Mission:
The mission of the College of Music Archives is to preserve, document, and protect the history of the College of Music in all forms, including documenting the diverse contributions of students, faculty, staff, and alumni who have enriched and enlivened our community. In addition, we serve as the repository for State of Florida and University Records pertaining to the operations of the College of Music.
Although we are an internal archives, and not open for research appointments, we are happy to assist with research requests as we are able. For questions related to Music Special Collections, classroom instruction, or other needs for researchers, please see the vast resources on campus, including the Allen Music Library, University Libraries Special Collections, and Heritage and University Archives.
Values and Operating Principles:
The College of Music Archives places primary emphasis on:
- Fulfilling the mandate for University Records as provided by the State of Florida and in accordance with the State of Florida Retention Schedule “General Records Schedule GS5 for Public Universities and Colleges” facilitating campus and central administration compliance with the Sunshine Laws of the State of Florida.
- Selecting only those records that best document the College of Music, thereby enabling the orderly, legal disposal or erasure of records and information not of enduring value.
- Ensuring the integrity of evidence through maintenance of the context and order of archival records and other documents entrusted to its care.
- Creating and maintaining electronic and hard-copy descriptive tools, including inventories and finding aids, that provide intellectual and administrative control of records and collections.
- Providing a physical environment for records and collections that ensures their long-term viability and usefulness.
- Responding to the needs of administrators, staff, faculty, and students who seek historical evidence and information.
Strategic Goals:
Goal 1: To provide reasonable internal access (as deemed appropriate) to public records and materials for the College of Music community
Goal 2: Protect the history of College of Music in accordance with guidance set forth by the State of Florida and Florida State University Libraries
Goal 3: To carefully and ethically preserve the holdings of the College of Music for future use
Goal 4: To coordinate best practices with University Libraries and College of Music administration
Goal 5: To strengthen our base of support among members of our community, including donors, stakeholders and others who seek to preserve the history of the College of Music
Scope of the College of Music Archives:
- College of Music Administration Records
- Faculty Papers
- Alumni Papers
- Student Records
- Manuscript and audiovisual materials including musical autographs, sketches, photographs, recordings in all formats, ephemera, and correspondence stemming from faculty, staff, student, alumni, and administration
- Born digital records created by faculty, staff, student, alumni, and administration
Staff:
Head of College Archives:
Dr. Arianne Johnson Quinn, Ph.D., M.S.I.
Dr. Arianne Johnson Quinn, PhD, MSI is the Head of College Archives for the College of Music at the Florida State University. She is the current President of the Society of Florida Archivists. She holds a PhD in Historical Musicology from Princeton University, MSI in Information from Florida State University, MA in Music/Women’s and Gender Studies from Brandeis University, and BA in Music (Honors) from the University of New Mexico. She was previously the Music Special Collections Librarian in the Warren D. Allen Music Library and Digital Archivist and Research Associate for the Noël Coward Archive Trust. She was a teaching professor in the Honors Program Faculty at FSU, and has also taught at South Georgia State College and Tallahassee Community College.
Her research focuses on the cultural, political, and musical intersections between the American and British musical in London’s West End from 1920-1960, particularly the work of Noël Coward, Kurt Weill, Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hammerstein. She is the author of British and American Musical Theatre Exchanges 1920-1970: The “Americanization” of Drury Lane (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023). She is the editor of Selected Musical Plays by Noël Coward: A Critical Anthology (Bloomsbury, 2022). She has also published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the reception of the postwar American and British Musical in such journals as Studies in Musical Theatre and New England Theatre Journal.
Archival Assistants:
Jamie Aagaard
Rachel Shapiro
Employment Opportunities:
If you are a current College of Music graduate student interested in working in the Archives, please contact Dr. Arianne Johnson Quinn at aquinn@fsu.edu.
Intellectual Freedom and Patron Privacy
The staff of the College of Music Archives believe in each user’s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired, or transmitted. This commitment to privacy is rooted in our professional values and expressed through our dedication to privacy education and advocacy. Through this commitment, we strive to empower our users to assert informed control over their information in our services.
We believe that protecting the privacy of archives users is our legal responsibility. Federal and state laws offer some specific protections, including Florida Statute § 257.261 which governs registration and circulation records, requiring strict confidentiality. We are mindful of the constantly changing nature of privacy laws and technology, and we adapt our policies as needed.
In our archives practice:
We advocate for users’ privacy by protecting all data and registration records
We are transparent about the types of data we collect and preserve, including that of faculty, administration, staff, students, and visitors to the College of Music
We commit to only collect data that is needed in order to maintain the archives
We protect the confidentiality of library users’ data by minimizing limiting access to sensitive information to only those who are trained in the protection and security of confidential records.
We are committed to maintaining the confidential nature of records created, used, and distributed by the College of Music
Future of the Archives:
If you interested in making a financial donation to the future of the Archives, please contact our Assistant Dean of Development Jayme Agee at: jagee@foundation.fsu.edu
Donation Criteria
Donations are an essential part of building our College of Music history collections. The College of Music Archives is happy to accept donations from faculty, staff, and alumni. Both historical objects and financial support are accepted on behalf of the College of Music Archives. Responsibility for selection falls to the College of Music Archivist in consultation with appropriate stakeholders. Please consult with the Archivist before donating any materials, as some items may be considered state and university records and therefore governed by different criteria and privacy concerns. If you are a retiring faculty member, we are happy to set up a personalized consultation to assist you with your records needs. Please contact us at: cm-archives@fsu.edu.
Types of items we accept
The following are categories of records and materials which the College of Music Archives typically collects in most circumstances. Please consult with the College of Music Archivist before donating materials.
Correspondence (official; on university letterhead, departmental and interdepartmental correspondence)
Programs and recordings of student and faculty performances, particularly degree-earning performances
Publicity, including scrapbooks, newspaper articles, etc.
Photographs of official FSU events (both print and digital files)
Types of items we do not accept:
The College of Music Archives does not accept collections items in obsolete technological formats, items of personal value such as physical awards, plaques or trophies, materials objects (in most cases), or collections which may not with due precautions be made available to the College of Music community and public at large. Exceptions to this are items of value related to institutional history, and University Records items of secure and confidential nature which shall be retained in accordance with all applicable State of Florida laws and university policies.
Appraisal
Please note that as state employees, all staff and faculty at Florida State University are barred from assigning financial value in order to avoid a conflict of interest. Please refer to the Additional Resources section for assistance with this type of request. If you are interested in making a monetary contribution to support the mission of the College of Music Archives, please contact the Assistant Dean of Development for the College of Music.
We are happy to meet with you to assess the potential cultural and/or historical value of your items to our collections, and we will provide an inventory upon approval and intake of your donation.
To find a professional appraiser, visit the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America website.
Internal Resources
If you are interested in FSU history, finding aids for on campus resources may be found here:
https://archives.lib.fsu.edu and https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/
For possible donations of library materials such as books, scores, CDs or other materials please contact: https://music.fsu.edu/library/ or AMLRef@fsu.edu.
Assistance related to University Special Collections and Heritage and Archives may be found here:
https://www.lib.fsu.edu/special-collections/heritage-and-university-archives
Assistance related to State of Florida and University Records Management may be found here: https://recordsmanagement.fsu.edu
Additional Resources
Donating Your Personal Papers or Family Records to a Repository
Your Old Books
viaLibri