About the Library

Our Mission

The mission of the Robinson Music Library is to create a nurturing environment for the study of music, supporting the educational objectives of the Cleveland Institute of Music and fostering our students' own musical growth and development.

Our History

CIM has always had a library of some description since its founding in 1920, but it was not until the early 1960s, when CIM moved to University Circle, that the library was upgraded to have a professional staff and the collection was developed along the lines that you see today. The first professional library director was Clara Steuermann. Hired by Victor Babin in 1966, Ms. Steuermann successfully applied for a multi-year federal grant to build the library collection. Her work and dedication laid the foundation for the wonderful library we have today.

The library’s space and collections have evolved over the years reflecting our faculty, institution and community to meet the ever-changing needs of the next generation of great performers. In 2007, the library underwent a complete renovation, which added a lower level and gave the library a dedicated media center to house commercial and local recordings. Today, Robinson Music Library serves the CIM community with three full-time staff members as well as additional part time staff, and thousands of physical books, scores, CDs, DVDs, etc. In addition to these, the library subscribes to many of the top music research and streaming databases for students. 

Past Directors

Clara Steuermann: 1966-1975

Karen Miller Griffith: 1975-1985

Melody McMahon: 1985-1988

Linda Richer: 1988-1989

Jean Toombs: 1990-2016

Kevin McLaughlin: 2017-2022

Robinson Music Library at CIM

Robinson Music Library is located on the first floor of the Cleveland Institute of Music adjacent to Pogue Lobby and includes a lower level Media Lab. The collections here focus mainly on Classical through 20th century music in support of the CIM curriculum.

In the Robinson Music Library you will find a wide selection of repertoire for all instruments, voice, and chamber ensembles as well as opera and orchestral scores. Our 41,000+ volumes include all the standard works along with more unusual repertoire in each field. Scores (full-sized and miniature) and parts in a variety of editions are available for check-out. Complete works of major composers in scholarly editions are shelved in the Reference section and can be used within the library for study and comparison.

The Robinson Music Library owns nearly 12,000 volumes of books with a focus mainly on Western art music. Find biographies of classical musicians, books about music history, analyses of musical compositions, or other information for your research or for pleasure reading. Most of these are available for check-out. A large selection of music dictionaries, song indexes, International Phonetic Alphabet translations, composer and instrument bibliographies all may be found in the Reference section for use within the library.

With over 16,000 CDs, 10,000 LPs, 1,000 DVDs and other formats, the Media collection of the Robinson Music Library includes a wide range of the best of recorded classical art music. Find CDs or DVDs by today's great performers, plus legendary performances only found on vinyl LP.

The Robinson Music Library provides access to an ongoing collection of recordings of CIM faculty performances, CIM opera programs, CIM orchestra concerts, and other select ensemble performances. Look for these using the Library catalog or the CIM concert program binders in the Media Lab. To browse this collection, go to catalog.case.edu and enter the search terms "CIM Performances Collection." Physical CIM Performance recordings are available for in house use only.

KULAS MUSIC collection at kelvin smith library

Kulas Music Collection is located on the first floor of the Kelvin Smith Library. It houses Case Western Reserve University's library collections in the area of music. The library contains 45,000 items, including music scores, books on music, sound recordings, video recordings, microforms and music periodicals. Any Case faculty member, student or staff member with a valid university ID, or any CIM conservatory level faculty member, student or staff member with a valid CIM ID may borrow from the library. Books and scores circulate. Sound and video recordings must be used in the library. Find library hours, here.

Kelvin Smith Library (KSL) is the main library supporting the teaching and research of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. KSL provides technology services such as the online public catalog and circulation systems to the other campus libraries and affiliate libraries, including the Cleveland Institute of Music Robinson Music Library.

CIM Ensembles Library

The Ensemble Library's primary responsibility is to obtain (through purchase or rental), prepare, and distribute music for the CIM orchestral program. This includes orchestra programs, the regular concert series, conducting student recitals and classes such as the conducting major's Lab Orchestra, the required beginning conducting class and the woodwind/brass repertoire class. The Ensembles Library is located in the basement of CIM in room 3.

In addition, students can request individual parts for study and auditions. The CIM Ensemble Library does not lend music to outside groups or individuals. If you need assistance with the Ensembles Library, please get in touch.

Scores & Parts

In the Robinson Music Library, you will find a wide selection of repertoire for all instruments, voice, and chamber ensembles as well as opera and orchestral scores. Our 41,000+ volumes include all the standard works along with more unusual repertoire in each field. Scores (full-sized and miniature) and parts in a variety of editions are available for check-out. Complete works of major composers in scholarly editions are shelved in the Reference section and can be used within the library for study and comparison.

Books

The Robinson Music Library owns nearly 12,000 volumes of books with a focus mainly on Western art music. Find biographies of classical musicians, books about music history, analyses of musical compositions, or other information for your research or for pleasure reading. Most of these are available for check-out. A large selection of music dictionaries, song indexes, International Phonetic Alphabet translations, composer and instrument bibliographies all may be found in the Reference section for use within the library.

New books arrive monthly! Check the New Acquisitions Guide for a list of scores, books, & recordings which have just arrived.

Books for Young People

A collection of books for young people about music and musicians can be found in the display at the front of the library. Look for the location "CIM Preparatory Cart" in the library catalog.

Music Magazines & Journals

Many magazines and journals are available in full-text online. Access via online subscriptions to RILM, JSTOR, or the E-Journal Portal. You may also search for magazine/journal holdings held by Case & affiliate libraries in the library catalog by the title of the publication.

Dissertations

DMA Documents at the Robinson Music Library - this document lists dissertations written for CIM degrees held by the Robinson Music Library.

CIM dissertations are solely the intellectual property of the author and require permission to be copied for academic use. Once permission is received, the library staff will, at their discretion, scan and email dissertations for $0.10 per page up to 50 pages. Requests that are not for academic use (such as personal copies) may be honored with a $25/per hour (minimum) charge for labor involved in scanning/digitization. Please contact the library for more information.  

Both the Robinson Music Library and Kulas Music Collection at Kelvin Smith Library provide access to dissertations written at other schools. You may locate full-text dissertations through our subscription to ProQuest Dissertations & Theses or via the Ohio LINK Electronic Theses & Dissertation Center.

Media

With over 16,000 CDs, 10,000 LPs, 1000 DVDs and other formats, the Media collection of the Robinson Music Library includes a wide range of the best of recorded classical art music. Find CDs or DVDs by today's great performers, plus legendary performances only found on vinyl LP. The Robinson Music Library's Media Lab also maintains an ongoing collection of recordings of CIM faculty performances, CIM opera programs and CIM orchestra concerts. Look for these using the Library catalog or the CIM concert program binders.

Streaming Media

The Robinson Music Library subscribes to several streaming audio and video web resources, including Naxos Music Library, Met Opera on Demand, Music Video Collection, and more. Access these from public computers in the Library or off-campus using CIM credentials.

Our Media Lab is located on the lowest level of the library. Here, you will find all of our physical recordings, as well as our computer lab for use by our patrons.

The computer lab consists of individual stations including 8 Macs, 8 PCs and two small media rooms, each equipped with a computer, LP player, and other playback equipment. These computer stations are equipped with the following programs:

• Adobe Acrobat
• Audacity / GarageBand
• Blu-ray Player
• Finale
• Keynote
• Movie Maker / iMovie
• Sibelius

Request assistance during regular library hours with finding/accessing recordings and videos or using the Media Lab. Small media rooms may be reserved up to 3 hours a day via Microsoft Outlook (Location: Library Media Room B, C)

OUR EXTENSIVE PERFORMANCE COLLECTION INCLUDES:

• Over 16,000 commercial compact discs
• Over 1000 commercial DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and videocassettes.
• LPs and videocassettes of historic performances not available on modern formats.
• CIM Performance collection of faculty recitals, opera and orchestral concerts, and a selection of CIM master classes.
• Online subscriptions to Naxos Music Library, Music Video Collection, and Met Opera On Demand, and more.

Through the Joint Music Program (JMP) between Case Western Reserve University and CIM, the libraries at each institution share collections for the greatest benefit to students and faculty.

Robinson Music Library at CIM and Kulas Music Collection at Kelvin Smith Library are the primary libraries for JMP. Each library specializes in materials geared toward the curriculum at its particular institution. Robinson Music Library focuses on performance repertoire from the classical period through the 20th and 21st century, as well as music theory texts and a broad listening collection. The Kulas Music Collection is geared toward music education, musicology, music therapy and early music/historical performance practice. Combined, these resources provide a well-rounded music collection to serve our patrons. Additionally, online resources are coordinated between institutions to provide the greatest possible access to music-related databases and subscriptions.