Some library schools offer special courses or internships in music librarianship. Commitment to music draws individuals interested in librarianship to this field of specialization. To enjoy it and to become an accomplished practitioner, intellectual curiosity, concern for detail, and an ability to organize ideas as well as things are essential. Music librarianship is a financially stable career, and one that many musicians find compatible with a part-time second career as a performer. Technical services librarians, such as those in cataloging or acquisitions, may work entirely behind the scenes.
Music librarianship offers a broad range of administrative and supervisory positions.
Some of the smaller music collections are administered and operated by a single professional, with support staff. In large academic and public libraries, there are management positions as department heads and assistant heads. The head of a music library, whatever its size, may have budget, personnel, facilities, and collection management responsibilities. To learn about the profession's current activities and to make useful contacts, join the Music Library Association as a student member, MLA was founded in 1931 to promote the establishment, growth, and use of music libraries. Members receive the MLA Newsletter and MLA's quarterly journal Notes, which contains articles, bibliographies, and reviews of music, books, and software.