GENERAL INFORMATION
The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (EAMT) library is founded in 1935. It is the largest research library for classical music in Estonia, and a major part of the collections are unique in Estonia. In 2005, the EAMT library received status as a research library (by order no. 215 of the Government of the Republic, from 22 April 2005).
The EAMT library collection contains works in the humanities and social sciences. The first of these fields includes items related to music and drama, while the collection is represented in the latter field by literature in the educational sciences and cultural management specialities. EAMT publications, theses and research by academic instructors and students, and audio and video recordings of EAMT concerts and performances are carried in their entirety. With regard to the rest of the collection, acquisitions precede based on topics researched at EAMT and study programmes, with an eye to the collection as a whole. The library archive contains manuscripts of works and treatises by outstanding Estonian composers, unique printed editions and audio recordings, rare scores and books. Almost the entire library collection is housed on open shelves, and the audiovisual equipment is accessible to all.
Besides its central location, the EAMT library has two branches: the EAMT Drama School and the Tartu Branch. The main share of the theatre literature, feature films and video recordings of stage performances are located at the library branch located at the EAMT Drama School.
The library readership is made up of the academy members, musicians, music teachers, actors, stage directors and people involved on a practical level in the cultural sphere, and mid-level and top-level managers all over Estonia. A large part of Estonian professional musicians are one way or another connected with the Academy of Music and Theatre, either as a academic instructor or taking part in studies toward a degree or continuing education. The proportion of users who are not EAMT members, including users living abroad, has increased with each year. The library is open to its approximately 2,600 users six days a week – a total of 56 hours a week.
The library has a total of 61 user stations:
- 22 computer workstations with Internet connection and office software (including 4 computers with CD-burner and DVD-viewing programme);
- 20 listening stations with audio equipment;
- 3 stations for viewing video recordings;
- 16 places to read.
At the beginning of the 1990s, EAMT library took part several international co-operation projects which gave us a good start to build very user-friendly and modern study environment and to develop versatile and authoritative collection. During the last few years the proportion of electronic resources is increased significantly. EAMT library has acquired a lot of licences of the trustable electronic resources connected with the music, musicology, theatre, educational science and cultural management.
Since 2004, the EAMT library users can perform all searches in one catalogue – ESTER. The electronic catalogue ESTER is the common catalogue for 13 Estonian libraries, which is divided between the Tallinn catalogue and the Tartu catalogue. ESTER is administered by the Estonian Libraries Network Consortium (ELNET Consortium). Today, around 45% of the EAMT library collection has been entered into ESTER.
As of 1st January 2010, the EAMT library has 221 788 items:
- 37 640 books
- 159 749 scores
- 2613 theses and works of research
- 17 983 audio recordings (including 9538 CDs)
- 778 VHS tapes
- 1884 DVDs
- 85 CD-ROMs
- 117 periodical titles
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