Loeb Music Library “Archive of World Music Collection" (Harvard Library)

Founded in 1976 by Professor John Ward, Archive of World Music is a collection of the Loeb Music Library founded in 1976. It is dedicated to field recordings of music across the globe as well as commercial sound recordings, videos and DVDs of ethnomusicological interest. The Archive drew major collections including that of Kay Kaufman Shelemay Collection of Ethiopian music. The collection development has focused primarily on the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The content of the Archive continues to develop with a special emphasis on Asia and the Middle East. It is currently in the position to further develop the collection with recordings from all around the world.

The collection is accessible to benefactors with a Harvard ID. Requests for recordings by qualified researchers and scholars may be made at any time, but one week is required for preparation of materials. For the preservation of fragile and rare recordings, user copies must be made of formats other than CDs, VHS tapes and DVDs.

Materials in the Archive are available in OASIS, Harvard's Online Archival Search Information System.

Researchers and professional musicians who are not associated with Harvard are encouraged to contact Public Services in advance via e-mail or telephone and will be required to present a valid photo ID and register upon each visit.

The library is open to members of the public from Monday to Friday at 09h00am until 22h00pm, Saturday at 13h00pm until 17h00pm and Sunday from 13h00pm to 22h00pm.