Journey to the Lie-berry

[sisabet]

renenet reminds me, none to gently, that I have a library and the library is a resource I should use.

Except it makes me sad. For example - I just did a search for American Folk Music which turned up 3 CDs - one being a Prairie Home Companion CD.

I then opened up the search terms as American Music. I then saw that under American Idol Songs and Music there are 4 CDs.

Surely this is not right. I wanted to find Greil Marcus's book about Bob Dylan and the basement tapes and - I can't find anything. Surely this is because I am not searching correctly. Marcus has written a ton of stuff.

A general search for "Bob Dylan" gets me a ton of stuff for Bob the Builder. So I just search for stuff with "Dylan" as the subject. And SUCCESS! 16 matches, including Don't Look Back which I have not watched in forever (note to check this out except I would have to get the VCR out of the closet and I am afraid of it) and "Positively Fourth Street" which I have read -- but not the Marcus book I want.

And all hope is not lost - now I find 6 books by Marcus, icluding "Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the crossroads" which did not come up under Bob Dylan 1941- subject. Huh.

I think I forgot how to work my resource. I am now one of those people. I am so ashamed.

Oh! I missed a box in my search limits! YAY! Mystery solved, satisfaction in public resource achieved and yet... they still don't have the book I wanted.

Comments

[way2busymom.livejournal.com]

Was listening to a mix cd today. The Flying Burrito Brothers!!!! Don't remember if this hits your criteria for Americana but don't forget them!

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

I've eaten at the Flying Burrito Stand. I wonder if the two are connected?

[briesas.livejournal.com]

They should be able to get the books you want through Interlibrary Loan, if they don't own the, Good Luck!

~B

[batwrangler.livejournal.com]

If her library *has* ILL: mine is so underfunded, it doesn't. :(

[renenet.livejournal.com]

I was very gentle! I only told you that I used *my* library. Anything beyond that was all you.

"Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the crossroads" which did not come up under Bob Dylan 1941- subject. Huh.

It has the more specific subject heading Dylan, Bob 1941- Like a Rolling Stone. Don't ask me why they wouldn't choose to cross-list it under the more general subject heading, also. sigh

You can find the Marcus basement tapes book at the university's fine arts library, but it's currently checked out (due May 6th). You should be able to place a hold on it if you get a library card (if you don't already have one, just take your driver's license or alumni card to the library and sign up for one). It's the original 1997 edition, but from what I can tell the only thing the retitled 2001 edition updated was the discography.

But back to your public library, your issue is one of controlled vocabulary. The hard truth is that vocabulary wants to get out of control. There are lists and systems and rules and, still, it's out of control. And so many of the things you want may not have the word "America" in their descriptions at all. A small sampling of subject headings would include:
Ballads
Bluegrass music
Blues (Music) [see also subheadings by decade]
Country music
Fiddle tunes
Folk dance music
Folk music [see also subheadings by decade]
Folk music - Appalachian Region [see also subheadings by decade]
Folk music - Appalachian Region, Southern
Folk music - Kentucky
Folk songs
Old-time music

Okay, I'm tired now and I just scared myself with how much I'm leaving off the list of relevant subject headings in your library's catalog. I'd simply go browse the CD collection. (They seem to have CDs arranged by categories such as Folk, Blues, Jazz, etc. at each branch.) Maybe save the comprehensive catalog searching for more specific things like looking for stuff by artist name or for recordings from Smithsonian Folkways.

Editorial note: I really don't like that catalog your library has. It represents the one-box, "if it's more complicated than google, people won't want to use it" approach and it's an excellent example of how that way of thinking can creates more confusion than it solves, with the concept map and the "refine" panel.

[kimera.livejournal.com]

Mmm, folk music. Although, okay, *most* of the folk-y stuff I listen to is Canadian, I am looking forward to this music post o'yours.