Presented at the 2016 International Association of Music Libraries Congress; Roma, and the 2016 Canadian Association of Music Libraries conference; Calgary

1. Kathleen Parlow
A Life in Letters
Lelland Reed | July 5th 2016
International Association of Music Libraries Congress, Rome, Italy

2. Introduction
Right [Leopold Auer correspondence to Minnie Parlow containing 1 photograph, January 20
1908]. corr_0041-1. Box 5, Folder 8. The Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of
Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto, ON.
Left [Postcards with Image of Kathleen Parlow]. corr_0387-13. Box 7, Folder 19. The
Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto, ON.

3. The Kathleen Parlow Collection at the
University of Toronto Music Library
 Collection contents include:
 Engagement diaries
 Musical scores and parts
 Photographs
 Press notices
 Concert Programs
 Miscellaneous items
(newspaper
clippings/transcriptions, other
ephemera)
 Correspondence
 Correspondence collection
contents include:
 429 correspondence items
 Authored between 1868-
1967
 Correspondence formats
include handwritten and
typeset letters, postcards,
telegrams, cards, invitations
 Attached materials including
photographs, musical
scores, newspaper clippings
and other ephemera

4. [Pastor J.C. Herdman letter to Minnie Parlow, February 2 1896]. corr_0002. Box 5, Folder 2.The Kathleen Parlow
Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto, ON.

5. [Pastor J.C. Herdman letter to Minnie Parlow, February 2 1896]. corr_0002. Box 5, Folder 2.The Kathleen Parlow Collection. University
of Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto, ON.

6. [Cross-hatched letter to Minnie Parlow, February 1 1897]. corr_0004. Box 5, Folder 3.The
Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto, ON.

7. [Johan Halvorsen letter to Kathleen Parlow, November 12 1908]. corr_0054. Box 5,
Folder 8. The Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music
Library, Toronto, ON.

8. [Hans Schouwman letter to Kathleen Parlow, April 21 1916?]. corr_0135. Box 5, Folder 19. The
Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto, ON.

9. [Hans Schouwman letter to Kathleen Parlow, April 21 1916?]. corr_0135. Box 5,
Folder 19. The Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of
Music Library, Toronto, ON.

10. [Hans Schouwman letter to Kathleen Parlow, April 21 1916?]. corr_0135. Box 5,
Folder 19. The Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music
Library, Toronto, ON.

11. [Hans Schouwman letter to Kathleen Parlow, April 21 1916?]. corr_0135. Box 5, Folder 19. The
Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto, ON.

12. [Leopold Auer letter to Kathleen Parlow, September 16 1917] .
corr_0130. Box 5, Folder 17. The Kathleen Parlow Collection.
University of Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto, ON.

13. [Leopold Auer letter to Kathleen Parlow, September 16 1917] . corr_0130. Box
5, Folder 17. The Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty
of Music Library, Toronto, ON.

14. [Margaret Moscheles letter to Kathleen Parlow, May 20 1926]. corr_0165. Box 6, Folder 7.
The Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto,
ON.

15. [Margaret Moscheles letter to Kathleen Parlow, May 20 1926]. corr_0165. Box 6,
Folder 7. The Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music
Library, Toronto, ON.

16. [Margaret Moscheles letter to Kathleen Parlow, May 20 1926]. corr_0165. Box 6, Folder 7.
The Kathleen Parlow Collection. University of Toronto Faculty of Music Library, Toronto,
ON.

17. Challenges Associated With Arrangement and
Description of Correspondence Materials
 Deciding what is and is not correspondence materials
 Drawing the line between personal and business
correspondence
 Identifying signatures
 Working with many languages
 Deciding on an approach to describing the subject of
correspondence materials

18. Tips for Librarians Working With
Correspondence Archival Materials
 Allow for time to get to know the collection
 Be prepared to do research
 Seek out language specialists if needed and feasible
 The Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) will be
your best friend in the event you are working with an
international collection
 The MODS <note> field will be your other best friend
 The MODS <relatedItem> field can be used to create
connections within the collection and broader communities

20. The Importance of Correspondence
Materials
 Correspondence materials can provide testimony to
events, happenings, and people of the past
 Correspondence materials can supplement other
primary source materials
 Correspondence materials demonstrate the evolving
nature of communication
 Correspondence materials provide us with detailed
pictures of peoples lives

21. Thank You!
I would like to thank UofT Faculty of Music Librarians Suzanne
Meyers Sawa, James Mason, and Houman Behzadi who supervised
this project, as well as the wonderful staff at the Faculty of Music
Library.