Research Help
Locating Materials
Most of the Archive holdings are not formally cataloged and do not
appear in SOCRATES, the Stanford University Libraries’ online
public catalog. In-house finding aids and other reference sources
are available to help users locate recordings. The Rigler and
Deutsch Record Index (also called the RDI) provides access to most
of the Archive’s 78rpm recordings. The reference collection
of print materials, as well as those LPs and compact disc recordings
purchased for the Archive, are accessible through SOCRATES
and RLIN
(the Research Libraries Information Network).
The RDI
The Rigler and Deutsch Record Index was developed in the early 1980s
as a co-operative venture among five major sound archives in the United
States. It includes some information for approximately 85% of all
commercial recordings produced in this country before 1950. The Archive
has a version available on microfiche and the data is searchable online
through the RLIN (and its Eureka service).
The Archive has grown considerably since the index was compiled,
so the Stanford listing is incomplete. But because the RDI includes
holdings from four other collections it can provide information
— manufacturer’s name and number(s) — that the
staff needs to ascertain whether the Archive now has a copy.
Record Label Issue Numbers
Record manufacturers have assigned labels and numbers to recordings
almost since the inception of recorded sound. Given a label name and
issue number, the Archive’s staff can find any commercial recording
in the collection. (In SOCRATES, a label name and number can usually
be found under “Other” on the Full Display.)
Last modified:
March 7, 2006
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