The Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale publishes an ongoing database of musicological bibliography, in printed, online, and CD-ROM formats. The database is commonly referred to as RILM Abstracts of Music Literature or RILM. The Editor-in-Chief is Barbara Dobbs Mackenzie. This international bibliography of scholarly writings on music and related disciplines, in 202 languages, is classified by topic, and includes original-language titles; title translations in English; full bibliographic information; abstracts in English; author, journal, and subject indexes; and a thesaurus.Sponsorship. Established in 1966 under the joint sponsorship of the International Musicological Society and the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centers, RILM was the pilot project of the interdisciplinary Bibliographic Center planned by the American Council of Learned Societies. Since RILM's foundation, the City University of New York has graciously provided an institutional context for its endeavors; the RILM International Center is currently housed at the CUNY Graduate Center, at 33 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036. RILM's Commission Internationale Mixte, representatives of the three sponsoring societies, form a body of distinguished scholars and librarians.
Participation. The publication of RILM Abstracts of Music Literature is made possible by the efforts of some 60 national committees located in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. The committees are composed of musicologists and librarians based at major university or national libraries and research institutes. Among the current host institutions are the British Library, the Russian State Library, the Bibliothèque Nationale, the Bibliothèque Royale (Brussels), the National Library of Canada, and the Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung, Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Berlin).
Scope. RILM's broad, international coverage and concise abstracts distinguish it from all other music reference resources. All scholarly works are included (articles, books, bibliographies, catalogues, dissertations, Festschriften, films and videos, iconographies, critical commentaries to complete works, ethnographic recordings, conference proceedings, reviews, etc.). Concert reviews, recording notes, pedagogical manuals, etc. are included if they are of scholarly interest. Areas of coverage encompass historical musicology, ethnomusicology, instruments and voice, librarianship, performance practice and notation, theory and analysis, pedagogy, liturgy, dance, criticism, music therapy, and interdisciplinary studies on music and various other fields, including literature, dramatic arts, visual arts, acoustics, aesthetics, anthropology, sociology, linguistics and semiotics, mathematics, philosophy, physiology, psychology, and physics. The number of records per volume has increased over the years from 2,532 records in volume I (1967) to over 17,000 records in volume XXIX (1995).
Indexing. An additional feature of RILM Abstracts of Music Literature particularly valuable to scholars is its in-depth indexing. All records are thoroughly indexed by persons and topics covered in each bibliographic entry. A thesaurus is available as a guide to headwords and indexing policies. For users of the printed version, there are cumulative five-year indexes.
Access. The database is available in book form from the RILM International Center, City University of New York Graduate School and Research Center, 33 West 42nd St., New York, NY 10036, on CD-ROM from NISC, 3100 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD 21218, and online through OCLC On-line Computer Library Center (FirstSearch), 6565 Frantz Road, Dublin, OH 43017-3395 and through NISC's Biblioline, 3100 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Each printed volume contains one year of music scholarship; the CD-ROM is updated quarterly; and the online version is updated monthly.
Subscribers. Subscribers to RILM Abstracts of Music Literature represent an international body of scholars, musicians, librarians, and students. Subscription information, price lists, and other information may be obtained by contacting Kristine Day, Managing Editor, at the RILM International Center (address above), (212) 642-2709 (tel), (212) 642-1973 (fax), or kday@email.gc.cuny.edu (Internet).
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