Skip to Main Content

Musicals of Stage and Screen: A Guide to Resources at the Library of Congress

Archival Correspondence and Literary Material

In addition to published books, periodicals, librettos, and programs, the Music Division's general music collections feature archival materials such as correspondence, photographs, business documents, and related items that are cataloged and described in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. The following call numbers and classes should help clarify the types of archival material found in the Music Division's collections, and provide examples of this rich material.

*Note that the archival material described in this section is not considered Special Collection material. See the Special Collections page for more information about the Music Division's musical theater-related special collections.

The ML95 classification number identifies music-related literary manuscripts such as correspondence by creative artists. ML95 material can include correspondence, lyric sheets, scripts or librettos, and more. Browse or search ML95 material in the Library of Congress Online Catalog using the following strategies:

BROWSE by CALL NUMBER — Use Browse Search and select "CALL NUMBERS (LC Class No.)" to produce results listing all holdings that have been assigned the ML95 classification (not just musical theater holdings). The browse link below allows for easy scanning of all materials matching that classification:

QUICK SEARCH using ML95 and [Name of Person] — If you're interested to see whether or not we hold ML95 material for a specific person, perform a Quick Search in the online catalog and simply type "ML95 [Name of Person]" in the search bar before clicking "Search."

*Note that we hold Special Collections for some composers who are also represented in our ML95 classed material. The quick search examples below will show results in the online catalog:

The following additional examples of musical theater-related ML95 material link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Leonore S. Gershwin established the Gershwin Fund in 1992 to perpetuate the name and works of Ira Gershwin (1896-1983), librettist and lyricist, and George Gershwin (1898-1937), American composer, pianist, and conductor, and to provide support for worthy related music and literary projects. Gershwin Fund materials include

There are four call numbers for literary material in the Gershwin Fund collection:

ML30.27e — Correspondence

ML30.27f — Legal and financial documents

ML30.27g — Photographs, Prints, or Drawings

ML30.27j — Programs and Related Printed Matter