>recorded in March of 1989.  ...
>
>I'm curious about your reference to OCLC.  I found an "Online Computer
>Library Center" by searching Google for OCLC.  Does it have a listing of
>recordings?  I didn't find it there.

OCLC and RLIN are the two major bibliographic utilities.  They represent
a consortium of thousands of libraries world-wide that share cataloging
information.  Many libraries will let you search those databases.  It
costs libraries to provide that access.

Once you logon to OCLC, there is a search screen which allows you to
limit your searching to format...sound recordings being one of those
formats.

There are many limitations on searching.  Not all cataloging has been
the same over the years.  The basis for OCLC and RLIN is the MARC format
(Machine Readable Cataloging).  There are many limitations.  Archival
collections are not usually listed.  If they are, there is a single
listing under the name of a collection...for example...the "Papers of
...."The MARC format was adopted in the 1960s and while it became a
standard quickly, not all libraries were equipped to take advantage of
it.  Recordings prior to the 1960 are slowly being added to the database.
Pre LP recordings are listed in RLIN.  There is a separate database,
called the Rigler Deutsch Index which lists approximately 750,000 discs
of the pre LP era.  That index is now incorporated into RLIN.

There are many other sources to consult.  For example, Library of
Congress has its database, SONIC which lists a very small portion of its
non-commercial recordings, plus some additional 78s acquired since the
compilation of the Rigler Deutsch index.

Places like the New York Public Library (Library of the Performing Arts)
have several archival collections listed on the WEB...free public access
to those listings...none of that material is listed in OCLC or RLIN.

Obviously, it is all very involved.  What I find interesting is that the
bulk of the extant non-commercial recordings are not listed anywhere
online...many not listed in house.  For example, Library of Congress has
(at one estimate) over 1 million discs of broadcasts...not duplicated
or cataloged.  What treasures might be there?  Consider things like, the
Boston Symphony...with their broadcasts in the 1930s...could there be
Prokofieff playing some of his concertos with Koussevitzky surviving
there?

While I am on the subject, there are also many organizational collections
...the Chicago Symphony has a wonderful database of its holdings, both
recordings (including the broadcast performances) and print materials,
scores, etc.

As one who is obsessive about these things, I should also add that there
is a wealth of material in private hands that may never be cataloged and
likely will be lost.

I could go on...but keep in mind that OCLC and RLIN represent only what
has been cataloged by libraries that are members of those bibliographic
utilities.  As I type this, I am reminded of all of the University
performances that are not listed anywhere...Of great interest to me, the
collection at Eastman...including performances dating from as far back
as 1934!  I have heard some of them...things like one of Diamond's student
symphonies, music of Leo Sowerby, his Violin Concerto, Persichetti's
First Symphony...etc.  Much of that material has not been transferred
and is rotting away, and is not listed in any digital form.  The amount
of work to be done is overwhelming.

If there is interest...I can continue to ramble on this subject.

Karl