LibGuides: MU295 Music and Art for Musicians: Databases, Open Access Resources and Web sites

Databases & Open Access Resources

DIAMM: Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music This link opens in a new window
DIAMM is a leading resource for the study of medieval manuscripts.
From its beginnings in 1998, the purpose of DIAMM was to obtain and archive digital images of European sources of medieval polyphonic music, captured directly from the original document. The purposes were (1) conservation and protection against loss, especially of vulnerable fragments, and (2) to enable libraries to supply the best possible quality of images to scholars.

Web Sites

Discogs This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive user built discography Web site that connects buyers and sellers across the globe. It offers the ability to catalog personal collections, share reviews and identify precise versions of music releases.
Early Music Sources This link opens in a new window
The aim of this website is to simplify the access to the vast amount of online early music sources. The sources database as well as the iconography database enable quick search and gateway to sources according to various categories. See also RISM and RIDIM
In addition to the databases, Early Music Sources also features a youtube series dealing with various topics relating to early music.

For further research you may refer to RISM (sources) and RIDIM (iconography).
Great 78 Project This link opens in a new window
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The Great 78 Project is a community project for the preservation, research and discovery of 78rpm records. Over 20 collections have been selected by the Internet Archive for physical and digital preservation and access.
Répertoire International d’Iconographie Musicale This link opens in a new window
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RIdIM promotes, supports and conducts worldwide cataloguing and research projects, workshops and conferences dealing with visual culture related to music, dance, and the dramatic arts.
It is designed to assist performers, historians, librarians, instrument makers, record manufacturers and book publishers, among others in making the fullest use of visual materials for scholarly and practical purposes.
RISM This link opens in a new window
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Comprehensive documentation of extant musical sources worldwide. These primary sources are manuscripts or printed music, writings on music theory, and libretti. They are housed in libraries, archives, monasteries, schools and private collections.
Founded in Paris in 1952, is the largest and only global operation that documents written musical sources. RISM records what exists and where it can be found.

Theses & Dissertations: Fee & Free

Access limited to TMUS users only

American Doctoral Dissertations This link opens in a new window
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Provides access to the only comprehensive record of dissertations accepted by American universities from 1902 to the present. Citations include a link to access the full text, when available, via the institutional Repository where the thesis or dissertation is house.
A free resource accessible to all researchers, American Doctoral Dissertations is available on the EBSCOhost® platform, and the content is available via EBSCO Discovery Service™.
ATS Dissertations This link opens in a new window
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ePlace is a digital collection of research and writing produced by the faculty, staff, and students of Asbury Theological Seminary. Managed by the B.L. Fisher Library, ePlace is designed to promote the open access of material from the Wesleyan and Holiness traditions to be shared with a global audience. It also serves as a place to preserve rare and difficult to locate material and encourage academic research and ongoing dialog between scholars in the field.
Digital Collections @ Dordt This link opens in a new window
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Content includes conference papers, research, theses, presentations, publications, and special collections by faculty, students, and staff at Dordt College. Sharing knowledge with a broader audience is an important goal of Digital Collections @ Dordt.
Duke Space This link opens in a new window
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DukeSpace provides access to recent Duke dissertations and master's projects as well as access to university records and other related digital content managed by the Duke University Archives.
Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center This link opens in a new window
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ETD is an online database of Ohio's undergraduate, masters and doctoral theses and dissertations from participating OhioLINK member schools.
The ETD Center is freely accessible worldwide to anyone interested in the theses and dissertations published in Ohio. It contains the abstract for all included theses and dissertations. The full-text is also available if it was submitted.
EThOS This link opens in a new window
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E-Theses Online Service provides access to the full text of all UK doctoral theses, either via download or digitization-on-demand.
A national aggregated record of all doctoral theses awarded by UK Higher Education institutions with free access to the full text of as many theses as possible for use by all researchers to further their own research.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations This link opens in a new window
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NDLTD is an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). Use the Global ETD search to find electronic theses & dissertation.
Supports electronic publishing and open access to scholarship in order to enhance the sharing of knowledge worldwide. Includes resources for university administrators, librarians, faculty, students, and the general public. Topics include how to find, create, and preserve ETDs; how to set up an ETD program; legal and technical questions; and the latest news and research in the ETD community.
Open Access Theses and Dissertations This link opens in a new window
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OATD.org aims to be the best possible resource for finding open access graduate theses and dissertations published around the world. Metadata (information about the theses) comes from over 1100 colleges, universities, and research institutions.
OpenDissertations This link opens in a new window
An open-access database built to assist researchers in locating both historic and contemporary dissertations and theses.
Providing researchers with citations to graduate research across a span of time, from the early 20th century to the present, this database will continue to grow through regular updates and new partnerships with graduate degree-granting institutions.
PQDT Open This link opens in a new window
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Provides the full text of open access dissertations and theses free of charge.
You can quickly and easily locate dissertations and theses relevant to your discipline, and view the complete text in PDF format.
Research in Ministry This link opens in a new window
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Research in Ministry® (RIM®)is a thesis and dissertation abstract database where users can search for and share the outcomes of research conducted in programs of study related to ministry, theology, and religion.
RIM is a searchable database with entries for authors, titles, thesis/project advisors, schools, and ATLA subject headings. Abstracts can be searched by keyword. Links have also been added to records for schools that also participate in the Theological Research Exchange Network.
Theses Canada This link opens in a new window
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A collaborative program between Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and Canadian universities. It strives to acquire and preserve theses and dissertations from participating universities, provide free access to Canadian electronic theses and dissertations in the collection, facilitate access to non-digital theses and dissertations in the collection.
TREN This link opens in a new window
Search TREN for over 10,000 theological thesis/dissertation titles representing research from as many as 139 different institutions. Authorized users from TMUS may download edocs for free.

The best way to search TREN is with a single term or phrase. To search a phrase you will need to select “more search options” from the home page and then select “exact phrase” from “Search For Theses/Dissertations” (do not put quotation marks around the phrase).
TREN also makes available conference papers presented at annual meetings of several academic societies. Like:
Evangelical Theological Society
American Society of Church History
Society for Pentecostal Studies
North American Patristic Society
American Catholic Historical Association
UCL Discovery This link opens in a new window
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UCL's open access repository, showcasing and providing access to UCL research publications.
UMI Dissertations Express This link opens in a new window
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A comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world.
Students, faculty, and other researchers search the database for titles related to their scholarly interests. You may purchase either unbound, shrink-wrapped print copies or PDF files.
WorldCat Dissertations This link opens in a new window
An index of all dissertations and theses cataloged in WorldCat