The newly renovated Rosalind Denny Lewis Music Library opened its doors 10 years ago. Thanks to the generosity of Cherry Emerson (S.M. 1941) and other donors, the library added a mezzanine, new listening/viewing equipment, comfortable study rooms, an audio preservation room, a special collections room and new office space for staff. New detailing included glass panels etched with a canon composed by Institute Professor John Harbison.

Since 1996, the renovated library has served its users well: People entered the library more than 500,000 times; approximately 330,000 items were circulated; more than 26,000 books, scores and recordings were added to the collection and more than 20 concerts and events were performed in the library by MIT faculty, students and staff.

A total of 26 music oral history interviews with 16 individuals were also recorded.

The library will host a celebration of its 10th anniversary on Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. For information on upcoming events, please go to libraries.mit.edu/music/.

Music library records top ten CDs, scores

The ten most frequently borrowed CDs and musical scores over the past 10 years show the Institute community is classically inclined yet enjoys a world music beat.

Top ten most circulated CDs:

1. Vivaldi - L'Estro Armonico & Bartók - String quartets (tied at 226 loans)
2. Schumann - Dichterliebe, Liederkreis & Corelli - Concerti Grossi Op. 6 (tied at 215 loans)
3. Corelli - Trio Sonatas (213 loans)
4. Wagner - "Tristan und Isolde" (209 loans)
5. Mozart - "Don Giovanni" (204 loans)
6. "Music from Ethiopia" (202 loans)
7. Handel - "Messiah" (198 loans)
8. Bizet - "Carmen" & Bach - Brandenburg Concertos (tied at 196 loans)
9. "Shona Spirit: Mbira Masters from Zimbabwe" (193 loans)
10. Mozart - String Quartets 14 & 15 (191 loans)

Top 10 most circulated scores:

1. Schubert - Gesänge für eine Singstimme mit Klavierbegleitung, Peters (99 loans)
2. Haydn - String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 76 No. 4. Wiener Philharmonischer (81 loans)
3. Boulez - "Le Marteau sans Maître," pour voix d'alto et 6 instruments, Universal Edition (77 loans)
4. Strayhorn - "Take the 'A' train"; edited by Gunther Schuller. Smithsonian Institution (75 loans)
5. Haydn - Quartet for 2 Violins, Viola and Violoncello. Op. 74, No. 1. Eulenburg & Mozart - "Don Giovanni." Vocal score, Schirmer (tied at 72 loans)
6. Chopin - "Balladen." G. Henle (69 loans)
7. Corelli - Sonate: a violino e violone o cimbalo. Edizioni Scelte & Beethoven - Klaviersonaten I. G. Henle & Vaughan Williams - "The Lark Ascending": Romance for Violin and Orchestra. Eulenburg & Beethoven - Piano sonatas; edited by Heinrich Schenker. Universal Edition (tied at 68 loans)
8. Purcell - "Dido and Aeneas"; edited by Ellen Harris. Eulenburg & Bartók - Music for string instruments, percussion and celesta. Boosey & Hawkes (tied at 67 loans)
9. Beethoven - Klaviersonaten II. G. Henle (66 loans)
10. Porter - The Cole Porter song book. Simon and Schuster (65 loans)

For call numbers and additional information about Top 10 titles go to: libraries.mit.edu/music/activities/index.html.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on November 1, 2006 (download PDF).