Beyond Harvard: Continuing Your Research
Many other libraries and archives have significant collections of musical theater materials. Some of the major collections are listed below. While researchers must visit for full access to most collections, some inventories and digitized materials are available online.
Find links to other collections and websites in the research guide Online Resources for Music Scholars; try starting with the subject tag "musical theatre".
- The New York Public Library for the Performing ArtsThe music, dance, and theatre collections of the NYPL, one of the largest performing arts research libraries in the world. Their collections include the papers of Jerome Robbins, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Harold Prince, and many other influential figures in musical theater.
- Library of Congress: Performing Arts Resource GuideIn addition to large collections of sheet music and recordings, The Library of Congress Music Division holds the personal papers of Richard Rodgers, George and Ira Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and many others.
- Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston UniversitySignificant archival collections of music, theatre, and dance materials. Check the listing of collections by subject to quickly review their holdings.
- Research Guide: Finding Manuscript and Archival CollectionsFind the locations of manuscript and archival collections: where to look and how to search.
Selected Local Archives List
ARCHIVEGRID: A very handy finding tool for archival and manuscript collections (will help you locate material in following repositories and many more).
Harvard Library Guide for Archives and Manuscripts (internal and external)
Archives and Special Collections, New England Conservatory
Archives and Special Collections, Northeastern University
Berklee College Archives, Berklee College of Music (Archivist, Sofía Beccera-Licha, alum of Harvard Music Dept ethno program, click and scroll to bottom for her contact information, research by appointment)
Boston Public Library: contact music department, musicref at bpl.org
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Archives: research help available by appointment (Bridget Carr, archivist, ask Liza or Kerry for email address)
Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Houghton Library, Harvard University
Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University
Isham Memorial Library, Loeb Music Library, Harvard University
--HINT: Loeb Music Library Digital Scores and Libretti draws heavily on Isham collections, but there's nothing quite like holding the score/book in your hands.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
John J. Burns Library of Rare Books and Special Collections, Boston College
Massachusetts Historical Society
Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University