Music CDs are listed in the library catalog as "sound recordings."

Here are some tips for searching for music CDs:

• If you know the name of the CD, search by TITLE starts with
• If you know the name of the performer, search by AUTHOR (last, first) and use the performers last name
• If you know the title of a song, you can use the advanced search, search the song title in TITLE keyword and limit your results to Music
• If you know the type of music, try searching by SUBJECT

Let's try an example. I want to find the soundtrack to the movie "Footloose." I can use a TITLE starts with search, and find this result.

I'll use the Copy/Holding Information to locate a copy with the Status Checked In. The Collection tells you where to look for the item in the library and the Call No. tells you where to look in the arrangement of items on the shelf or bin. In this music CD example, the L signifies that the item is Soundtrack Music. The Popular Music is shelved in bins in the Media Room.

In my next example, I am looking for any music CDs by Johnny Cash. I searched Author (last, first) for Cash, Johnny and limited my results to Music. From the list of results, I browsed to find a few titles that seem promising, and located Unchained in the CD bins in the Media Room. The MC signifies that the item is Country/Western music.

In this example, I'm looking for the song "Nightswimming." I'll use Title Keyword to search using the the term "nightswimming" and limit the results to Music. The title Automatic for the People by R.E.M. lists the song "Nightswimming" in the contents for this CD. The MR signifies that the item is Rock music. 

 In my last example, I'm looking for classical piano music. I'll use a SUBJECT search and the term "piano music." From the results, I limit to Music and then browse the choices. I decide to check out a Rachmaninoff piece, and the GP signifies Solo instrumental music for Piano. The Classic Music is shelved on the shelves in the Media Room.

This article is the second in a series about enjoying the library's Music CD collection.

• Browsing the Music CD collection
• Search for Music CDs in the catalog
• How are the Music CDs arranged?