Make an Appointment
Book a research consultation with one of your MSMU librarians!
Email Us - library@msmu.edu
Your question will be answered by a librarian within 24 hours.
Call Us
Coe - Chalon: 310.954.4370
McCarthy - Doheny: 213.477.2750
Drop In
Stop by the Circulation Desk at either library and ask in person.
CATALOGFind print books, dissertations, and electronic books in the MSMU Libraries Catalog.
You may search by titles, authors, subjects, call numbers, words in title, ISBN and, if on reserve for a particular course, by instructor.
WorldCat
If you still don't find the book that you want, try WorldCat.org and please contact a librarian so that we can help you search the broader Interlibrary Loan (ILL) network and request any materials you may need.
If you don't find the book that you want in the MSMU Libraries Catalog try searching in WorldCat. Please contact a librarian or fill out an ILL Materials Request form so that we can help you search the broader Interlibrary Loan (ILL) network and request any materials you may need.
(Enter title, subject, or author)
OR if you prefer, you can search for eBooks in each individual database listed below:
Browse eBooks by subject or use the Advanced Search or Advanced features to find books by title, subject, keyword-in-text, or author.
Open Access eBooks
Kanopy is a streaming video resource with a broad collection of over 30,000 films on a multitude of subjects from leading producers/distributors, such as Criterion Collection, Kino Lorber, A24 and many more.
Effective July 1, 2021, MSMU Libraries will transition to a Smart DDA model, which means that users will still have immediate access to over 10,000 films - including our currently licensed 230 films. Some Kanopy titles will be requestable through a form so please allow 24-48 hours to make these films available.
Kanopy is an on-demand film streaming service that has a broad collection of over 30,000 full-length films on a multitude of subjects from leading producers/distributors, such as Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, New Day Films, Samuel Goldwyn, PBS, and more.
Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device, or platform by visiting msmu.kanopy.com or downloading the Kanopy app.
Please help us keep costs down by exiting out of a film quickly if you don't plan to watch it. After 30 seconds of viewing, the license triggers.
If you create a Kanopy account with your MSMU credentials, you will be able to:
Kanopy has many titles of unique educational, social, and cultural value. Enjoy!
Browsing the library stacks:
Search the "M" shelves for books on Music History, styles & techniques and various musicians and their biographies/autobiographies.
Books in the library are organized according to the Library of Congress classification system.
Each book has a unique call number.
They are organized so that similar subjects are next to each other on the shelf.
When you find a book that you want in the library's catalog, write down the call number and location.
Coe Library - Chalon Campus
3rd Floor (main level)
1st Floor
McCarthy Library - Doheny Campus
1st Floor (main level)
2nd Floor
Call Number Example
Find RC280 .B8 L58 1980b at the Coe Library - Chalon Campus.
Form and Process in Music, 1300-2014 by These resources are great for fact checking, quick and basic information, and topic overviews. They can also be a great place to start when researching a new topic that you are not familiar with. Finding basic information on a topic can help you understand what to look for in more advanced searches.
Academic encyclopedia and dictionary entries defining and introducing topics in all disciplines. Entries include images, topics, titles, and mind maps.
This database provides over 25,000 encyclopedic entries covering a variety of subject areas.
OED is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. A guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words past and present from across the English-speaking world.
Online reference materials spanning 25 diverse subject areas. Includes entries from the Oxford University Press Dictionaries, Companions, and Encyclopedias, and Oxford Reference series.
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music by 
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by 
Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music by 
