The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
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Main Library · Art and Music Department

The Art & Music Department service desk closed in October as part of the Main Library for the 21st Century reorganization. The collection is now part of the Information & Reference Department.

Third Floor—South Building
513-369-6955

Manager: Angela Farmer

About the Department

Founded in 1872, the Art and Music Department is the Main Library’s oldest subject department and the second oldest fine arts department among public libraries in the United States. Since the late 1800s, the department has built outstanding collections to meet both popular and scholarly needs in fields such as art, architecture, antiques and collectibles, design, handicrafts, cinematography, furniture, prints and printmaking, photography, pottery and porcelain, classical and popular music, film, theater arts and dance. The department also has a strong collection of materials covering Cincinnati’s rich history in culture and the arts and maintains close contacts with local cultural organizations to provide up-to-date information on local arts activities.

The Collection

With over 160,000 books, 31,000 pieces of sheet music, 210,000 pieces of choral music, 2,500 librettos, 800,000 clippings, 7,000 exhibition catalogs, 6,000 prints and posters and 22,000 music, theater and dance programs, the Art and Music Department provides wide comprehensive coverage of the arts for general readers, students, performers and researchers. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please ask at the Art and Music service desk-staff can assist you in finding the item or information you need.

Special Collections

The Cincinnati File
A collection of pictures, clippings and press releases relating to the arts in Cincinnati
The Delta Omicron Collection
A collection of scores of twentieth century works by American and Korean composers
The Exhibition File Catalog
A collection of art exhibition catalogs relating primarily to local artists and museums
The Langstroth Collection
A collection of nineteenth and early twentieth lithographs
The Libretto File
A collection of opera librettos
The Picture File
A collection of loose pictures on a varity of topics
The Plaut Collection
A collection of twentieth century artist’s books
The Program File
A collection of programs from local performing arts groups
The Straus Mayer Collection
A collection of chamber music scores
The Strobridge Collection
Circus and theater posters printed by Cincinnati’s Strobridge Lithographing Company in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
The Valerio Collection
Books pertaining to Italian art, music and literature

Reference Service

Art and Music Staff can help you find the information you need with its extensive collection of reference sources. Special resources include:

The Song Title Index
An index to sheet music and scores of popular songs.
The Cincinnati Artist File
Information pertaining to local artists

Publications

Contact the Art and Music Department if you would like a copy of any of these booklists or bibliographies: