The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts > Collections > Music Division

E-mail Reference Policy

We invite you to submit your reference queries using this form. This service is heavily used, so we ask you kindly to note the following conditions:

We answer music-related questions only
The Music Division of The New York Public Library collects books and other printed materials about music, scores, manuscripts, and archival materials. We invite you to visit us at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, or to visit the Circulating Music Collections, or to search their online catalog, LEO. You may also call our quick reference service at 212-870-1650.

Send questions about recordings and the recording industry to the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
Send questions about theatre, film, radio and television to the Billy Rose Theatre Collection.
Send questions about dance to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

Consult local resources first
Please use the resources of your local library first, and indicate which specific resources you have already consulted. For questions about our holdings, you should first search our online catalog, CATNYP, which currently lists scores acquired since 1972, and most of our books and serials.

Search the World Wide Web
Many questions can be answered by doing Web searches. If you are uncertain about where to start, look at our page, Selected Music Resources on the Internet.

This is not a research service
We regret that we do not have staff to do research, and must restrict this service to inquiries that require only brief searches. This means that we cannot search lists of titles, prepare bibliographies, provide lyrics or scores via e-mail, search copyrights or give legal advice. For extensive work, you may inquire at the Library’s fee-based information service, NYPL Express.

Average response time is one week
Reference inquiries from all sources are handled in the order in which they are received.

Provide your complete name and e-mail address
Your e-mail address does not automatically appear in the message header of this form, and we will be unable to reach you if you do not include your complete e-mail address.