Online music symbol retrieval from the access angle

TLDR: This article surveyed music technical services librarians to determine how these retrieval problems are dealt with in the confines of individual online catalogs, while noting parallels with their earlier study of the same problem from the perspective of online catalog vendors.

Abstract: The symbols for sharp and flat in music notation present special problems for the retrieval of music materials from online catalogs. The authors surveyed music technical services librarians to determine how these retrieval problems are dealt with in the confines of individual online catalogs, while noting parallels with their earlier study of the same problem from the perspective of online catalog vendors. The results of the study revealed that there is much variation in the music symbol retrieval capabilities of individual online systems, and that music technical services librarians are only somewhat satisfied with the manner in which different online systems deal with this problem