Students, faculty, and alumni can now access an updated version of the Glenn Korff School of Music Performances in the Libraries’ Image and Multimedia Collections online, thanks to a recent upgrade by the University Libraries Digital Strategies Department. This extensive collection features recordings and music scores from the Glenn Korff School of Music from 1948 through the present.
The upgrade was part of a larger effort to modernize online collections and a key motivation for the project was the upcoming retirement of Anita Breckbill, the Music Librarian at the University Libraries. Throughout her career, Breckbill worked closely with students and faculty at the Glenn Korff School of Music to build this collection. Continued access to the collection was a priority for Breckbill as she prepared to step away from her role.
John Wiese, Visual Resources Specialist, and Mike Litwa, Programmer Analyst, both took the lead on the project. Having previously experimented migrating the collection to the Luna system, which powers the Image and Multimedia Collections website, the team knew Luna would be a good fit as the new home for the Glenn Korff School of Music Performances collection. The team collaborated with Breckbill throughout the project prior to her retirement to make sure the collection would be properly represented in Luna.
In addition to simplifying collection management, the team sought to improve the way people interacted with the collection. Wiese and Litwa developed a way for users to play audio files while viewing performance scores on the same webpage.
“Once we had all the audio, I could generate the metadata to get tracks in order,” Litwa explained. Matching the audio files with their corresponding performance scores created a seamless and more interactive experience for users.
One of the largest challenges the team faced was moving the large amount of data between the two systems. The team brought in Jason Bougger, Systems Coordinator, who was able to provide a solution that allowed Wiese to migrate the data into Luna without any issues.
Wiese and Litwa successfully launched the updated collection on August 8, 2024, in time for Breckbill to experience the results firsthand.
“It was such an easy project because Mike is really good at what he does,” John said.
With the collection now housed in an upgraded system, the Glenn Korff School of Music Performances continues to provide a valuable archive for music study and research.
Contributed by Melissa Sinner, Web Content & Design Specialist, University Libraries