Music at the Library

Music, like poetry, fiction, and even some non-fiction, has a wonderful ability to both entertain and fill us with emotion. Last week I went to Auckland to see the concert by Irish rock band U2. Held the day after it was announced that there was no chance of survivors emerging from the Pike River mine, it was great to share in such an emotionally charged and uplifting performance. Personally I can’t think of a better band to see after such a tragic event, and the dedication of the already poignant song ‘One Tree Hill’ to the29 miners was truly moving.


Music can both convey and create a range of different emotions and exists in a huge variety of different styles - from rock to rap, pop to punk, classical to country, and folk to funk. It is somewhat paradoxically, a very individual thing and something we all share. Here at the library we try to cater to the varied musical tastes and interests of all our borrowers. We have books about music and musicians, guides on how to play music, and many music CDs and DVDs. As an example from the aforementioned U2, we have three CDs, one DVD , and two books about the group.

Our books on music cover all the different musical genres. Some are histories of groups and performers like Queen, the Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen, while others are guides to music such as Nick Bollinger’s 100 Essential NZ Albums or Nick Hornby’s 31 Songs. For musicians we also have many books of musical scores and numerous guides on playing various instruments. These cater to a range of abilities and include guides to the piano, guitar, violin, trumpet, recorder and saxophone.

With our CD collection we aim to cater to as wide a range of tastes as possible. As such it features composers such as Mozart and Gershwin, legendary performers like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, to more contemporary artists like the Foo Fighters and the Black Eyed Peas. In between is everything from The Rough Guide to the Music of Greece, to the soundtrack to the film Mama Mia! The CDs cost $2.00 each to hire and are issued for three weeks. Our music DVDs (which are kept on the same set of shelves as the CDs) cost $3.00 each to hire and are issued for one week. Many of these are of live musical performances and again cater to different musical tastes ranging from Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, to Andre Rieu and Hayley Westenra.

The library also has a large collection of books, CDs and DVDs on Māori music. These include traditional waiata and histories of Māori music and instruments, including the highly regarded Nga Moteatea collection compiled by Sir Apirana Ngata. We also have CDs of more contemporary collections of Māori music and such notable recordings as Ake, Ake, kia kaha e!: songs of the New Zealand 28 (Māori) Battalion.

Another specialist collection is the books and CDs we provide for children. The benefits of introducing music to children even at a very young age are well known, particularly for developing movement and encouraging learning. Our Wednesday morning pre-school programme regularly features a musical interlude and we have numerous music CDs in our children’s section. This includes the very popular Love To Sing series which features books with accompanying CDs and DVDs and of course no children’s department collection would be complete without The Wiggles.

The library is also able to occasionally host musical performances, particularly as part of the Seniors Celebrate programme we offer on the 4th Tuesday of every month. Recently we had performances by the All Sorts Ukulele Orchestra and the Hadlow School Senior Choir. We also recently hosted a Pacific Islands night at the library which featured many musical performances. One of the great things about these events is that everybody in the library (staff included) is able to enjoy the performance.

Throughout time and throughout cultures, music has played a very important part in human society and civilisation. It is present throughout our lives from everyday events such as driving in the car, to special occasions such as weddings and funerals. A recent addition to our collection is the stunning book Music by Andrew Zuckerman which features portraits and interviews with artists, composers, producers, and performers from many musical genres. I will end this piece with a quote from this book by Kiwi musician Neil Finn, who gives a more eloquent and educated view of music than I ever could. “Music has a way of describing complex, mysterious aspects of life in a way that nothing else can. It can get underneath your skin in the most beautiful way”.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library