Students and professors will soon have access to a large collection of LPs, CDs, and cassette tapes – a significant donation because of its size and contents for both the library and music department, according to Daniel Tacke, chair of the Howard department of music.
“The collection was assembled by Edward Wheeler of Lawrenceburg, Indiana,” said Lori Curtis, the Hillsdale archivist. “Mr. Wheeler’s widow, Joanne Wheeler, gave the collection to Hillsdale College with hopes that it would be used and enjoyed.”
The collection includes more than 8,000 LPs, over 3,000 CDs, and approximately 2,600 cassette tapes, as well as six linear feet of correspondence between Wheeler and various composers, according to Maurine McCourry, director of the Mossey library.
“Apart from the sheer size of the collection, which includes a number of unusual and rare recordings, especially of 20th-century works, the most important feature of the Wheeler collection is the assortment of home-made or live recordings made by performers, including many premieres,” Tacke said.
According to Tacke, Wheeler collected an assortment of recordings previously unshared with the public.
“As such, the Wheeler collection is home to a number of recordings that do not exist anywhere else, offering a unique glimpse into a world of music-making far removed from the modern conveniences of studio engineering and post production,” Tacke said.
According to McCourry, Wheeler died in 2002 while still searching for a home for the collection. After his death, his widow continued the search and found Hillsdale to be a willing recipient.
“The college accepted the collection in 2013,” McCourry said.
The music department initially accepted it but, after a decade, decided they did not have space to store it, according to McCourry. The collection is now being moved into Mossey Library.
“Half the LPs are out on the shelves and are available,” said McCourry.
She noted that it will take years for them to be added to the library catalog.
“Students can still go out and browse them and just get an idea of what’s there,” she said.
While the collection itself is important, the library wants to ensure that students also have access to information about its origin.
“We will be acquiring and placing a plaque on the end of the LP range giving collection and donor information,” Curtis said.
Currently, none of the CDs have been shelved, but the cassette tapes and part of the LP collection are ready for students to view. While certain items are currently unavailable, students will eventually be able to access the entire collection, according to McCourry,
“The tapes and correspondence will be kept in our Special Collections area, not immediately accessible to the public,” McCourry said. “Ms. Curtis is always happy to show students materials from those collections.”
According to McCourry, the library is in the process of purchasing turntables so students can listen to the LPs, which will be available by next week.
“It’s mostly classical, but there is some jazz and some show music,” McCourry said.
Wheeler also had recordings of non-published performances by various orchestras that they let him record, McCourry said.
According to McCourry, Wheeler’s correspondence contains all of the letters written to composers and performers that enabled him to record the music without violating copyright laws.
“For study and preservation purposes, we are keeping those tapes with this accompanying correspondence with the copyright owners,” said McCourry.
For security purposes, nothing in the collection will be allowed to leave the library, but students and faculty will be able to view and eventually listen to the entire Wheeler collection, according to McCourry.